Latest news with #Nishaan
Eater
28-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
After 60 Years, an Iconic Pork Bun Institution Has Reopened in a New Location
is the lead editor of the Northeast region with more than 20 years of experience as a reporter, critic, editor, and cookbook author. After 60 years in its Bayard Street location, Chinatown pork bun institution Mei Lai Wah has reopened at its new home at 41 Mott Street, at Bayard Street, the business announced today on Instagram. 'We are EXPANDING!! FINALLY!!,' the Chens announced last November. 'No more lining up outside on the smallest street in Chinatown!' Though they had hoped to continue service in tandem at the original location they told Eater when the news was first reported in 2024, the original headquarters has closed. A new Japanese spot is slated for former Minca space The former Minca space in the East Village — the ramen spot that recently closed after over 20 years — is going to be a new restaurant from the team behind Odo, the kaiseki restaurant from chef Hiroki Odo in Flatiron. The new spot is on track to debut this fall, according to a spokesperson, at 536 East Fifth Street between Avenues A and B. It will be mostly a counter with three indoor tables and open for lunch and dinner, according to community board filings. The menu lists sashimi, as well as grilled and fried items like yakitori, grilled mackerel, beef cutlet, and fried oyster. Mains include udon in curry soup, rice in cold broth, and beef and vegetable sushi. Chopped cheese is about to get more expensive With the price of beef skyrocketing, the cost of the city's iconic chopped cheese will rise. The average per pound ground beef prices across the United States rose to $6.12 in June, and steaks now cost $11.49 a pound, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; it's a buck more a pound than last year, Gothamist reports. A chopped cheese at Blue Sky Deli — also known as Hajji's in East Harlem, where the sandwich was allegedly invented — currently costs $8.50 before tax. As beef prices remain high, expect an uptick in the price of the sandwich. It's especially notable as the city continues to see new wave chopped cheese variants emerge: The latest is a Pakistani take at Nishaan, coming later this year to the East Village. Eater NY All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Find Glorious Pakistani Chopped Cheeses at This East Village Restaurant
is a born-and-raised New Yorker who is an editor for Eater's Northeast region and Eater New York, was the former Eater Austin editor for 10 years, and often writes about food and pop culture. The chopped cheese sandwich is a New York City bodega mainstay. Burger patties are chopped and grilled together with spices, onions, and American cheese, turning into a glorious gloopy mess, paired with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo, and placed in a hero or kaiser roll. And now there's a new restaurant aiming to offer a South Asian spin to the classic city sandwich, as first reported by EV Grieve, swapping a burger patty for chapli kebab. Nishaan will open in the East Village at 160 First Avenue, between Ninth Street and 10th streets, sometime this summer. Owner Zeeshan Bakhrani's approach to building Nishaan's halal menu stems from his upbringing. 'Looking at the dishes I enjoyed growing up as a Pakistani kid and an American kid,' Nishaan says, and figuring out how to 'combine them in a way that honors both dishes and it's not just two dishes slapped together,' he says. Take the star of Nishaan's halal menu: He didn't just want to take a chapli kebab and place it into a burger bun. He thought about the DNAs of the patty-shaped kebab and a chopped cheese, taking the chapli kebab spices like adobo and cinnamon, cooking the meat on a griddle, mixing in pepper jack and American cheese, and dropping it all in a hoagie. (He thought about swapping in a paratha, the flaky South Asian round bread, but decided it would be too much.) In addition to the chapli kebab chopped cheese, he's making a Buffalo chicken iteration with tandoori spices. The bihari barbacoa tacos at Nishaan. Nishaan 'I like combining cultures,' Bakhrani says. He explains how cultural dishes have morphed into something different because a main element wasn't available, or there are other ingredients that work better. 'The invention of the dishes themselves is through some sort of limitations,' using what is available, he says. Bakhrani is also making bihari barbacoa tacos, for which the tender, smoky shredded beef is cooked with bihari spices, topped with a tamarind salsa, resulting in a 'smoky chipotle taco,' he describes. And his elotes chaat combines Mexican and South Asian snacks. He tops corn with tamarind chutney, chaat masala, a lime-cilantro sauce, bhel (crispy rice), and cotija. It's 'the greatest thing I ever made,' he says. The forthcoming restaurant will also offer loaded fries, like the Noom Dhoom masala with an achari mayonnaise and a chopped cheese iteration. Bakhrani isn't stopping at savory items. He's riffing on a viral dessert with the Dubai chocolate paratha. He plans on creating what he describes as a 'funnel cake-ish' version where he will deep-fry the paratha, add powdered sugar, pistachio sauce, hazelnut sauce, and kadayif (shredded crispy filo). It's 'nutty, chocolatey, flaky,' he says. 