Elite Event: Beat the Monday Blues at Moghul

So who actually knew this restaurant was hiding behind a movie theater in Edison? Thanks Sara M. for sending an FYI on where to find the event, and an even bigger one for coordinating such a fun night introducing us to a great place!
Cocktails, food and fun. Obviously a mix of those elements will return promise of a good time for all. Greeted with a cocktail list of five courses (yes I said courses) that made my mouth water, I now must return to SM23 in Morristown for another English Garden and Grilled Pineapple with Cracked Pepper.
Food that just kept coming… I never know how rices can be so aromatic and well flavored, but Moghul’s were just that. Biryani and fried rice or simpler jasmine rices topped with fried chicken, shrimp or vegetables, endless waves of dumplings, roti (I think) rolled up with paneer and spices and even a bit of kulfi. So went a few hours of carb-​tastic fun.
The event took over the better part of the restaurant and was very well attended; however, when sitting in smaller groups we had the chance to meet a few great folks and have a wonderful time in the process. End the night with a raffle for gift cards (which two of my new buddies won!) and I’d say the evening was a success.

Great Central Jerz Unilocal Elite event! When you walked in you were warmly welcomed by Sarah the Unilocal CM and the owner of Moghul! We got a list of drinks we would be trying along with a raffle ticket for prizes. I didn’t win however I thought that was an awesome addition to the event.
I was never into Indian food until I had visited India about four months prior to this event. The food at this event was very tasty and the staff working were super friendly and brought us back items we really liked.
I had brought a plus one which is a friend of mine who isn’t into the whole Unilocaling ordeal but I think I may have gotten her into it. We added friends and had her checking in and searching other places all at the event!
Great event and can’t wait for more in the Central Jerz area!!!

Last Monday’s Elite event at Moghul was one of my favorite Central Jerz Unilocal events!
I walked into Moghul a little early, around 6:15, and I was greeted with the English Garden cocktail. This was just the beginning of a great night. My friends and I scouted a few corner tables and waited patiently for the event to begin. Immediately servers brought us food, more cocktails and more food. I had tried about 4 different dishes before the event even started at 6:30. I can’t say I had a favorite dish, as everything i tried was delicious. My favorite cocktail was the English Garden. I had tasted this drink at the Elite event last year in Morristown and I was secretly hoping it would be served again.
Thank you so much to Sara and Moghul for putting together a great event!!!
A special shout out to my Central Jerz Unilocal familia, you know who you are! :)

Moghul truly rolled out the red carpet for the central jersey Elite. I felt welcomed and special from the moment we walked in. The owner greeted us and explained how the event would go and gave us a list of the signature cocktails. I am not always keen on butler passed items as they go quick but Moghul planned ahead and a few servers were passing at the same time. The food was INDIAMAZING. The perfect mix of typical India and Asian cuisine. I liked everything I ate and of the drinks the English Garden and Jalapeño caipirinha were stellar. You know how to throw an event and I will definitely be returning for more delicious drinks and a great meal.
As for locale and our CM, thanks for hosting yet another central jerz event where I get to see my true Unilocal loves. Amazing new elite added to that list and I can’t wait for more!

Wow talk about a great time! I had a blast hanging with my foodie people and pigging out on the crazy amount of food being passed around! Thank you so much to our wonderful CM Sara and Owner of Moghul Sean for an amazing night and allowing me to have my first ever Indian food experience with you.
The night started out with me and Christina showing up to the wrong location which is located across the street and is a Moghul Express. It became extremely apparent to us when everyone looked at us like we had 3 heads entering and we saw no Unilocal signs so off to the rite location we went where I met a few stray cats in the parking lot, being the crazy cat I am I tried to call them over but no luck. Once we entered we were greeted by Sara and Sean the owner who handed me a mango mojito and a 30% coupon rite off the bat. AWESOME! We found a booth in the corner put our stuff down and got to check the place out along with saying hello to all my Unilocalers.
There was so much food and alcohol being passed out I couldn’t keep up! Within 10 mins I was given 4 different cocktails and at least 5 different food items. I have never been at an event that I had to actually turn away food. My favorites of the night would have to be the garlic chicken on nan bread with the sweet filling. I believe Sean said it was dried cherries…, the mushroom dish and the garlic nan! The mushrooms were slightly crisp and served in a delicious rich brown sauce served over white rice. My favorite cocktail of the night was the mango mojito with nice fruity accents.
I had spoken to my girl Dez and told her I was a little nervous about trying Indian food and she assured me I would love the strong flavors and she was absolutely rite. Everything was so delicious and flavorful. I really enjoyed that they have an area of the restaurant where you get to watch the cook prepare the nan bread and some other food like the garlic chicken. He was very nice and would kind of look up at us to show us the different steps in making the nan.
I can’t wait to come back here with my friends especially my friend Kim who LOVES Indian cuisine! Thanks again for the amazing night and shout out to the coolest table ever Christina, Dex, Mark and my girl Jari!

