NRI (Not Really Indian)

When Indians migrated to other countries, they adapted recipes of their homeland with the ingredients available in those countries. This gave rise to an interesting cuisine which was Indian at heart, but had a dash of foreign flavour to it.
Back in India, Michelin Star Chef Atul Kochhar delivers this evolved menu at his newly opened restaurant NRI short for Not Really Indian.

The restaurant was well lit with lamp posts, and had an interactive live grill counter. Chandni and I felt the ambience was understated and classy, and didn’t take away the attention from the star of the show- the food.

The manager suggested we start the evening with some drinks (Rs.475 each). We ordered a Passion Fruit Chutney Martini, which was fruity and had a kick of chili in it, and English Summer which had a sharp taste of basil. The drinks perfectly set the mood for what was to follow.

For appetizers I ordered Pind Da Hummus (Rs.225). The hummus was creamy, and had a tinge of cumin and garam masala, an unexpected taste to my palate. It was served with four pieces of fritters which were ordinary chana dal and chickpea pakoras. I would order this again only for the hummus.

Chandni decided to go with the Karara Kekda (Rs.750) which stands true as Chef Atul’s signature dish from Benares Restaurant. It was a soft shell crab, battered and deep fried, sprinkled with chaat masala and served with passion fruit chutney. The sweet and fresh taste of crab was so appetizing that Chandni quickly polished the dish off with great gusto.

Next I tried the Nimbu Dhaniya Paneer (3 pieces for Rs.300). It had no taste of lemon or coriander as promised, and the topping of the sweet tomato salsa didn’t add much flavour. The grilled paneer had an amazing smokiness to it, but the overall taste was bland.

Next on the table was Grilled Calamar (6 pieces for Rs.300), calamari pieces served with “Seychelles” chutney. Chandni felt that the squid needed more time on the grill.

For mains I called for the vegetarian Bunny Chow (Rs.400). It was a soft brown bread bowl filled with curry, topped with coleslaw, papad and a banana crisp. The curry, a combination of red kidney beans and potato, cooked in piri piri chillis, coriander, cumin, turmeric and curry leaves, was delectably spicy. This dish was the highlight of the evening for me.

Sri Lankan Potli with Chicken (Rs.475) was the non-vegetarian choice. Served on a banana leaf, it was a boneless chicken curry with idiyappams as the perfect accompaniment. The curry delivered the hot punch one expects from Chettinad food.

The ‘Mithaiwalla’ came to our table laden with a wide selection of desserts (Rs.225 each). We chose Maracaibu Orange which was a dark chocolate mousse with orange segments and Masala Chai-Baileys Brownie, a layer of flourless chocolate brownie, chai and liquor flavoured cream, and sprayed with yellow cocoa butter. In spite of being stuffed to the brim, these works of art disappeared in no time.

With its unique menu, a story for every dish and enthralling service, NRI is a good addition to the fine-dining space. We are undoubtedly visiting again for the Bunny Chow and more mouth watering desserts.

Meal for two – Rs.3850 with alcohol + taxes
Final verdict – An expensive yet tasty affair.

Address: 2 North Avenue, Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.
Contact number: 022 30005040

Written by Pooja

The author was invited to dine at the restaurant. The views are unbiased and entirely her own.