Late-Night Indian Barbecue Dishes In Greenwich Village At Masala Times

At the diminutive Masala Times on Bleecker Street, owner Hemant Phul is turning New Yorkers on to Mumbai's best exports: Bollywood and street food.

Walls painted with quotes juxtaposing Hollywood and Bollywood set the stage for barbecue dishes that replace the more popular creamy curries and smack solely of spice and heat.

Baby lamb chops, massive cubes of paneer and fragrant kebabs of ground chicken come sizzling out of the tandoor–a far cry from your average street meat. The chicken achari ($7), cooked in Indian pickling spices, arrives as tangy pieces of charred meat bolstered by the accompaniments served on every plate: saffron-tinged basmati rice, flaky flatbread fresh off the griddle and hot-pink pickled onions.

To channel subcontinent locals, try the rolls ($6) and anything served with soft, pillowy pav bread. Similar to Kolkata's kathi roll, bhuna andbhurji rolls (aka Bombay frankies) are on-the-go wraps; here, they're stuffed with piquant fillings like eggs ($4) or paneer ($5) scrambled with onions and chiles.

A leftover of Portuguese rule in western India, the squishy, golden pav rolls–split and toasted with butter–are reminiscent of Texas toast but much more rewarding when topped with aromatic ground lamb ($8).

Plus, all of this is served until 3 a.m. (5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays), so you can assuage your late-night hunger just like they do in Mumbai.

Masala Times, 194 Bleecker St.; 212-477-3333 or masalatimesnyc.com