I never had the opportunity to try some great Indian Cuisine, until this favorable event came around. (11^th Elite/​15^th General/​Another Favorite For 2015)
Right before I jumped on the local roads for the event, I dropped a tip on the mobile event page in regards to finding this place. I focused on the name of the strip mall and the approximate location. Moments after I arrived, the CM and a few Unilocalers thanked me for my tip. Hey, I was happy to help out.
As soon as I arrived, I got greeted by Sara and some staff members. Immediately after, I was handed a drink known as the English Garden (details on that later). I then sat at a table with other Unilocalers. This was when the food started to come out.
We got served by various waiters that presented the items on small dishes. Of course there were some that we had to take by ourselves with a toothpick and a napkin. But that was all worth it. The food actually came out at a rather high speed.
But this event wasn’t only all about the Indian Cuisine. You see, the restaurant company also owns Ming, a Pan-​Asian restaurant next door. We were served certain items from both restaurants. First, we received a mini Papaya salad, which was okay. Next were the vegetable and chicken dumplings, which were delicious! I opted in for the hot sauce on the chicken one, which wasn’t bad at all.
Then we were served chicken with rice. The rice was soft with a good amount of seasoning, and the chicken was tasty with a spicy sensation. There was also the shrimp version of that, but I preferred the chicken one. Next was the tilapia dish. Even though it’s not often that I eat seafood, I must say that this was actually pretty good with a spicy taste.
The food kept on going and going, and I do apologize for not remembering the exact names of the following items. First we had an item that looked like quiche, which was crispy and had a good taste. Then we had a dough pastry that contained a sweet filling and a piece of chicken on top. That was pretty good. After that, we had a crispy pastry roll that was filled with a meat and vegetable filling. All of these edibles filled me up pretty quick!
Later, we had garlic naans that were fresh from the oven. Those were tasty. Of course, we can’t forget about the dessert! We were served Indian Ice Cream! This was really creamy, and the flavor was divine! I actually grabbed two of those to cool down the spicy sensation that I received from the food sampling.
Of course, no tasting event is complete without drinks! For this, we were served 5 different drinks from SM23, another venue that this company owns. The first one was the English Garden. Topped off with a cucumber slice, this drink contained a cordial, gin, and some fruit juices. This was quite refreshing.
Next was the Fresh Mango Mojito. This drink contained rum, blended mango, and some mint. This was really sweet! I actually drank most of this since I enjoyed the taste, and I do love sweet liquor drinks. I’ll definitely keep this in mind later on.
Following that was the Grilled Pineapple and Cracked Pepper. The pineapple flavor was spot on, and the vodka was really strong. The pepper part, however, was just okay. Maybe I’ll drink this someday when I’m not eating anything else.
Then there was the Jalapeño and Cilantro drink. I took two tiny sips and then just stopped immediately. Considering the jalapenos, this was way too spicy for me to handle. Oh well.
Lastly was the penicillin. The main ingredients here were the two types of scotch with honey. Woo, even though the taste was okay, this felt a little too strong. But at least I tried!
During my experience, I mostly mingled with the ones that I met in the past. As far as new people were concerned, I only met a tiny number. Particularly, I had the pleasure to meet Fred! As with any event, it was always worth every minute mingling.
My Monday Blues were alleviated. I was able to try a lot of new food items and some premium mixed drinks. Considering my local proximity and the fact that this place is located in a spot where no one would have to worry about paying for parking, I will consider patronizing this place (as well as Ming) sometime in the future. In regards to SM23 however, I’ll consider patronizing only if there’s a certain occasion. Thanks to Sara and everyone at Moghul for making this favorable event possible.
As always folks, it was a pleasure mingling with you all. Stay in touch!

