CHEAP EATS
Bombay Frankie Roti Roll
By Gerry Visco
I’m a night owl in the city that supposedly never sleeps, but in some neighborhoods decent late-night eateries are rare. Bombay Frankie Roti Roll scores high on two counts: the food’s flavorful, and they’re open ’til 4 a.m. on weekends (2-3 a.m. during the week)—my kind of place. The place feels retro with ’60s indigo lights, tangerine walls and stainless steel counters behind which bustling cooks sauté the rolls in the open kitchen.
The “roti rolls” are griddled Indian flatbread rolled up with fillings, like the Masala Unda Frankie, a roll stuffed with spiced egg omelet (the cheapest at$2.75; $4.50 for two) or the Aloo Masala Frankie ($3/$4.50), a tasty mixture of spiced potatoes and sweet peas. A few of my office underlings call the roti rolls “greasy.” Philistines! Instead of the same old liquids, go for mango juice ($1.75) or the mango lassi, to which I’m addicted ($3.75): a sweet, thick and frosty orange-colored “shake.”
My usual posse of male arm candy usually accompanies me on late-night jaunts to the Ding Dong Lounge on upper Columbus, and after last-call I usually crave something salty. My antidote: Frankie’s Spiced Shrimp Popcorn with cilantro mayonnaise ($7.50) and Hot Aloo (potato) Fries ($4.50). The Masala Calamari ($7) and the Chicken Lollipop ($5.50), which are wings, are always tempting, but a girl’s got to watch her figure—especially at 3 in the morning.
994 Amsterdam Ave. (at 109th St.), 212-666-1500.