(Indian cuisine offers slew of taste sensations)
Wednesday, Aug. 02, 2000I used to be a restaurant nut. Now that I have this reviewing gig, I don't go out to eat very often. I save my calories - and my pennies - for special occasions. So, to illustrate how much I love Nawab, let me tell you that I've been back three more times since my official visit a month ago...
This new location - one of four in Hampton Roads - has been open for a couple of months. The one in Williamsburg has been around for over a year. Other locations are in Norfolk and Virginia Beach..
I'd heard about the Williamsburg one from friends but hadn't made the drive. When I discovered the Oyster Point location, I was eager to try it. We cruised out immediately, instead of squeaking in a day before deadline, as is our usual habit..
The menu is broad and inspiring. There are more flavors available than I could wrap my mind around. There was no deciding. When it came time to order, I asked for the first dish my eyes rested on: Eggplant Bhartha ($8.95). My husband made a much more carefully considered choice: He'd gone in with a craving for Indian-hot Lamb Vindaloo ($11.95). I can tell you now, if there's a classic Indian dish you've been pining for, they have it. If you're an adventurer seeking new spices, flavors and textures, try here. If you're the timid dining partner to one such person, you'll find meat-and-potatoes dishes hiding behind exotic names. If you're on a quest for maximum heat or have a tender palate requiring a light touch, go to Nawab..
Light touch is what they do best here. The breads were airy, the rice fluffy and tender, seasonings complex and eye opening. The only searingly hot food on the table was the vindaloo. Even the décor is done mildly. It looks like any other comfy, carpeted small restaurant, with a seasoning of Indian art..
We started with Samosas ($3.50), something I make for myself from time to time. Their pastry was - you guessed it - lighter than anything I could make. The seasoning to the potato and pea dumplings was subtle, the vegetable perfectly cooked and not the least bit greasy. The only drawback was how filling they are. Good for a cheap lunch, bad when you're looking to immerse yourself in another culture's flavors for a couple of hours..
We also went for the Tandoori Assorted Appetizers (7.95) with two kinds of chicken plus some lamb. This dish could serve the uninitiated as a deliciously perfect introduction to Indian-style grilling..
Once again, decision-making slowed me down. Our attentive waiter turned up while I was still trying to figure out which of the seven varieties of bread to order. The assortment ($4.95) called out to me, but I didn't want to miss the ones not included. In the end, we tried naan ($1.95), because it was too cheap to pass up, and kulcha ($2.50). Kulcha comes in two varieties: With paneer, which is stuffed with fresh, homemade creamy cheese, and methi, heavy with onions and fenugreek leaves. We ordered both together. The result was puffy round loaves with gooey, flavorful stuffing. The seasoning was familiar, a little bit pungent and very satisfying. I can't recommend it enough..
The breads were brought to the table with a creamy white yoghurt raita we had ordered ($1.50) and another green sauce we hadn't. The green stuff has turned up with every meal in every Indian restaurant we've ever visited. I was too busy enjoying it to ask what exactly it was, but I believe it's a mild mint sauce with a hit of coriander..
Shortly after the bread, came our dinners. My eggplant had been baked in a clay oven, mashed and sauteed with tomatoes, garlic and onion. The smooth, rich mixture was only mildly hot, filling, richly textured and perfect with bread. My husband's spicy lamb was almost too painfully hot for me to eat. But he ate it happily and comfortably without the aid of raita, bread or more than a few sips of his cold Kingfisher beer..
Had the lamb been milder, it would have been my favorite. It's tender meat with a zingy sauce with veggies and potatoes. Someone who has more trouble with heat could try any of their masalas made mild or a tandoori dish. There's a mouthwatering vegetarian menu, soups, including traditional mullagatwany, salads, dals, curries, anything a fan of Indian food might want..
Believe it or not, we ordered dessert. The selection was too tempting to resist. Not big fans of chocolate, we were happy to see a couple of Indian choices, ice creams vanilla and otherwise, and good old-fashioned New York cheesecake. Looking for a new flavor experience, we asked for a bowl of kheer ($2.25), which the menu describes as a traditional rice pudding with nuts, cardamom and rose. The prodigious serving had a heavenly fragrance and the gentlest of spicy flavors on a creamy, cozily comforting background of sweet rice. Nothing in the pudding was overpowering. Had the menu not told me to look for cardamom and rose, I would never have been able to identify them. Their subtle perfume's effect was more art than food..
Opting for excess, we also tried a dish of firni (also $2.25), custard with pistachios and almonds. This nutty sweet was less memorable but not at all disappointing. After the barrage of new aromas, textures and flavors, we were tired and content..