I completely underestimated this event. First off, to say there was alot of food and alcohol is an understatement. I was happy to see that many people were trying indian food for the first time & it was their first Unilocal event. I am such a sucker of indian food, flavor and the choices were great at this event. I think it gave everyone a chance to try a litle bit of somethin somethin if this was your first time.
I liked how there were tables, but also plenty of space for us Unilocalers to meet and talk. I was lucky enough to run into two people who ive been wanting to meet and this was a great way to hang out with some familiar faces.
I thought this was set up well, the staff was very friendly and kept insisting on eating and trying something new, it also helped that they actually knew the correct names to dishes. I think the drinks of choice also touched a different type of pallete for everyone – the spice lover, the bourbon lover and of course the sweet tooth.

Another fantastic Central Jersey event! Thank you, Sara!
Easy parking! That’s a huge plus!
The owner stayed by the door and greeted everyone by their names! So personal! :)
Service was great!
Food was good! My favorite was the fresh naan towards the end of the event! So garlicky, soft, and delicious!
The cocktails were strongggg. So strong. And so spicy!
Overall, good company + yummy food = great event!
Thanks, Sara!

I first want to thank Sara and Unilocal for another successful event at Moghul. I thank the Moghul staff, the service was friendly and fast, the food and drinks were flowing at a rapid pace everyone left this event satisfied. It was a great turnout I love mingling with all the wonderful Unilocalers. I love my Unilocal family we just keep growing and bonding more and more. I met some new incredible Unilocalers in the process.
This event was special to me being that I never had Indian cuisine before. Boy am I glad I was invited, I have a whole new take and idea about Indian food.
When u walked in u were welcomed and served with an English garden (cucumber gin apple juice and lime juice). That was my favorite cocktail of the night. There were several others during the night as well.
The food was surprisingly delicious I was expecting a lot of curry and there wasn’t much of that at all. I would like to tell u the dishes i like most but I couldn’t pronounce them. Lol. So I will try my best to describe them. lol. There was a grilled chicken nicely seasoned I tasted coriander and cilantro on top of nan bread. That was my favorite. Also there was a chili shrimp over a lightly fried basmati rice.
I just want to thank Sara and help again as well as Moghul for a wonderful event. Everyone have a blast We didn’t want to leave the place. Can’t wait for the next event.

Positive energy, refreshing drinks, tasty bites, and friendly strangers-​turned-​friends summed up my night! I haven’t been to a Unilocal event for the past few months because of my conflicted schedules, and yesterday’s event at Mongul was a great way to jump back in! As my sister (plus 1) and I walked into the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by Sara, the new CM, and her excitement just got us more excited! Little did we know, it was a happy hour, mingle and munch type of event, so we each grabbed an English Garden cocktail as we walked in and stood by the center table.
Before we were able to greet and meet some new friends, we were immediately offered this fried rice with chicken! The smell of the spices got my mouth watering, so we both took one and munched on the chicken and rice with great satisfaction! The rice were soft, moist, and flavorful while the chicken was well seasoned, tender, and juicy! It was amazing!
Soon, we started chatting with other Unilocalers and met Ellie and her husband Steve, which I later found out that I was already friends with Ellie on Unilocal!Obviously, it was great to meet her in real-​life! While chatting, we were continually served with drinks and small plates, which undoubtedly enhanced the overall experience!
We continued to meet a few more new friends and tried several other plates such as the coconut ice cream and grilled chicken and garlic naan, which never ceased to be delightful.
Overall, we had a very pleasurable and memorable night! Great energy, lovely environment, delicious drinks and eats, fun people, an awesome CM, and a wonderful event!

