6 replies to this topic

[Fat Guy]

I'd be very interested to hear the opinions of those who have dined around India on the following: Where, outside of India, can you get the best Indian food in the world?

Don't say New York, because I know that's not it!

[Suvir Saran]

Steven,
Are you trying to start a curry crusade?  That will be a tricky one.  I too would love to read what people think.  NYC is catching up though... and has made leaps and bounds since even just 2 years ago in getting to be more authentic.

[robert brown]

Suvir, that is an observation I would agree with. Until a few years ago, London was the place I would have Indian food above all else. However, the meals I have at Salaam Bombay are as good as I have anywhere outside of India (not that I have spent a lot of time there). Bay Leaf is an address that no one ever talks about, but to my mind is only one notch below Salaam Bombay. I ate at SB a few nights ago and enjoyed food of an incredible freshness (best sag I have had in NYC, speaking of freshness). Yet I know that Indian cuisine is extremely varied, complex, and place-oriented and can only wonder if New York represents it well.

Suvir, what are your thoughts about Indian food here and the best places to experience it? I would like to see more posts about Indian restaurants in NYC.

[Suvir Saran]

Salaam Bombay, Bay Leaf, Dawat, Tamarind, Shaan and Sapphire are all offering food that is very similar.  It depends when you eat, what time and which chef makes the dish that night.  While the sauces are mostly similar day after day at each of those restaurants for their recipe items.  Each chef in the same kitchen will make just those slight proportional changes in spicing that can make all the difference.

Bukhara Grill is a new-comer.. or not that new anymore. They have had consistency problems but I am told it has become better.  I was there not too long ago and ate the best Naan outside of India.  The Maa Daal ( Creamy black lentils) were also the best outside of India and the okra was as nice as it can get anywhere.

Depending on my mood, I make a few phone calls.  Find out which of my favorite chefs is working that evening or day and then I go to the restaurant of choice.

But any of the above are a safe bet.  While the food may not be as good as that we are used to seeing in India, each of these is close enough to the other, that your own mind can pick the one that inspires you most.  

I will maybe take some time and come up with a fair and detailed reveiw of Indian restaurants sometime in the next few months.

[ajay]

Suvir,

I eagerly await your compilation of reviews.

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks for being enthusiastic and encouraging.. I wish I had more time.. but I promise to do it soon.

[anil]

Cities outside India with Indian Restaurants serving above average food:

London,Toronto,Singapore,Penang,Berkeley,Berlin,NYC. These I have personal
experience of. I have heard that some of the cities in the Gulf countries
have a handful of places too.

Really mediocre fare in Amsterdam,Vienna,Rome,Nice