Can ya handle SPICY?!?!?!

[Oren]

I just watched a food-related show that showcased a NYC restaurant named Brick Lane Curry House. They have a super-spicy hot dish on the menu that they dare you to finish (it's only 16 oz)... if you can, you get a free beer, a certificate, and your photo on their website ( Brick Lane Curry House ) They said it's made with ten different types of hot chili pepper. And when it's prepared, the chefs wear gas masks to keep from choking from the pepper fumes (LOL!)

I love spicy stuff, and it's peaked my interest. Do you think you could handle it? This is the description of the dish:

Phaal
An excruciatingly hot curry, more pain and sweat than flavor, for our customers who do this on a dare, we will require you to state a verbal disclaimer not holding us liable for any physical or emotional damage after eating this curry. If you do manage to finish your serving of curry, a bottle of beer is on us:
Chicken $17 Lamb $18 Goat $19 Fish $19 Shrimp $20 Paneer $15 Tofu $15 Vegetable $14

The host of the show finished it! :heat:

 

[Casual Fan]

I thought this would be porn!

Sounds too hot for me. I like food spicy enough to make my nose run, and after that, it's lost on me. I'm not sure what would be worse--16 oz. of fire, or trying to eat a five pound burger or something big like that.

Notes From An Inexperienced Chili Taster Named Frank:

"Recently I was honored to be selected, as an "Outstanding Famous Celebrity in Texas", to be a judge at a chilli cook-off, because no one else wanted to do it. Also the original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking directions to the beer wagon when the call came. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chilli wouldn't be all that spicy, and besides they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted.

Here are the scorecards from the event:
Chili # 1: Mike's Maniac Mobster Chili
JUDGE ONE: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick.
JUDGE TWO: Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.
FRANK: Holy smokes, what the HELL is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway with it. Took two beers to put the flames out. Hope that's the worst one. These hicks are crazy.

Chili # 2: Arthur's Afterburner Chili
JUDGE ONE: Smoky (barbecue?) with a hint of pork. Slight Jalapeno tang.
JUDGE TWO: Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
FRANK: Shit! Keep this away from the children! I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. Shoved my way to the front of the beer line.

Chili # 3: Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili
JUDGE ONE: Excellent firehouse chili! Great kick. Needs more beans.
JUDGE TWO: A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of red peppers.
FRANK: This has got to be a joke. Call the EPA, I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now and got out of my way so I could make it to the beer wagon. Barmaid pounded me on the back so hard to help get my breath that my backbone is now in the front part of my chest.

Chili # 4: Bubba's Black Magic
JUDGE ONE: Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
JUDGE TWO: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.
FRANK: I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills to save me the run.

Chili # 5: Linda's Legal Lip Remover
JUDGE ONE: Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
JUDGE TWO: Chili using shredded beef; could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
FRANK: My ears are ringing, I can't focus my eyes and my legs have gone completely limp. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed hurt when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue by pouring beer directly on it.

Chili # 6: Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety
JUDGE ONE: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spice and peppers.
JUDGE TWO: The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
FRANK: My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous flames. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except Sally. Sort of irritates me that one of the other judges asked me to stop screaming.

Chili # 7: Susan's Screaming Sensation Chili
JUDGE ONE: A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
JUDGE TWO: Very Ho Hum, tastes as if the chef threw in canned chili peppers at the last moment. I should note that I am worried about Judge Number 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress.
FRANK: You could put a grenade in my mouth and pull the pin and I wouldn't feel it. I've lost the sight in one eye and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. I can't feel my legs at all now. My clothes are covered with chili which slid unnoticed out of my mouth at some point. Thank God! At autopsy they'll know what killed me. Have decided to stop breathing, too painful, not getting any oxygen anyway.

Chili # 8: Helen's Mount Saint Chili
JUDGE ONE: A perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili, safe for all, not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
JUDGE TWO: This final entry is a good, balanced chili, neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge Number 3 fell and pulled the chili pot on top of himself.
FRANK: ------- (Editor's note: Judge #3 was unable to report)

 

[hexagram]

R.I.P. Frank

 

[Evil_Ernie]

You can name the show just in case people want to watch it for crying out loud!!

The show is called Man v. Food and new shows air every Wednesday at 9pm ET on Travel Channel.

 

[HecticArt]

It's a pretty good show. He's going to weigh a TON in no time.
Been to a couple of restaurants he's been to, some of the others look like they are worth going to also.

 

[Steel Cranium]

Phaal
An excruciatingly hot curry, more pain and sweat than flavor, for our customers who do this on a dare, we will require you to state a verbal disclaimer not holding us liable for any physical or emotional damage after eating this curry. If you do manage to finish your serving of curry, a bottle of beer is on us:
Chicken $17 Lamb $18 Goat $19 Fish $19 Shrimp $20 Paneer $15 Tofu $15 Vegetable $14

The host of the show finished it! :heat:

Phaal! That's a flashback for me. The first time I heard of it/ate it was in a small Indian/Pakistani restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland in 1992. I wanted something hotter than their Vindaloo and they recommended this. Very hot - the chef brought it out and waited for me to eat a bit, telling me about the history of the curry. Needed a good seal on the bowl that night.

