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Magnificent Mouthburn At UWS Indian Newcomer Savoury
By
Nell Casey
Published Apr 28, 2014
Modified Apr 28, 2014
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courtesy Savoury
By
Nell Casey
Published Apr 28, 2014
Modified Apr 28, 2014
Share
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Viewed alongside the gilded and sparkling restaurants that have opened recently, it would be easy to overlook the relatively ho-hum neighborhood scene inside Upper West Side newcomer Savoury. But what it lacks in golden carousel chandeliers it more than makes up for in its flavorful cuisine, much of which had an intensely pleasurable mouth-searing quality.
Before opening the new uptown restaurant earlier this month, chef and owner Lala Sharma charmed downtown residents with Surya, a West Village eatery that's now closed. The New Delhi-born chef focuses on cuisine influenced by Western and Souther Indian cooking. If you're not as familiar with the finer points of regional Indian cuisine, let the staff guide your meal as they did mine at a recent press preview.
Sharma's son Abishek runs the operations aspect of the business but he's equally adept at highlighting the best of his father's dishes. Per his recommendation, we started with the Lasuni Gobi ($7), described on the menu as "crispy cauliflower tossed in a tangy garlic tomato sauce." Sounds tame, but what arrives instead are chunks of perfectly fried cauliflower coated in a fiery, bright red sauce with enough sweet tomato to balance out the bite. My dining partner best described the dish as resembling "boneless buffalo wings," an apt comparison given the cauliflower's firm but creamy texture and the heat from the sticky sauce.
Lamb Kebabs (courtesy Savoury)
Another hit: Baby Lamb Chops ($12), which come adorned with delightful aluminum foil fringe like some kind of turkey leg of generation's past. The chops are trimmed and cooked perfectly, with just enough fat to keep the lamb from drying out. I personally find lamb to be the most off-putting of the meats, flavor-wise, and generally avoid it. Instead, I mulled ordering another round while I alternated between gnawing on the leftover bone and dragging my naan through the accompanying ginger, garlic, mustard, curry leaf and tamarind dipping sauce.
Fans of Indian curries won't be disappointed, especially if they can take the heat. At our repeated insistence, we assured the staff we liked it spicy, and the kitchen didn't let us down with the Goat Vindaloo ($17). The gorgeously rich, red sauce packed a serious punch to the palate, necessitating in a mid-meal mango lassi order. But it's worth the burn, especially when its elevating humble hunks of goat meat to the next level. Less successful, the bland Paneer Makhani ($13); the servings of cheese were generous but lacked any discernible taste or squeak.
All entrees come with basmati rice but you'll have to order a side of the naan ($3), which comes with two pieces per order. Also worth an order, the pudina paratha ($4)—it's got butter on it!—a thiner, chewier bread that's baked and sprinkle with dried mint. If you left room, definitely order the mango kulfi ($6), a super dense and creamy Indian ice cream. They make it fresh in the restaurant and it shows; it'll also help kill the burn lingering from that vindaloo.
(courtesy Savoury)
489 Columbus Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets, (212) 875-1400; savourynyc.com
Tagged
indian
new restaurant and bar radar
savoury
Upper West Side
uws
original
Nell Casey
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