Kavita

You know I really enjoy a delicious Indian meal every now and then.  Well, it isn't hard to find good Indian food in the GVRD, especially Punjabi cuisine.  There is a smattering of South Indian and some Goan spots as well.  One of the newest Indian restaurants in town is rather unique as the Head Chef and Owner, Tushar Tondvalkar meshes his experience at Michelin-star restaurants abroad to local high-end dining with classic Indian techniques from different regions.  Something definitely different and completely elevated.  Viv and I decided to give his Ammakase a go which is a chef's curated menu that is highly-seasonal and thoughtfully-designed.

To get things started, we were presented with 3 different small bites and a steaming hot broth.  The first (right to left) was a Achappam, Beef Tartare with Himalayan mustard, Sunchoke Croquette and Shorba.  The crunchy Achappam was floral and sweet while the beef tartare was tender and buttery with a crispy papadum shell.  Croquette was crispy and creamy with some spice.  That broth at the end was a flavour bomb with tang and depth.  There was some balancing sweetness at the end with a gingery finish.

Next, we had the Morel Chick Pea with yogurt kadhi and mustard.  Unlike most curries, the one here was light and tangy with an appealing butteriness.  We found an earthy finish while witnessing much restraint and balance.  Texturally, we had some softness complimented by crispiness as well. This was a preview of what was to come as we usually associate heaviness with Indian food.

One of our favourite dishes was the vegetarian Momo sitting in a lemongrass tomato jhol with Swiss chard.  Oh wow, for such a humble and simple dish, this was my favourite of the tasting menu.  Fragrant with lemongrass and spiciness that became more pronounced at the end, the broth was impactful.  The dumpling skin was thin and full of elasticity.  Hiding within, we found vibrant and crunchy veggies.  There was a bit of bitterness from the chard.

Then we moved onto the Halibut Cheek in fisherman's green sauce and kolarabi.  Although the cheek itself was a bit more cooked than I wanted it to be, it was still classic cheek texture.  It was a bit bouncy and had a bit of a chew.  Nice crispiness on the exterior and caramelization.  Sauce was super herbaceous and silky, yet still subtle.  Kohlrabi on the side was crunchy with acidity and topped with briny ikura.

The most filling course was the Wild Boar encased in black garlic fried rice and then wrapped in a banana leaf.  Although the boar was lean (as it tends to be), it was still moist and tender.  It was also naturally flavourful.  Although encased, the rice was not mushy.  It absorbed the flavours from the leaves.  The fermented umaminess from the black garlic was quite evident.  Lastly, the black sesame came through with a rich nuttiness.

Composed and carefully-prepared, the Aged Duck came with a vindaloo sauce, fried cassava and potato.  Perfectly medium-rare, the duck featured crispy skin that was mostly rendered.  It sat in a tangy vindaloo sauce which had the perfect viscosity.  Once again, there was restraint as the sauce complimented the duck beautifully, yet did not dominate the dish.  We found a pleasantly crispy cassava on the side as well as charred broccolini.

As a pre-dessert, we were served a Kokum Sorbet that was tangy and only lightly sweetened.  There was definite tamarind vibes to this, but kokum belongs to the mangosteen family. Texturally, it was smooth as if there was cream, but in fact, there was none. There was an earthy finish at the end.  This helped us wash away the previous flavours and to get us ready for our dessert.

Our actual dessert consisted of a Christmas Cake that was effectively a festive rum cake with plump raisins, orange and ginger.  Somewhat like a Christmas fruit cake, but actually tasty, this had hits of cardamom and cloves.  It was not dense like a fruit cake, so it was fluffier.  I found the pops of sweetness from the raisins to be the surprise in each bite.  I would've liked more of the gel to go with the crispy parts of the dessert.

Lastly, we had some small bites to end the meal in some Whey Peda with pine.  This chewy and thick bite was a bit creamy and mildly sweet.  Definitely some grassy notes too.  Overall, we were really impressed with the creations that Chef Tushar Tondvalkar presented to us for the tasting menu.  Flavours were familiar but presented in a different manner which had incredible balance and we didn't feel heavy eating it.  We would be more than glad to have this again, as well as his regular menu.

