A vada pao (Wah-dah Pow; $3), a popular street snack in Mumbai and elsewhere in India's Maharashtra state, nestles vada — curried potatoes battered with chickpea flour, fried, and spread with chutney — on bread or a soft bun (pao). The word for bun is usually transliterated pav, but perhaps by association with a Chinese family of buns called bao, the owner of this narrow storefront chose a "rounder" spelling to complement the vada. This potato patty is decked out with a coconut-garlic chutney (perhaps touched with tamarind, too); the medium-crisp, heavily spiced fries may be seasoned with some of the same.
Aamchi Pao
194 Bleecker St. (Sixth Ave.-Macdougal St.)
212-228-1909