We ended up in Kirkwood, at Le Petit Marché on Sunday, mainly because we originally went to West Egg and had an hour and 15 minute wait ahead of us. As I've been told, Kirkwood was a no-go area until only recently, but it's one of these numerous places in the city that is being beautified to include nice living areas and great places to eat.
Le Petit Marché, or The Little Market, is quite highly rated online and when we got there, the line was out the door. Once we got in however, we quickly learned that this was because of the poorly set up ordering and queuing arrangement. There were plenty of empty tables inside but the ordering took a while and the drink options were tucked behind everyone queuing, so once people had ordered, they had to awkwardly make their way back through the queue to get their drinks.
My boyfriend and I both went with the griddle cakes option - one of us with bacon, the other with a Delia chicken sausage patty. Strangely, this also comes with a banana dessert cup. The griddle cakes were nice but a bit too sweet for my taste. I've had plenty of pancakes in the South and I just wasn't a huge fan of these. Don't get me wrong, they were cooked well and still tasted good but for a breakfast pancake, the batter was too sweet, it automatically came with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top and it just reminded me too much of a funnel cake. The bacon was good and the eggs, on the surface, were good with the cheese - they sure do give you a big pile of them - but mine were way too overcooked, to the point they were almost grey in the heart of the mound. My boyfriend's eggs were not as bad as mine, so maybe it was an anomaly.
Overall, I would go back again because it's a nice atmosphere - with a homey, community vibe (you can tell there are a lot of locals but it's true to say that about a lot of places in Atlanta) - but I wouldn't rate it as highly on the food, as you see online.
Another place we checked out was Botiwalla. It's a Indian street food joint in Ponce City Market. I've been to the market a few times from the BeltLine but this was the first time parking up and exploring the area outside, with all the shops. It's such a relaxed place to have a nice walk and pick up some great food. It's amazing what they've turned it into within such a small space of time.
Botiwalla was on our list ever since we came across it (so I guess, since the Market opened), but I'm also interested in trying Indian-based food in the States. I haven't been able to make it to Dunwoody to try a good Indian restaurant there yet, but it's in the cards. This restaurant, is another highly rated place online and my goodness, are they right.
I got the Lamb Boti Kabob Roll, wrapped up in a delicious naan. The flavours were spot-on with the desi slaw and the coriander sauce wrapping everything up so nicely. My boyfriend tried the pineapple turmeric soda, which has a very earthy but fresh flavours and isn't too sweet. He also got the TFC (Tandoori Fried Chicken) and, wow. The flavours were beautiful with a genuine tandoori marinade and the juiciest chicken known to man (give or take...). They also sell Indian imported soda, like 'Thums Up' for the cola, which is a nice touch and have some of the best naan I've come across, with the perfect amount of butter to accompany it. It is all probably helped by the fact that they of course, have a tandoor in the kitchen, with all the food being prepared on show - probably a great thing to watch if you have the time.
Although I was expecting it to be good, I was still pleasantly surprised. I guess because I was still prepared for an Americanised/Anglicised Indian flavour but I did also think it would hit the nail on the head too. Either way, I highly recommend it and hey, top it off with some Cami cupcakes from down the road. I did.
Check out Le Petit Marché's menu here.
For Botiwalla's delights, see the menu here.