Restaurant Review: Philadelphia Chutney Company

 

Working in Center City Philly means that I have plenty of lunch options within walking distance. The other day I grabbed lunch with a couple co-workers, and we tried the Philadelphia Chutney Company (PCC). It's a bit hidden at 1638 Sansom Street, but definitely a great new option for a quick, authentic Indian bite!

Their website describes their food as organic, natural, health-conscious, and 100% vegetarian. I had the #11, one of the dosas (a "light sourdough crepe made from rice"), which was curry Chutney veggie chicken with spinach and balsamic roasted onion. When the dosa came out, it was about two feet long! It was very tasty (once I figured out how I was supposed to eat it).

As the name would imply, they serve various chutneys with each menu item. With my dosa, I had the mango chutney (I asked for a recommendation from the guy taking my order, and he thought that a sweet chutney would pair nicely with the spicy curry "chicken"). It complemented the dosa nicely!

I also tried one of the appetizers just for kicks. This is the kind of thing you might want to split with someone since the dosa itself is fairly large (albeit light). I ordered #27, or Medhu Wada. They were fried lentil cakes and, as you can see in the picture below, were a delightful shape. They guy said these are traditionally served with cilantro or coconut chutney, so I went with the cilantro (which was very fresh and tasty!).

I'd like to return to PCC for another lunch where I could sample more of the menu. You can get the main menu items as a dosa or as a uttapa — which uses the same mix as the dosa but is more like a pancake than a crepe. There are also a lot of menu items that include paneer, Indian cheese, and sound lovely! I tried to go the low-cal route by skipping anything with cheese in it.

Pros:

• Unique menu and food for the neighborhood. It's nice to have something different in the event that I go out for lunch!
• Bright inside with quick and friendly service.
• Health-conscious food. I like companies that care if their food is organic, natural, etc. Because I care!
• I'm not a vegetarian, but I really enjoyed the veggie chicken! It had a great flavor and the texture didn't bother me at all. I tried it on a whim, and I'm glad I did!

Cons:

• The only beverage options are bottled water or Izzy Lizzy or Boylan Bottle Co. sodas. Sometimes I like having an option for ice water (i.e., water that doesn't cost $1.75) or iced tea. I don't love being forced to buy something in a bottle when I'm eating in a restaurant. 
• Okay, I acknowledge that this is irrelevant to the restaurant experience, but the pictures on their website makes their food look terrible! I guess I'm an aesthetic person and was just a little disappointed to see their delicious food look not-so-tasty online.