First bite: Tawa
Innovative Indian in downtown Stamford
Mary Kate Hogan
October 11, 2009
I just got back from dinner at the new Tawa Restaurant and Bread Bar in downtown Stamford. It was the second time I've eaten there and my meal was just as delicious as the first. When I heard about this restaurant opening in the former Ocean 211 space, I wondered: Another Indian place in Stamford? But this is not your average Indian—for several appetizing reasons.
First, there is the Bread Bar. If you’ve eaten at Tabla Bread Bar in the city, you’ll know why those words were music to my ears. At Tawa, the downstairs Bread Bar has a warm yet modern interior with colorful lanterns hanging above—just the right vibe for meeting friends over a quick bite. The Bread Bar serves small plates and noshes, a whole range of Indian breads as well as creative cocktails like the Slumdog Martini (with cilantro muddled with lime) and a Watermelon and Ginger Mojito.
Another distinctive feature of Tawa is chef Kausik Roy's cooking. A self-described rule breaker, Roy applies Indian preparations to the best local ingredients. The result is dishes like corn and asparagus chat (you wouldn't normally find corn or asparagus in traditional Indian cooking), Pakoda with artichoke and his signature Karari Bhindi, a crispy okra with red onion, cilantro and green chili that will leave you with an entirely new impression of the pod-like vegetable.
On my first visit to Tawa, a group of us were treated to a bread-making demonstration. "The breads play a very big role in Indian food," says Roy. "We always make the bread at the moment we're going to serve it."
He showed us the restaurant's traditional clay oven, which heats to a crazy-high 750 degrees! Roy slapped the naan dough onto the inside of the barrel-shaped oven and it was cooked within a minute and a half. Roy makes naan with an array of stuffings, including creamed spinach as well as jalapeno and garlic. The bread is served with addictive dipping sauces: a tamarind sauce and also a creamy eggplant dip. I enjoyed the sweet variation of naan too, stuffed with dried fruits and nuts.
above: Tandoor Lamb
Of course, there's much more than bread at Tawa, such as the seafood, meat, chicken and vegetable kebabs, which are cooked on giant, sword-like skewers in the same clay oven. The open flame gives the meat and vegetables a tasty, charred flavor. Tonight we had the sea bass Tikka with crushed coriander and garam masala—flavorful and cooked to perfection.
Dinner is served upstairs in the long and narrow dining room where a dramatic lighting fixture that looks like a wooden maze casts a sparkling light into the bottom of empty wine glasses. A romantic and comfortable setting.
At both meals, I tried an array of dishes, and I'll tell you about my favorites. The Chicken Hariyali (Hariyali means green) is especially delicious. This bright green chicken is wrapped in a special basil that's very fragrant and has a slightly tart taste. I also loved the Lamb Fry, a Karala lamb with red onion, curry leaves, and ginger coconut flakes—nice and spicy. My father and sister's favorite dish was the Signature Dampak, tender lamb in curry cooked in a sealed copper vessel.
I ate more than my share of the Artichoke Scallion Pakoda, a crispy fritter served with the eggplant and tamarind sauces. It was just too good to pass up. Among the vegetarian dishes, the Okra dish is superb. I love the crunchiness and the green chili flavor.
Indian desserts are usually not my favorite, but I found some to recommend here: the Mango Three Ways (ice cream, yogurt and fruit) and the Rasmalai, cheese dumplings in milk flavored with cardamom.
I haven't even mentioned the funny and helpful waitstaff at Tawa. By the end of the evening, we were learning some Hindi lingo and even trading a few stories. So, to chef Kausik Roy and his crew, I say, "Shukriya!"
Tawa is located at 211 Summer Street in Stamford. |
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