Elizabeth Channon my be reached at 247-4788 or by e-mail at echannon@dailypress.com I used to be a restaurant nut. Now that I have this reviewing gig, I don't go out to eat very often. I save my calories - and my pennies - for special occasions. So, to illustrate how much I love Nawab, let me tell you that I've been back three more times since my official visit a month ago..
This new location - one of four in Hampton Roads - has been open for a couple of months. The one in Williamsburg has been around for over a year. Other locations are in Norfolk and Virginia Beach..
I'd heard about the Williamsburg one from friends but hadn't made the drive. When I discovered the Oyster Point location, I was eager to try it. We cruised out immediately, instead of squeaking in a day before deadline, as is our usual habit..
The menu is broad and inspiring. There are more flavors available than I could wrap my mind around. There was no deciding. When it came time to order, I asked for the first dish my eyes rested on: Eggplant Bhartha ($8.95). My husband made a much more carefully considered choice: He'd gone in with a craving for Indian-hot Lamb Vindaloo ($11.95). I can tell you now, if there's a classic Indian dish you've been pining for, they have it. If you're an adventurer seeking new spices, flavors and textures, try here. If you're the timid dining partner to one such person, you'll find meat-and-potatoes dishes hiding behind exotic names. If you're on a quest for maximum heat or have a tender palate requiring a light touch, go to Nawab..
Light touch is what they do best here. The breads were airy, the rice fluffy and tender, seasonings complex and eye opening. The only searingly hot food on the table was the vindaloo. Even the décor is done mildly. It looks like any other comfy, carpeted small restaurant, with a seasoning of Indian art..
We started with Samosas ($3.50), something I make for myself from time to time. Their pastry was - you guessed it - lighter than anything I could make. The seasoning to the potato and pea dumplings was subtle, the vegetable perfectly cooked and not the least bit greasy. The only drawback was how filling they are. Good for a cheap lunch, bad when you're looking to immerse yourself in another culture's flavors for a couple of hours..
We also went for the Tandoori Assorted Appetizers (7.95) with two kinds of chicken plus some lamb. This dish could serve the uninitiated as a deliciously perfect introduction to Indian-style grilling..
Once again, decision-making slowed me down. Our attentive waiter turned up while I was still trying to figure out which of the seven varieties of bread to order. The assortment ($4.95) called out to me, but I didn't want to miss the ones not included. In the end, we tried naan ($1.95), because it was too cheap to pass up, and kulcha ($2.50). Kulcha comes in two varieties: With paneer, which is stuffed with fresh, homemade creamy cheese, and methi, heavy with onions and fenugreek leaves. We ordered both together. The result was puffy round loaves with gooey, flavorful stuffing. The seasoning was familiar, a little bit pungent and very satisfying. I can't recommend it enough..
The breads were brought to the table with a creamy white yoghurt raita we had ordered ($1.50) and another green sauce we hadn't. The green stuff has turned up with every meal in every Indian restaurant we've ever visited. I was too busy enjoying it to ask what exactly it was, but I believe it's a mild mint sauce with a hit of coriander..
Shortly after the bread, came our dinners. My eggplant had been baked in a clay oven, mashed and sauteed with tomatoes, garlic and onion. The smooth, rich mixture was only mildly hot, filling, richly textured and perfect with bread. My husband's spicy lamb was almost too painfully hot for me to eat. But he ate it happily and comfortably without the aid of raita, bread or more than a few sips of his cold Kingfisher beer..
Had the lamb been milder, it would have been my favorite. It's tender meat with a zingy sauce with veggies and potatoes. Someone who has more trouble with heat could try any of their masalas made mild or a tandoori dish. There's a mouthwatering vegetarian menu, soups, including traditional mullagatwany, salads, dals, curries, anything a fan of Indian food might want..
Believe it or not, we ordered dessert. The selection was too tempting to resist. Not big fans of chocolate, we were happy to see a couple of Indian choices, ice creams vanilla and otherwise, and good old-fashioned New York cheesecake. Looking for a new flavor experience, we asked for a bowl of kheer ($2.25), which the menu describes as a traditional rice pudding with nuts, cardamom and rose. The prodigious serving had a heavenly fragrance and the gentlest of spicy flavors on a creamy, cozily comforting background of sweet rice. Nothing in the pudding was overpowering. Had the menu not told me to look for cardamom and rose, I would never have been able to identify them. Their subtle perfume's effect was more art than food..
Opting for excess, we also tried a dish of firni (also $2.25), custard with pistachios and almonds. This nutty sweet was less memorable but not at all disappointing. After the barrage of new aromas, textures and flavors, we were tired and content.
Elizabeth Channon my be reached at 247-4788 or by e-mail at echannon@dailypress.com