Fresh Flavors
My first encounter with Indian cuisine was on a plane. Airplane food: take a perfectly good dish and let it sit for hours in those warmers and it will ruin just about anything. I thought I didn’t care for the flavors. Over the past few years, though, I’ve completely changed my mind. Now I can’t get enough of the spices – curry, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, mint.
I had my usual one or two Indian restaurant staples in Hoboken, but when Matt & Meera moved in to town, they completely turned the table on Indian cuisine. First, they go beyond the traditional style dishes – masala chips? Naan pizza? Chicken tikka sandwich? They have successfully created some inventive and delicious fusion dishes. Second, their menu choices are lighter. You won’t find heavy sauces and thick bean stews. The tandoori grill options feature options like sea bass, lamb, salmon or chicken, paired with seasoned rice and a light mango salad on the side. And they have a great selection of salads topped with a mint vinaigrette so delicious you’ll want some to take home.
My fiancé, Nick, and I have been enjoying the food at Matt & Meera for several months now. Our third floor walkup doesn’t really allow for a grill, but we still crave the charred, toasty flavors you can’t get any other way. An old college friend was in town recently, considering a move to Hoboken, and we invited him and his wife to join us at Matt & Meera. It’s located in the heart of Hoboken, with affordable prices and it’s a BYO. We’re trying to sell them on moving here, so we wanted to make sure we picked out a good spot.
Melissa and Ray, our prospective movers, decided to start with a few dosas. Melissa, who has had her share of dosas, was impressed with how light and not-greasy they were. Nick and I shared the mango salad as a starter. The tender, tangy shreds of mango were perfect.
For entrees, Melissa and Ray shared a few Kati rolls. (“Wow, these are huge!” said Melissa when they arrived.) Nick and I shared the lamb kebab—perfectly cooked and lightly spiced chunks of lamb—and the butter chicken and chili naan pizza. An incredible combination. We all ate until we were stuffed. Thefood was just a wonderful as I had expected it to be.
As always we had a great meal at Matt & Meera. One observation is that since our first visit, service has been slower. I certainly don’t want to be rushed through dinner, but there have been times when we’ve wondered if our server took off for the night. But if it’s a nice night and you want to enjoy the busy Washington Street scene, this is just the place to do it.
Matt & Meera
618 Washington Street
Hoboken
201-683-9431
Karin Nastawa grew up in the great Garden State, leaving only briefly to attend college in Philadelphia, where she developed a love for all things cheesesteaks. She has lived in Hoboken for over nine years, taking in the incredible dining scenes on both sides of the river and has a particular affinity for staking out interesting BYO establishments in Hudson County. She is the founder and owner of VinEatsi, a boutique wine & food digital marketing agency and has also studied wine and spirits extensively, receiving her advanced degree from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET). Along with running VinEatsi, she is an avid cook and food enthusiast and writes about her wine & food adventures in the VinEatsi blog. She dreams of having a chef’s kitchen and a state-of-the-art wine cellar filled with Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Left Bank Bordeaux… someday.
