Shauna Eats Sunnyside

Tangra-La

Where to begin with Tangra?

B and I have a long history with this Indian/Chinese fusion palace situated in what was apparently once a gallant banquet hall on an odd-man-out corner of Queens Blvd. at 39th Place. Much gaudy legacy lives on via excessive gold columns and moldings, warrior/horsey paintings, and elaborate light fixtures, which Tangra’s Pan-Asian owners seem to have liked enough to work around. Take, for example, the creepy Romanesque statue in the front window, which the Tangrans have festively swathed in colorful scarf:



And Tangra’s mission should be commended—it’s all about meshing cultural backgrounds and influences to make the most of a damn fine meal. On this particular night, as on many of our other encounters, we walked through Tangra’s double-doored entryway into a bustling hall more than half-full with sprawling parties of primarily Indian families occupying communal tables deep in the palace’s recesses. We were greeted by this only mildly disturbing Chinese dragon:



The place is usually hopping, so I checked my disdain for screaming children at the door, as little rugrats with plenty of aisle room to tumble in are kinda part of the grand Tangra experience (just don’t make eye contact, they might snap).



From our two-top table near the kitchen and bar area, we sat comfortably and observed the “fusion” of families, foods, aromas, and sounds reverberating through the glitzy, boundless space. The folksy twang of stringed instruments and lowly drum beats streaming from unseen speakers underlies the melodic veil of clinking glasses and sizzling masala platters that are rushed to and fro by scurrying, buttoned-down waitstaff. Voices young and old meld into a welcoming hum, churning amidst the dining octaves like a thick, coriander-infused pakora batter…

We tend to get thrown off at Tangra by the lack of clear-cut beverage options. We’ve gone a number of times and yet, have only ever been offered water, tea, lassi (a bit heavy), or canned sodas. A can of Coke with a plastic straw kinda negates the formal setting, and inharmonious beveraging in any restaurant can create a state of patronial discord. We’ve spotted errant bottles of booze and beer being poured from behind the bar area, but we’re still not sure whether it’s a BYOB situation or if Tangra has a Prohibition-style side hustle going on…

Nonetheless, we asked for two Cokes and pressed on.

One thing we dig about the “fusion” angle of Tangra is that every single item on the menu appears to incorporate culinary elements of both Indian and Chinese culture. And despite having had some hit-or-miss meals in the past, there’s so much variety that we never have to get the same thing twice (lollipop chicken is just alright, sizzling tofu has a nice texture, and soup is good, but not mindblowing).





First up, we ordered our favorite appetizer (perhaps in this entire ‘hood), the shrimp balls — a slam-dunk of deep fried golf ball-sized fritters LOADED with meaty shrimp surrounded in cilantro-flecked batter with a spicy sour (lime) dipping sauce. At $7.50, it’s not the cheapest appetizer on the menu, but in all the times we’ve sampled them, they never disappoint. Fritters are the Indian element; shrimp and the spicy/sour sauce seem to be Chinese. And in any culture: SO…F’N…GOOD.



We like to try something new each time we tango with Tangra, so we went with the popular side dish (off the vegetarian section of the mondo menu) masala fries. A mound of deep auburn masala-emblazoned crisp and creamy fry wedges are served alongside a tamarindy sweet sauce for $4. They are delicious, and though we risked demolishing our appetites prior to the main course, gotta go balls to the wall and embrace the primal, gut-massaging ecstasy these apps are capable of invoking.



Tangra’s menu has recently changed; it’s always been a laundry list of both Indian and Chinese delicacies, but it would appear there’s been some restructuring, noticeably with an intro of Tangra’s five sauce options. You can get any sauce with your chosen meat/fish/veggie platter. Our waiter’s rec was the Manchurian brown (with cilantro and ginger), which we’d never tried before. We tend to dig the Tangra Masala (the house fusion sauce), but were intrigued by the gravy breakdown and therefore heeded our waiter’s wise words.

B ordered us a sizzling beef platter with Manchurian sauce and add-in fried okra. Entrees are in the double digits at Tangra (this one was $12.95, plus $2 for the okra), so us blue-collar peasants gotta split meals whenever possible. Luckily, the platters are JUST the right size for two (though we could handle a bit more jasmine rice, Tangrans!).



The plate came out piping and whizzing. We inhaled the fog of aerated beef marination, dodged popping flecks of meat juice, and let the smoke dissipate into our pores before moving in on the meal. B’s immediate fear was that the okra had been forgotten, though we soon realized the wee breaded veggie balls were merely camouflaged under the dense, tangy bed of (as promised, gingery cilantro) sauce.



The beef was a nice choice; we’ve done the sizzling tofu and chicken in the past. Flavorful and juicy enough, though slightly lacking in texture, the cow chuck complemented its sauce and jived well with the little okra pellets. As far as the okra went, again with the texture — the breading was delightful and crisp, but the okra was kinda mushy — maybe a tad overcooked. Either way, we loved the combo and savored every… last… bite, even clashing forks over the final okra nug (I win).



(Honorable mention goes out to the tabletop hot sauce selection, as vinegary smoked red chili sauce is right up our alley and enhanced every food it came in contact with.)





As if this all wasn’t enough, B and I just had to split the ice cream with lychees dessert. A scoop of cardamom- and almond-flecked ice cream holds court before a ring of sweet lychees in a shallow pool of lychee nectar presumably secreted from the canned fruits themselves. Can’t say enough about this dish. The light and not too sweet cream is a natural pairing with the succulent lychees, and made us both deliriously giddy upon departure into the rainy night.

Our bill came to less than $40 (before tip), which is fair. Obviously we dig street foods and finance-friendly dining joints, but as far as we’re concerned, Tangra’s the closest to an enjoyable Indian meal you’ll get in our ‘hood (otherwise, might as well hop the 7 to Jackson Heights) and the environment and appetizer selection alone are kitschy enough to warrant a sit-down sesh.

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Tangra Asian Fusion Cuisine
39-23 Queens Boulevard (at 39th Place)
Sunnyside, NY 11104
(718) 786-8008