Hands down, my favorite Elite event to date. Previously, the title was held by the Longhorn Steakhouse event, but Moghul was fantastic in every way.
1) AMOUNT of food — unbelievable. I’ve never been to an event where I had to turn food AWAY. It was tray after tray, all different varieties, and served by awesome staff.
2) Type of food — another fantastic aspect. We got shrimp in Thai sauce, chicken and rice, dumplings, carrot dessert, beef and rice. All of them delicious. Who could forget that damn chicken and naan — good God. ++++++++
3) Drinks — another HUGE plus. Not only did we get a list of five cocktails upon entry, but you got ALL OF THEM. It wasn’t a «Pick one of five» list, which was GREAT. All different ingredients, from classic gin to Johnnie Black to house-​infused vodka. Pineapple, black pepper, jalapeño, cilantro — all ingredients in their drinks, and all really good.
The BIGGEST props to Sara and the crew at Moghul for throwing a fantastic event. It was satisfying, it was original, and it was just an awesome night!

Thoughts after tonight? Why do I not eat more Indian food?! Moghul knows how to get a Monday night started. The second I walked in I was handed a cocktail (English Garden) and was told to begin sampling foods, which I was much obliged.
Within five minutes of sitting, I was offered at least three rounds of different dishes and a mojito. I started panicking that I would explode if they kept catering to us like this (luckily I didn’t). The drinks, food, and service were on point. There was never a lull in refreshments being served. My favorite cocktails were the first two (English Garden and Fresh Mango Mojito), although the other 3 were very strong and delicious as well. The last three in particular had very specific kicks, so depending on if you’re a scotch or vodka lover would determine which drink was your favorite.
THE FOOD. Oh my goodness. I wish I knew what everything was called, but alas, even though I can’t impress you with my knowledge of Indian food, I loved it all. I took pictures of almost everything as a reference. The meats and vegetables and rice were all delicious. I loved the sweet carrots, the Indian ice cream, the chicken dish, and the garlicky naan the best.
Over the course of the entire night, the servers were always catering to us, asking if we wanted more to drink or eat. I actually found myself saying «I’m full,» which is crazy. Thank you so much for a wonderful evening, and thank you Sara, once again, for pulling off another successful Central Jersey event!
Also shoutout to Priya and Nehal, whom Shannon and I happened to have the pleasure of sitting next to last night. We had so much in common with them, and it was completely random! :)

This was a great event with so many food and drink options.
All of the workers were extremely friendly and helpful, making sure that we were all happy.
My favorite drinks were the English garden and the pineapple/​cracked pepper (so interesting and unique).
My favorites for the food: the shrimp– love the sauce, the paneer cheese in that crossaint type of roll up– I could eat a ton of that, very delicious. The naan bread at the end was also such a delightful treat. The carrot dessert was sweet and intriguing. I enjoyed it.
Great night with old and new friends. Thanks for hosting this event Moghul, and thanks Sarah for organizing!

Last night was epic! My first Unilocal event and it was amazing! Shoutout to Sara M and Sean from Moghul for making this a night to remember! Shoutout to SM23/​Ming and the wonderful staff for amazing service, tasty food and one hell of a drink menu ! Niki K and I will be back…
The Elites and +1’s were out in full force baby! Moghul is in the Oak Tree Strip mall, Lower level, behind/​next to movie theater. We started the night off with English Garden cocktails and it was a wrap from there. The food and drinks kept flowing in abundance.
It was awesome to finally meet Sara and Paul. We couldn’t stop there… we also met Camy, Dex, Amalia, Kevin, Frankie, Jeff, Barb, Alex, Nick and Des! Awesome peeps, great convo and they know how to Whip/​Nae Nae lol!
The food was great! Flavorful, awesome presentation and seasoned well with spice (not spicy hot). I enjoyed the dumplings, teriyaki shrimp, chicken masala, mango/​pomegranate tacos and warm garlic naan! I wasn’t too found of the Indian ice cream, but it was made and presented well.
Need something to quench your thirst? No problem… All drinks were on point and I even doubled up on the Grill Pineapple & cracked pepper cocktail! My favs were all 5 of them.
— The English Garden was refreshing and topped fresh cucumber.
— The Fresh Mango Mojito had a pull to it, but the chunks of mango were nice and sweet. A Fav
— The Grilled pineapple & cracked pepper was a lovely orgy for sweet and pepper.
— The jalapeño & cilantro Caipriniha was a great savory drink.
— And finally the infamous Penicillin… Smelled like medicine and packed a serious scotch punch. A Fav
The event was hitting on all levels. Everyone received a 30% off coupon valid Monday to Thursday. There were 4 raffle prizes. Tons of Unilocal items everywhere (sunglasses, mints, bottle openers, cup insulator, etc) and cool tiny forks and spoons for sampling food.
Thanks again for this wonderful night! I apologize if I missed anyone, but like Jamie Fox said «blame it on the alcohol»… I look forward to chilling at future official/​unofficial Unilocal events. Had a dope night all!