'We describe it as a flash croissant.' There are drinks too. He's making a gulab jamun cold foam, a take on the syrupy South Asian dessert. His comes with cardamom coffee topped with a saffron cardamom rosewater cold foam and dehydrated gulab jamuns. Then there's the strawberry rosa sago milkshake, for which he makes strawberry coconut rosa jellies, mixed with strawberry ice cream. The elotes chaat at Nishaan. Nishaan Before Nishaan, Bakhrani had been making food on his own for a while as he worked in finance product management.. He had already done a food collaboration with halal mini-chain Namkeen, resulting in the garam masala hot chicken in 2023. He also ran pop-ups in his hometown of Chicago as well as Dallas. But Bakhrani got laid off in 2024 and had to figure out what he wanted to do. 'I know how to cook, I know how to sell food,' Bakhrani tells Eater, so, on a whim, he applied to be a vendor at Smorgasburg. To his surprise, he got accepted and started the stall in late August 2024. His Smorgasburg signage emphasized the sandwich, calling the stand the 'home of the Pakistani chopped cheese,' which was intentional. 'I heard somebody walk by, and they were like, 'Oh, I don't know what Pakistani food is, but I've had a chopped cheese. I want to try that,'' he recounts. 'I'm like, 'Yes, that's exactly what I wanted: food that is familiar but different.' With the pop-ups and lack of a day job, he wanted to open something of his own. 'I'm the kid of immigrants,' he says, 'there's nothing but work in my brain.' A restaurant front allowed him a permanent space to cook, experiment, hire staff, and interact with customers. The small counter-service restaurant will have about 10 to 14 seats. The design will take its cues from the Wazir Khan mosque in Lahore, emphasizing floral geometric shapes, Bakhrani explains. There's an inherited arch structure from the address's predecessor, Mexican restaurant Sabor A Mexico Taqueria. 'I want to leave a mark on the cuisine, but I want people to have that feeling of, 'Hey this is going to be my comfort food spot, when I'm hungry; when I'm thirsty; when I want something that satisfies the soul; I come here and eat it.' The restaurant's name means 'mark' in Urdu, because he wants his food to leave an impression.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Presiding seer of Ayodhya's Hanuman Garhi steps out after centuries to visit Ram Temple
Ayodhya, Mahant Prem Das became the first head seer of Ayodhya's Hanuman Garhi to step outside the revered temple's premises in over 300 years as he led a procession to the Ram temple on Akshaya Tritiya festival. Das visited the newly consecrated Ram Temple in a grand 'Shahi Juloos' in a historic and emotional departure from a centuries-old religious tradition that forbade the head priest from ever leaving the 52-bigha premises of Hanuman Garhi during his lifetime. Thousands of Naga Sadhus, devotees and disciples joined the procession, which featured elephants, horses, camels and musical performances by local troupes. The spiritual journey began at the banks of the Saryu River, where Mahant Prem Das and others performed a ritual bath, before proceeding to offer prayers at the Ram Temple. "This tradition has been followed for 288 years, since 1737," said Mahant Sanjay Das, a senior seer of Hanuman Garhi. "The Mahant's role is to devote himself entirely to Lord Hanuman. Once he is anointed to the seat, he lives and dies within the temple premises. His body can only leave after death." Mahant Ramkumar Das, chief of the Nirvani Akhara, told PTI that due to the presiding seer's deep desire to visit the Ram Temple, he was granted this "once-in-a-lifetime permission". According to the constitution of Hanuman Garhi, formalised in 1925, these traditions were recognised and enforced by the Naga Sadhus. "Even in civil matters, the courts have respected this tradition," said Sanjay Das. "If needed, a representative of the Akhara appears in court. In fact, in the 1980s, the court itself held sessions inside Hanuman Garhi to record statements from the Mahant," he said. However, the recent decision was not taken lightly. It came only after the 'Panch' of the Nirvani Akhara the esteemed religious body that oversees HanumanGarhi unanimously permitted the Mahant's wish to visit Ram Lalla's temple. Mahant Ramkumar Das, chief of the Nirvani Akhara, said, "The presiding seer's deep desire to visit the Ram Temple was heartfelt. After ritual discussions and overwhelming spiritual consensus, the Akhara granted this once-in-a-lifetime permission." The procession carried the Akhara's 'Nishaan' with immense reverence and symbolism. Alongside the Mahant were large groups of temple disciples, local shopkeepers and worshippers who saw the event as a powerful expression of religious unity and devotion.
