Paowalla, Floyd Cardoz's Casual Soho Indian Restaurant, Has Naan for Days

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After Indian trailblazer Tabla closed at the end of 2010, chef Floyd Cardoz opened North End Grill, another restaurant with his old partner Danny Meyer, down in Battery Park City. Cardoz shifted gears at this restaurant by cooking a menu with a New American focus, although some of the spices he employed wouldn't have been out of place at Tabla. Two years into its run, Cardoz left the Battery Park City restaurant to open White Street with Dan Abrams and Dave Zinczenko. In his one star review, Ryan Sutton noted: "Like at North End Grill, Cardoz exercises his Indian-spice utility belt with restraint." The chef left after a year to open a restaurant in Mumbai called Bombay Canteen. And now, finally, Floyd is back in Manhattan as the chef/proprietor of a brand new Indian restaurant. Tonight, the chef will thrust open the doors to Paowalla in Soho. It's located in the old Mezzogiorno space on the corner of Spring and and Sullivan streets.

Cardoz and his crew are using a wood-fired oven left over from the previous tenant, plus two tandoors. The menu includes an assortment of small tapas-style plates and larger dishes to share. Cardoz's crew will prepare eight different types of bread, including two varieties of stuffed naan — one with bacon and another filled with cheddar. Starters are prices from $7 to $17, and second course dishes run $24 to $27. The menu also has a whole black spiced chicken for $59, and a chorizo and bacon biryani platter for $57.

Take a look at the space and the menu below, and if you happen to stop by this week, let us know what you think.