Idly's Iselin Review

Address:

Idly's

1317 Oak Tree Rd
Iselin, NJ 08830

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Idly's Iselin Review: Decent Idli, Vada & Pongal; Lousy Sambar

It's hard to miss Idly's Indian restaurant when you are driving on Oak Tree Road in Iselin, New Jersey.

Located right at the corner of Oak Tree Road and Middlesex Ave, Idly's is essentially a vegetarian takeout place with a few tables.

During our recent visit to Iselin, we dropped by at Idly's to check out the food.

Idly's offers a variety of South Indian, North Indian and Indian-Chinese staples as well as quick bites like Mirchi Pakoda, Gobi 65, Vegetable Cutlet et al.

We tried a bunch of South Indian items including, of course, the restaurant's namesake Idlis, Medhu Vada, Pongal and Upma.

Idly's Iselin - Mostly Decent Food

For the most part, the food items we tried at Idly's were decent.

Packed in a plastic box and wrapped in a paper tissue, the Idlis were soft and delicious with the fine Tomato Chutney and the slightly bland Coconut Chutney. No complaints with the Medhu Vada either.

Pongal was a flavorful delight with the right proportion of Ghee and Pepper.

Upma was alright but had just tomato and no other vegetables.

Idly's also offers a choice of Dosas including Masala Dosa, Mysore Masala dosa Onion Masala Dosa, Cheese Dosa, Rava Dosa and Butter Masala Dosa.

We did not try the Masala Dosa or any of the other Dosas this time. Perhaps, we'll do it on a follow-on visit and update this review.

Idly's Iselin - Horrid Sambar

What got our goat though at Idly's was the insufferably horrid Sambar.

Disgustingly bad, Idly's Sambar showed no evidence of tamarind or the addition of Sambar spices. Chili powder was floating on top of the vile concoction, which contained just tomatoes and no other vegetables.

Idly's Oak Tree Road - Rude Service

Our order-taker, a young Indian fellow, was borderline rude first as he was taking our order and later when we asked for forks/spoons. Also, no plastic plates were included with our takeout order.

Idly's Iselin - Stinking Toilet

By the way, will someone please make sure the toilet at Idly's is cleaned. As we were walking out via the back entrance (this place has two, one on the side and the other at the back), the stench from the toilet hit us hard even though the door was closed. - © OakTreeRoad.us