Curry Tub in Millburn

I discovered this place after they signed up as a MOL advertiser.  The concept is sort of like a Chipotle for Indian food.  They're located in the group of store across from the Short-Hills station:

https://currytub.com

I will be back!

Sounds good -- but it has a terrible name!

I thought so too but I was driving through Parsippany Troy Hills this weekend, another community with a growing Indian population, and saw a place called "Biryani Tub" so now I think it may be a thing in India so people of Indian heritage know exactly what it is by its name.

Sit down or only take out?

both

I've been once and the food was fantastic. In addition to the "tub," there is a divided-tray option, for those of us who don't like our foods to touch until we get home. Portions are large and you can add a second main dish to a tub/tray for very little extra. I'm glad they are advertising!

I've been there several times and enjoyed the food very much. Good samosas, which don't seem to be on the menu. Especially the potato. They deliver, but only to Millburn/Short Hills. Maybe they'll expand their delivery area if enough people beg. 

Plus now I know where the Short Hills train station is. What a funny little area - it's like going back in time 50 years.

Nice additional option for single person portions or Indian-on-the-go.  Not quite a regular sit-down family style Indian place but good to have options!  

Now all we need is good dim sum and tapas somewhere closer...

This sounds good.  Going to check it out.

Will also be checking this place out.  We like Tandoori Chef food but is pricey for what it is...to us Indian, especially take-away, should be priced along same lines as Chinese.  Maybe this will be good option. 

HudsonBlue said:

Will also be checking this place out.  We like Tandoori Chef food but is pricey for what it is...to us Indian, especially take-away, should be priced along same lines as Chinese.  Maybe this will be good option. 

I would imagine there is (and should be) Chinese and Indian food of all price ranges.  There is not some magic rule which dictates that Chinese and Indian food is inherently worth less than, say, French food.

HudsonBlue said:

Will also be checking this place out.  We like Tandoori Chef food but is pricey for what it is...to us Indian, especially take-away, should be priced along same lines as Chinese.  Maybe this will be good option. 

If you find a spot that costs the same in price and quality, let me know. I doubt it exists. Indian food is richer, more complex, harder to mass produce while still maintaining flavors, texture and consistency than Chinese food, IMO leading to its slightly higher costs. I’m very partial to spices so maybe I’m biased. 

HudsonBlue said:

We like Tandoori Chef food but is pricey for what it is...to us Indian, especially take-away, should be priced along same lines as Chinese. 

HudsonBlue, I disagree with your characterization of Tandoori Chef 2 as "pricey".  First, it's not a takeout place but a sit-down restaurant that also does take-out.  The food is very high quality, well seasoned, and the portions generous.  Dishes with chicken are less than $16 for the most part (same for vegetarian dishes), and a dish with shrimp, lamb, or goat is a bit more--but IMHO, that's to be expected.  If you've never tried Tandoori Chef 2, I'd recommend it!  Link: http://tandoorichef2.com/

Love this place! Found it over the summer and finally got my spouse to try it. Now he's a big fan. Love the okra!

Reminds me of an Indian version of Cava.  Will check it out. 

To clarify earlier comments, in the UK and Republic of Ireland one can find excellent quality Indian food, both take away and dine in, at more reasonable prices.  Case in point here is a link to a place we recently ordered from while overseas.  The prices are in Euros, even with exchange rate these prices are more reasonable for food that is on par with Tandoori Chef. We like TC but it’s not so amazing it’s worth $15 for tikka masala...plus do not find TC’s protein portions to be anything worth raving over.  Maybe Indian food is more reasonably priced overseas because it is more ubiquitous, more competition.  https://www.foodbooking.com/mobile/menu?restaurant_uid=cf4ed9bd-bf95-4573-9a5d-dac5c272a6b6

joy said:

Love this place! Found it over the summer and finally got my spouse to try it. Now he's a big fan. Love the okra!

Love the okra. It's even better the next day.

Been to Curry Tub several times. It is consistently excellent. The samosas are to die for. People of Indian heritage in Millburn/Short Hills rave about it and say it's "just like home."

this looks so good.