This was my first official New Jersey Unilocal elite event, and my first immediate thought was — is there always this much food and are the staff always this attentive? From my newly made friends and seasoned Unilocal elite, I quickly found out this isn’t always the case.
I moved to Jersey this week and where I come from, the Unilocal events are not always so gracious. I am very thankful and appreciative to have been invited/​confirmed to this event and am even more grateful that the staff and owners of Moghul were so generous: food plentiful, drinks overflowing, staff everywhere, friendly faces, gift card raffles.
So it is with a heavy heart, that I must be honest. Only because I hope the owners and chefs may read this and take it seriously. Yes, I was wooed by the event, fun, & free food, but would I go back? Was I blown away by the food? Was any of it memorable? Sadly, I must say that I truly hope they consider revising the menu.
To start on a good note, I loved the chili shrimp & jasmine rice, as well as the breaded fish nuggets, and dumplings. Other than that, the rest was forgettable. My +1 was disappointed to find bone and raw meat on his garlic chicken with naan dish, although the flavor was great. The papaya salad, behl, tikka masala, paneer roll-​up, etc were just okay. And the grilled pineapple pepper martini had spoonfuls of pepper that was literally inedible and cough-​inducing. Other than that, the drinks were the highlight as well as the above-​mentioned dishes I enjoyed, as well as the rest of the table.
Compared to other Indian places, I think the spices and flavoring is on point. I just wish they would reinvent some of the more traditional dishes to make them more creative and memorable (curry puffs, stuffed naan, naan pizza, etc), to have made me crave ordering a larger portion so I’d come back. Perhaps this suggestion and constructive criticism will help their Unilocal average go from 3.5 stars to 5 stars! Instead of just be a satisfying meal to quench my temporary hunger. However, I do plan to go back and order a full meal to see whether my opinion changes for the better. Either way, tonight was a success and a great event, that I’m so happy I got to experience. Thanks Unilocal and Moghul!

I feel like the Elite event at Moghul gave me a swift kick to the keister. Why am I not eating Indian food, like, every day? So. Frickin. Good.
There’s no telling which I liked more, the food or the cocktails! Each dish and drink had its own unique flavor profile. From the carrot condensed milk pistachio dessert to the cilantro jalapeño cocktail, everything I tried blew me away!
I’d have to say my favorite dish was the mushroom over white rice, and the black pepper pineapple martini was one of the most unique drinks I’ve ever had. While all of the food was a hit with me and my crew, the drinks had mixed reviews. For the most part, we agreed that the Penicillin scotch drink was not for the faint of heart. But hey, 4 outta 5 ain’t bad!
The «pass around» style event is new to me. It was very fast paced, three bites/​sips in and you’ve already got something new to try! And although the servers did a wonderful job of doing their thing with the quickness, the downside was that none of the dishes came with much of an explanation. Learning more about the ingredients, cooking methods, or maybe a tidbit or two about Indian culture would’ve created a more solid connection between Unilocalers and Moghul.
As always, it was wonderful mingling with my fellow Unilocalers and very cool to meet our new CM Sara. Unfortunately two hours went by in a flash, I suppose time flies when you’re having fun. Until next time guys, SYOY!

