Navu has never won a single award… that’s about to change… Big Time!

 

Pissaladiere

Our friend Sid Mewara is in town so we went to try out the new menu at Navu.

Here’s the one line summary.

Navu is one of India’s top 5-6 restaurants that serve a la carte food rather than tasting menus. 

Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Comorin, The Table and Navu. Maybe put Omo in that mix.

Tofu banchan

That’s how good this restaurant has become. 

There are other casual restaurants I love. I need to go back to Bandra Born for a second meal. KMC. Plats. Bomras. Slink and Bardot. La Loca Maria. And many more. 

Ajo Blanco

But with this new menu Navu has reached the very highest levels.

I’m not saying every dish is perfect. 

We had 16 dishes yesterday.

The bone marrow salad was a 6/7 on 10.

But everything else was at least an 8, and usually a 9.

Roasted sunchoke

The  Chawanmunshi was a 10. I don’t think any other version I’ve had outside Tokyo comes close. 

The beef tartare was a 10 with the crispiness of the potato balancing the fat. 

The tofu banchan was a 10. Perfect tofu. The fresh sweetness of the mango and snap peas. The umami of the ponzu. 

Tuna carpaccio 

The tuna carpaccio was a 10 with the addition of mulberries giving a sweet acidity that took it miles ahead of Peruvian or Nikkei versions. 

The cook on the beef was a 10. I didn’t think domestic beef could be this perfect. 

Chawanmunshi

The ajo blanco was not a 10. It was off the charts. I would give it a 12. Or more. This may be my all time favourite dish at Navu.

This is cooking that is so technical, so sophisticated, so creative that it blows my mind. Whether it’s meat or vegetables or any element that goes on the plate, everything is thought through and considered and utterly brilliant. 

Beef tartare and potato pave

Maybe the casual vibe, the affordable prices, the absence of PR, stop people from seeing it. Pallavi and Kanishka are taking classic techniques and dishes and transforming them into things of surprise and wonder, and that’s when they aren’t creating completely Sui generis dishes that are a product of their stupendous imagination.

It still amazes me that Navu has never won an award. 

But that will change and it will change this year.

Navu Halloumi

Navu has arrived. It always has for me. But now the country will know because these women are smashing down the doors that try to hold them back. 

Navu Eclair 

We ate:

• Halloumi. Warm house made halloumi served with sea salt and honey 
• Roasted sunchoke with Navu XO with avocado salsa and sour cream 
• Heirloom carrots and Muhammara with roasted red pepper mezze
• Tofu banchan with mango, snap peas and house ponzu 
• Beef tartare and potato pave 
• Eclair filled with mushroom duxelle, Navu bresaola and truffle oil 
• Tuna carpaccio with mulberries 
• Pissaladiere. Cured sardines on a sour cream biscuit 
• Cauliflower Creme brûlée 
• Ajo Blanco. Cold soup made with almonds, bacon fat and grapes with mackerel, fennel and toasted almonds 
• Chawanmunshi with sesame oil and light soy
• Chicken pate en croute with mustard ice cream 
• Bone marrow and plum salad 
• Beef steak and carrot veloute as well as a plain beef steak with rock salt and pepper 
• Oxtail pappardelle 
• Bone marrow Creme brûlée 
• Feta cheese ice cream