The Good:

- Familiar things but reimagined 

- Not heavy and well-balanced

- Thoughtfully created dishes

The Bad:

- Halibut cheek could've been less cooked

My Shanti

*Restaurant is closed*

Every morning, it is a ritual that I check all of my email accounts - work, personal and blog email.  Naturally, I quickly delete those asking me to invest in a timeshare or to enlarge my privates.  Then I look through all the media releases for new restaurants and of course, restaurant invites.  One particular email caught my immediate attention - it was an invite to tour Vij's production facility and to a lunch at My Shanti, his new restaurant in South Surrey.  I don't ever remember Vikram Vij doing any of these events before.  So of course, I jumped at the chance, consequently, enjoying my meal with fellow attendees Sean and BCFoodieBlogger.

Before we even entered the restaurant, there was no mistaking the building as it was sparkling silver with a glare that needed sunglasses.  Inside, the purple-reddish interior was ornate, yet wreaked havoc with our pictures (I did the best that I could to remove the purple tinge).  Anyways, we were started off with the Udiapuri chaat with eggplant, spinach and sweet potato.  This dish was an exploration in textures with starchy, leafy and crunchy.  There was a good lingering heat that complimented the apparent spices.  Next up, we had Bombay’s Chattpatti Squid served atop appam.  Buttery soft and tender, the squid still maintained a meatiness and chew.  The masala was spicy in layers, ultimately finishing off with a lingering punch.

Onto another round of appies, we tried the Goan Oyster Pakoras with with spicy green chili crème fraîche.  One bite and there was no doubting the taste of the sea without being fishy.  The oysters were buttery and coated with a light crispy batter.  I found it to be quite greasy though.  The chili crème fraîche was creamy with a slight tang as well as spice.  Next, we were served Chhatra Sagar’s Baby Eggplants with mango powder & chillies.  These cute little eggplants were tender while staying intact.  Again, there was a noticeable spice level accented by a tart zestiness.  Although not in the description, there was the taste of tamarind.

With one last "appie", we had the Mysorian Vegetable Thoran topped with grated roasted coconut.  Consisting of jackfruit and shredded veggies, the soft mixture was sweet and spicy.  The toasted spices added aromatics as well as the crunchy coconut topping.  Moving onto the mains, we were presented with Calcutta’s Panch Phoran Steamed Fish atop a "very mustard gravy".  Although tilapia can often be mushy and devoid of texture, the one here was flaky and moist.  Underneath, the sauce had a noticeable tang and once again, a purposeful amount of spice which added flavour without overwhelming the fish.

Moving on, we tried the Hydrabadi Chicken Biryani served with 3 mistresses.  No, don't be alarmed, we weren't up to some debauchery, rather they were sides of cashew gravy, kachum­ber and raita.  The rice itself was fluffy with a crust on the sides of the clay pot.  There was a slight cinnamon aroma that was addictively fragrant.  I particularly liked the cashew gravy as it was sweet and nutty.  As part of the kitchen tour, we were served fresh Naan from the tandoor.  Fluffy and light on one hand and chewy and slightly crisp on the other, these were very good (and much better than the ones I've had a Vij's in the past).

Our last savoury dish was Banglore’s Goat Curry with cassava.  After my initial taste, the spiciness was quite apparent.  Again, it wasn't "burn-my-tongue-off" hot, rather, it merely added another layer of flavour where the other spices such as coriander and cumin came through.  The goat itself was tender while the cassava added a starchy texture.  We ended off the meal with 2 desserts consisting of the Almond & Pistachio Fudge atop coconut cream and Almond Macarons.  The soft and slightly grainy fudge was not as sweet as it looked.  The real star of the plate was the aromatic coconut cream.  As for the macarons (made of cashews, rather than almond), they were rather chalky and not really my cup of tea.  Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting at My Shanti.  Kudos to Vikram Vij, for boldly bringing his food to South Surrey.

*All food and gratuities were comped*

The Good:
- Interesting and tasty offerings
- Nice spot offering something different in terms of food and decor

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Modest portion sizes