HudsonBlue said:

To clarify earlier comments, in the UK and Republic of Ireland one can find excellent quality Indian food, both take away and dine in, at more reasonable prices.  Case in point here is a link to a place we recently ordered from while overseas.  The prices are in Euros, even with exchange rate these prices are more reasonable for food that is on par with Tandoori Chef. We like TC but it’s not so amazing it’s worth $15 for tikka masala...plus do not find TC’s protein portions to be anything worth raving over.  Maybe Indian food is more reasonably priced overseas because it is more ubiquitous, more competition.  https://www.foodbooking.com/mobile/menu?restaurant_uid=cf4ed9bd-bf95-4573-9a5d-dac5c272a6b6

Being charitable, I think what you are trying to say is that you like cheap food.  Again, Indian food, like Chinese food, French food, Mexican food, (insert cuisine) is neither inherently cheap or inherently expensive.  

(on top of which, the charge for chicken tikka masala mentioned above is $14, and that's before airfare to Dublin.)

Its like saying that because you can get a Big Mac for $4 no you should be able to get a steak at Spark's Steak House for $4.50.

You know, because American food is supposed to be cheap.

This has nothing to do with liking cheap food it has to do with the value proposition of any establishment.   I have spent many a pretty penny on high price meals that were amazing dining experiences and some were crap. This is of course not to say that you can’t have an amazing, high quality meal without spending a lot of money, you certainly can.  Many times I choose to cook at home because I can make a better meal than what I get elsewhere. 

If Tandoori Chef’s food was extraordinary, I’d have no problem paying $15 for one of their entrees. The fact of the matter is every time we order from there we are always let down, it’s never as good as we want it to be.  It’s not worth what they charge IMHO. If you like it then we can simply agree to disagree. When we lived in Hudson County we frequently dined at Rasoi in JC, we wish TC was as good.  Hopefully curry tub in short Hills will be our new go to spot. 

Klinker said:

Its like saying that because you can get a Big Mac for $4 no you should be able to get a steak at Spark's Steak House for $4.50.

You know, because American food is supposed to be cheap

My wife, tween, and teen joined me at Curry Tub last night - based on this thread. 

We loved it - and a big plus is that the "build-your-own" format enabled us to ALL get what we wanted without negotiating on group portions.  We all had different starches, sides & curry types.  

Other clientele was mainly Indian - which is always a good sign.  The dine-in is very tidy and clean... a bit bright from the LED lighting... but who cares with this yummy food?   We will be regulars.

Also we highly recommend Mehndi in Morristown for a more upscale evening out.

ckdhaven said:

My wife, tween, and teen joined me at Curry Tub last night - based on this thread. 

We loved it - and a big plus is that the "build-your-own" format enabled us to ALL get what we wanted without negotiating on group portions.  We all had different starches, sides & curry types.  

Other clientele was mainly Indian - which is always a good sign.  The dine-in is very tidy and clean... a bit bright from the LED lighting... but who cares with this yummy food?   We will be regulars.

Also we highly recommend Mehndi in Morristown for a more upscale evening out.

I think we were sitting next to you... just about finishing up when you guys arrived (6:45?). We enjoyed it and will return.

Warning, the vindaloo is not "gringo hot." It is hot, hot.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

ckdhaven said:

My wife, tween, and teen joined me at Curry Tub last night - based on this thread. 

We loved it - and a big plus is that the "build-your-own" format enabled us to ALL get what we wanted without negotiating on group portions.  We all had different starches, sides & curry types.  

Other clientele was mainly Indian - which is always a good sign.  The dine-in is very tidy and clean... a bit bright from the LED lighting... but who cares with this yummy food?   We will be regulars.

Also we highly recommend Mehndi in Morristown for a more upscale evening out.

I think we were sitting next to you... just about finishing up when you guys arrived (6:45?). We enjoyed it and will return.


Warning, the vindaloo is not "gringo hot." It is hot, hot.

Yes that was us! 

BTW, I have made that mistake too many times...  The nice woman who worked there let me taste the curry options - and I agree on the vindaloo   I would really need to bring a beer next time to make that happen.

hoping to take my eldest to Curry Tub tonight. 

I've never ordered Indian food like this—do they help you with selections so everything "goes" together? I know at certain Indian or Thai places we've gone we were told to choose one dish over another based on how the flavor profiles/spices work together. 

(I eat and cook Indian food a lot but I don't consider myself an expert.) 

I'll prob stick with vegetarian dishes tonight and I look forward to it! (I wish it was closer!) 

I think they would guide you with what works best.  I just had the shrimp with coconut curry yesterday.  Very yummy.  Samosas are excellent.

Maybe the shrimp is worth a shot. (See my last thread.) not sure if the samosas are GF but I will ask! 

@shh, when I was there, I raised the surrender flag and asked the owner for suggestions. It was delicious (okra!!). Don't know about strict GF since they serve naan, but there are plenty of veg options.