The Oscars are over, but the excitement of the “Slumdog Millionaire” sweep lives on. But you don’t have to go Mumbai — or even Jackson Heights — to satisfy your South Asian obsession. Just head to Coney Island Avenue in Ditmas Park for a close encounter with the subcontinent.
Other parts of the neighborhood might be known for their charming Victorian manses, but south of Beverley Road, the wide boulevard turns into Little Pakistan. But with blocks of restaurants, bakeries, Bollywood movie stores and fabric bazaars, the only question is how little is it?
You could recite the Ramayana faster than you could explore this scruffy street (OK, that’s an ancient Hindu poem, but you get the picture).
1. Vindaloo wonderland
Start this crawl with an empty belly and head straight for Madina Restaurant at the corner of Beverley Road and Coney Island Avenue.
The authentic pan–Indian and Pakistani fare puts Manhattan’s East Sixth Street restaurant row to shame. Just ask the cabbies who frequently park in front of this 24-hour spot, which always has several meat and vegetarian entrees ready to serve.
The bill won’t hit you where it hurts, so frugal patrons will have plenty of rupees left over for the rest of the jaunt. A semi-spicy portion of chana masala, a classic chickpea dish, with a piping hot naan, costs only $5.
Madina Restaurant [563 Coney Island Ave. at Beverley Road, (718) 469-3535]. Open 24 hours every day.
2. They’re so sari
Bismallah Fabrics is the immigrants’ equivalent of a pioneers’ general store on the frontier. It carries just about every product an expatriate could need in urban America.
The inventory is stocked with a wide array of women’s and children’s saris, the latest blockbuster flicks out Bollywood on DVD, and head-bobbing sounds on CD. There’s also a selection of art with an Islamic motif, pictures frames, jewelry and many more odds-and-ends.
Bismallah Fabrics [719 Coney Island Ave., at Cortelyou Road (718) 826-8831]. Open 11 am–midnight every day.
3. Sweet times
Don’t overeat in Madina, because you’ll regret it when a familiar sweet, buttery aroma wafts from the bakery and give you all the reason you need to take refuge from the gritty pavement.
Cookies, cakes and breads, Pakistani style, are proudly arrayed in rows and rows. Sugar cookies with fruit toppings and spiced biscuits at $6 per pound are a smash, while local families come in to buy their bread, too.
Narala Bakery [744 Coney Island Ave., between Cortelyou and Dorchester roads. (718) 287-8494].
4. Hurray for Bollywood
With India cranking out more than 800 films per year (take that Hollywood!) it could be either a dream come true or torture to try and watch every song-and-dance extravaganza.
Posters from the latest new releases, such as the caper “Woodstock Villa” and the Tamil hit “Ghajini,” adorn Jhankar Video’s façade and, inside, many of those 800 annual productions are available.
Jhankar Video [793 Coney Island Ave., between Cortelyou and Dorchester roads, (718) 282-0303]. Open 2–11 pm every day.
5. Rah for Rahim
The set-up of this Pakistani grocer is simple — the butcher’s in the back, the pre-paid international calling cards are in the front and culinary excitement is all between.
With a plentiful selection of exotic spices, it’s one of the main outposts for home cooks trying to perfect their recipes for lamb biryani or chana masala.
If those bold plans go awry, this bodega has a wall of instant, near-foolproof Pakistani meals, including those by National, Shan, and, our favorite, Laziza.
Rahim Grocery [1076 Coney Island Ave. at Foster Avenue, (718) 421-0848].
