So we are back at Indian Accent, the contemporary Indian restaurant from Chef Manish Mehrotra located at The Parker Méridien Hotel, midtown Manhattan. This time we were there with some of our blogger friends, for a fantastic evening filled with laughter and amazing food.
The restaurant itself has a nice vibe and is the kind of place were you will spin your head to look at the dishes passing by, their presentation being beautiful.
When they asked us if we wanted to order drinks, I made the exact same mistake as last time and asked for a lassi: they do not have any! I was again surprised as this is a classic beverage and, finally, decided to order a cocktail called Smoke & Spice, made with ras el hanout infused Islay scotch, allspice dram (liquor flavored with allspice berries), and a flamed orange. I picked it because I was curious about the ras el hanout spices that I use when making couscous. This was really good, refreshing, with a nice aftertaste of orange and spices.
Then, they came with a mysterious box filled with some little balls that were an homage to street food.
As well as a pumpkin shorva or soup and too small blue cheese naan that were addictive.
For dinner, we went for the 4 courses. For the appetizer, I went for the crab claws, accompanied with butter pepper garlic and cauliflower. Slightly spicy, it was delicious, the crab being perfectly cooked and the sauce very tasty.
Jodi went for the potato sphere chaat served with a white pea mash.
Then, mid-course. Soy keema, quail egg, lime leaf butter pao for jodi. This dish was amazing and the presentation sublime.
Pathar beef kebab, bone marrow nihari for me (I could not resist the bone marrow).
Main course. Paper roast dosa with water chestnut and mushrooms for Jodi:
For me, braised lamb with prune korma and Rajasthani pearl millet khichdi:
As an accompaniment, we both picked a kulcha (type of leavened bread), with mushrooms for Jodi and with hoisin duck for me, a spin on Peking duck that might originate from Indo-Chinese cuisine.
Last was dessert. Jodi went for the doda barfi treacle tart, served with a vanilla bean ice cream. If you go, this is the dessert to order.
On my side, I went for the makhan malai, made with saffron milk, rose petal jaggery brittle and almonds.
At the end of the meal, we got the opportunity to visit the kitchen where we met with Chef Vivek whom treated us with a mango sorbet that was superb.
This was a wonderful evening and the food was outstanding. Every dish was an explosion of flavors and the presentation was amazing. There, the Chef crafted an elegant menu elevating dishes to a level that would satisfy not only people who love Indian food, but also others, the amount of spices being very measured. I definitely recommend Indian Accent: you will not regret dining there!
Enjoy (I did)!
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Indian Accent - 123 W 56th Street, Midtown West, NY 10019