NDTV
29-04-2025
- General
- NDTV
Hanuman Garhi Chief Priest Breaks 70-Year Tradition To Visit Ram Mandir In Ayodhya
Ayodhya is set to witness a historic event this Akshaya Tritiya, observed on April 30th. Mahant Prem Chand Das Ji, the 70-year-old chief priest of the Hanumangarhi Temple, who holds the title of 'Gaddi Nasheen,' will embark on a majestic procession to visit Ram Lalla. This unprecedented occasion marks the first time a 'Gaddi Nasheen' has ventured beyond Hanumangarhi's 52-bigha boundary, making it a truly significant moment for Ayodhya. According to a centuries-old custom, the 'Gaddi Nasheen' is barred from walking out of the temple all his life. Ayodhya resident Prajjwal Singh told new agency PTI,"The tradition that started with the establishment of the temple in the 18th century was so strict that the 'Gaddi Nasheen' was barred from appearing even before local courts." The break from tradition comes after Mahant Prem Das expressed a desire to visit the Ram Temple. He conveyed the wish to the Panch (members) of Nirvani Akhara, who unanimously granted him their permission for the visit. "On Akshay Tritiya, which is on April 30, the Gaddi Nasheen will lead a procession, which will also feature elephants, camels, and horses, from Hanumangarhi to Ram Lalla along with the Akhara's 'Nishaan' (insignia)," Mahant Ramkumar Das, the chief of Nirvani Akhara, said. He said the chief priest will be accompanied by Naga sadhus, their disciples, devotees, and local traders. The procession will reach the banks of the Saryu River at 7 am for a ritual bath and then proceed towards the Ram Temple, he said. "After a wait of 500 years, the Ram Lalla temple has been constructed. Therefore, the 'Gaddi Nasheen' of Ayodhya's Hanuman Garhi will go to have darshan of Ram Lalla. He will visit along with saints from all four sects after taking a bath in the Saryu River at 7 am on Akshaya Tritiya. This will mark the beginning of a new tradition in Ayodhya," said Acharya Mithilesh Nandini Sharan, a saint of Hanumat Niwas. "The saints and sages of Ayodhya are very happy with this initiative and are quite enthusiastic too." Saint Sanjay Das of Hanumangarhi shared that for the past three months, Lord Hanuman has been spiritually inspiring the 'Gaddi Nasheen' Mahant to visit Shri Ram Lalla. During the darshan, 56 types of bhog (offerings) will be presented to the deity on behalf of Ayodhya's Hanumangarhi temple. On January 22, 2024, an idol of the Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya Temple in a landmark event. Parts of temple still remain under construction.
News18
27-04-2025
- General
- News18
Hanumangarhi Chief Priest To Walk Out Of Temple In 7 Decades To Visit Ram Mandir
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Bestowed with the title of 'Gaddi Nasheen,' Mahant Prem Das is 70 years old and has never left the temple premises, which is spread over 52 bighas in Ayodhya. Hanumangarhi Temple chief priest will leave his home for the first time to visit the nearby Ram Mandir on Akshay Tritya on April 30. Bestowed with the title of 'Gaddi Nasheen,' Mahant Prem Das is 70 years old and has never left the temple premises, which is spread over 52 bighas in Ayodhya. According to a centuries-old custom, the Gaddi Nasheen is barred from walking out of the temple all his life. Ayodhya resident Prajjwal Singh told PTI, "The tradition that started with the establishment of the temple in the 18th century was so strict that the 'Gaddi Nasheen' was barred from appearing even before local courts." The break from tradition comes after Mahant Prem Das expressed a desire to visit the Ram Temple. He conveyed the wish to the Panch (members) of Nirvani Akhara, who unanimously granted him their permission for the visit. "On Akshay Tritiya, which is on April 30, the Gaddi Nasheen will lead a procession, which will also feature elephants, camels, and horses, from Hanumangarhi to Ram Lalla along with the Akhara's 'Nishaan' (insignia)," Mahant Ramkumar Das, the chief of Nirvani Akhara, said. He said the chief priest will be accompanied by Naga sadhus, their disciples, devotees, and local traders. The procession will reach the banks of the Saryu River at 7 am for a ritual bath and then proceed towards the Ram Temple, he said. On January 22, 2024, an idol of the Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya Temple in a landmark event. Parts of temple still remain under construction. First Published: April 27, 2025, 18:09 IST