Thanks so much to Sean from Moghul and Sara our new community leader! This was a truly fabulous and fun event. I love Indian food and Moghul came through with flying colors.
The vegetable biryani was scrumtious so flavourful. The chicken tikka on garlic nan was amazing and cooked to perfection. The chilli shrimp over rice was also delicious.
The food did not stop coming in abundance and the cocktails flowed like a river!
I loved the English garden coctail with cucumber and organic gin. The mango mojito wasn’t too shabby either. The penicillin was a little too potent for me with black label scotch, but maybe I had already sampled enough cocktails!
The wait staff were awesome and friendly. This was an A1 event with gracious hosts. I will definitely be back to Moghul. Great to see Dex and Jeanna too.

Nonstop food and drink. Bartender kept banging out drinks, even customizing drink orders near the end. The kitchen was even bringing out buttered naan b/​c at the request of another Unilocaler. Such a great crew at Moghul!
They had a good selection of not too spicy (shame on you who don’t like spicy!!) Indian fusion food. I wish I had known the names of everything, but there was definitely a little something for everyone, even a surprise Indian ice cream!
Thanks to Sara for yet another great event and for introducing me to a part of Edison I normally don’t go to. I’ll def keep my eye on this area.

Ok so I am writing this posting a little tipsy from all the delicious strong and multiple drinks I was served… mango mojito my fav
Drinks– my favs cucumber martini and mango mojito. I love sweet refreshing drinks so I am bias, but the two that will definitely make u call a cab are penicillin (not the antibiotic) and caipriniha! I didn’t like the penicillin cuz of smell and taste and not sweet. The caipriniha was different by strong.
Service was quick and attentive and i had multiples of everything! So I had the bale (mango and pomegranate taco) which was so tasty and savory sweet. Had the fish with a sesame sauce was ok, but had too much breading. Didn’t taste the ice cream with rice noodle because everyone else’s face and comments turned me off (common complaint texture, consistency and unusual taste).
Now my favorite foods — chicken with naan bread omg so gooood!!! Shrimp and rice I think I had 3 plates… that’s when I was full.
The carrot and tomato mix that was warm was good like hot pie was decent but couldn’t finish it. was too full.
Overall the experience was nice with a great crowd and awesome food… can we say itis! I would come back again and would recommend it! Goodnight to all to all a goodnight!

This event reminded me of that lounge in Morristown with the great drinks… oh it’s the same owners! The Mehtani Restaurant Group owns Moghul, the location of tonight’s event, as well as SM 23, which is a lounge at the top of Headquarters Plaza. So this is the second time I’ve enjoyed their hospitality.
I made the same «mistakes» too– I took the first drinks that appealed to me, which meant I didn’t get to try some of the more interesting ones which crossed my path later. I had the English Garden, which was a gin concoction with cucumber, apple juice, and simple syrup; and the jalapeño and cilantro caipriniha. They were both excellent. I’d like to go back sometime and get the mango mojito.
In addition to the generous flow of drinks, we had delicious Indian food. I love Indian food, so I don’t need any convincing to try anything. I was busy catching up with some Unilocal friends whom I hadn’t seen in a year (or ever! finally got to meet some familiar avatars), so I didn’t get to eat *everything* like I usually do. Most of the dishes came on a bed of rice, so for people trying to reduce carbs (who isn’t?) that might have been problematic. The most interesting plate was the carrot dessert. It had a warm, cozy flavor to it and it was just a little sweet.
The space had an open area in the front and tables in the back. I’m not sure if it always looks like that, or if they cleared out the area in the front for the event. I also wonder if it’s normally crowded, or if it’s like SM 23, kind of a secret spot. The restaurant is in the back of a strip mall next to a movie theater, so you wouldn’t easily come across it.
Thanks to CM Sara and MRG for this wonderful event in North Edison. It would be great to return within the month to take advantage of our special Unilocal discount. I also saw that there’s a Moghul Express across the street and will definitely try that.