 

[memebag]

There used to be a Thai place here in Houston that made the spiciest dish I've ever had. I went often, and it started getting less and less spicy each time I went. I asked the waiter what the deal was, and he told me that people who requested it "Thai hot" were getting sick and sending it back, so they scaled back all of the names for the heat levels to prevent that. He told me the only way to get it at full strength was to ask the cook to prepare the way he makes it for himself.

It was so spicy that it was sort of psychoactive. My perception and behavior were both altered by it. Eventually I stopped eating it because my wife at the time found its effects so disturbing.

 

[Oren]

a

You can name the show just in case people want to watch it for crying out loud!!

The show is called Man v. Food and new shows air every Wednesday at 9pm ET on Travel Channel.

Yesterday was the first time that I came across that show. I didn't even know the name of the show when I submitted this thread, but I later saw that they were running a Man v. Food marathon, so I watched them.

It's a good show.

I'm gonna go to that restaurant for some Phaal the next time I'm in that part of the city. With shrimp, I think.

 

[Oren]

HA!

Resurrecting this thread. Check out the video...

The Phaal Challenge at Brick Lane Curry House on Man v Food [video] – Eat Me Daily

I went to this restaurant to do the Phaal Challenge. UNFORTUNATELY though, there was planning involved (two trains from NJ, walking from Penn Station to our friends' apt, then getting on subways to Brick Lane Curry House.)

I was looking forward to the challenge for WEEKS, but (here comes TMI) I had a really bad stomach that day (diarrhea) and there was NO WAY that I was going to eat that and walk through NYC for 2 days.

The restaurant was fantastic. I did taste the small phaal appetizer, and YES, it's beyond hot. I got a goat vindaloo though. Fantastic.

I remembered this thread because a new Brick Lane Curry House is being built 5 mins from here, in Ridgewood NJ. Can't wait for it!! Great restaurant!!!

This is a place to try if you're in NYC (or Bergen County NJ soon) and you like Indian and exotic spices. Really great place!

 

[TheScionicMan]

Sounds interesting. My wife laughs at me because I sweat like a pig at the Thai place here, but it's no good if it ain't hot. The Phaal might be a little too much, though.

Here's something I had recently that was pretty hot. It's called a Fireball. They mix spicy tuna, spicy crab and a jalapeno, then deep fry it. They cut it in quarters and surround it with a bunch of different spicy sauces. It was so hot my ears were plugging up, but SOOOOO good!

 

[Andrew8468]

When I first saw this thread I thought it was about that new show on Food Network called Heatseekers. Needless to say to won't see me trying any of that stuff

 

[HecticArt]

Good times Oren!
I like spicy, but that's ridiculous. I like to taste the food too. Indian food is awesome.

I got some kind of a Szechuan spicy duck soup thing one night while we were on vacation the other week. It was only supposed to be medium, but my nose was running, my eyes were watering, and I sounded like a 90 year old blues singer when I talked. It was really good, but damn.

 

[Steel Cranium]

Good times Oren!
I like spicy, but that's ridiculous. I like to taste the food too. Indian food is awesome.

I got some kind of a Szechuan spicy duck soup thing one night while we were on vacation the other week. It was only supposed to be medium, but my nose was running, my eyes were watering, and I sounded like a 90 year old blues singer when I talked. It was really good, but damn.

There's a little Thai place on Dussel Rd. in Maumee that makes some great hot food. Ask for it extra hot when the older gentleman is in the kitchen (which you can easily see when you enter). Some of the hottest stuff I have had outside of my kitchen - where ghost chili (whole and powdered) makes it into many of my dishes.

 

[HecticArt]

There's a little Thai place on Dussel Rd. in Maumee that makes some great hot food. Ask for it extra hot when the older gentleman is in the kitchen (which you can easily see when you enter). Some of the hottest stuff I have had outside of my kitchen - where ghost chili (whole and powdered) makes it into many of my dishes.

Way cool! (Way hot?) We'll check it out. That has to be Bangkok Kitchen.
We usually go to a pretty good Thai place that's about 6 minutes from the house. But there's a good sushi place that we hit on Dussel, so it's in range. (About 20 minutes.)

Thanks for the tip! :bigthumbup:

 

[Oren]

Hot peppers are very good for you, too.

The Phaal though, is not about good flavor. It's ONLY about the heat. We tasted the Phaal appetizer and tasted the next hottest curry the restaurant offered. The next hottest was far better tasting. Just a lot more complex flavor-wise.

It would be nice if we had more Thai/Indian restaurants around here. Tons and tons of restaurants, but mostly Italian and Chinese. I think Brick Lane Curry House is gonna make a killing when they're finally up and running here as they'll have little if any competition.

 

[Bandwagon03]

Hot peppers are very good for you, too.

The Phaal though, is not about good flavor. It's ONLY about the heat. We tasted the Phaal appetizer and tasted the next hottest curry the restaurant offered. The next hottest was far better tasting. Just a lot more complex flavor-wise.

It would be nice if we had more Thai/Indian restaurants around here. Tons and tons of restaurants, but mostly Italian and Chinese. I think Brick Lane Curry House is gonna make a killing when they're finally up and running here as they'll have little if any competition.

The Nearest Thai Place for me is 45 minutes..