GF and I went to Besharam last night. I thought it would be packed after being short-listed for the Eater Award Winners of 2019, but the place was fairly empty at 6:30, and didn’t ever fill completely, although there was eventually a big party seated at one of the long tables. Gorgeous space, nice and toasty on a chilly night.
My GF is from the Gujarati region where Chef Heena Patel hails, so I was eager to see how the food would measure up to her: We loved it.
The cocktails were intriguing, and I tried the Luv Kush - gin, almond milk, falnerum, lime, cardamom, vanilla, egg white. Perfectly balanced, creamy, loved the sprinkle of cardamom.
We opted for the Let Me Cook for You menu, at $50 per person, which included 9 courses plus dessert. It was a lot of food but I’m glad we did it as we got to try so many dishes.
First came spiced, fried chickpeas. Very crunchy and slightly spicy. We both marveled at how crispy they were, yet they were very light.
Then, Dahi Wada - urad dal fritters, with spiced chilled yogurt, cilantro, tamarind. These were crispy on the outside and tender inside. Fresh sweet/sour, and very good.
Next, Drunken pani puri - semolina puffs, crushed peas, raw onion, lemon tamarind water, mint, gin. I loved these - so light and crispy! and especially the water - it had a slight funk to it which I attributed to the gin. I kept taking sips of it after we’d finished the puri. Picture shows one of the puri filled with the water.
Then came a kind of rice porridge,with brussels sprouts and chili oil. much like jook. It was not on the menu, but my GF said it’s a comfort food served typically only at home. This was actually a bit bland to me, but she loved it, as it reminded her of her childhood.
Garlic, onion & mustard seed rice and Kabuli Channa came next. The rice needed some oomph. I’ve had this rice actually made by my friend’s mother, and it needed more garlic, and a big drizzle of ghee to liven it up. It was fine, just not special. My GF loved the channa, said it was her favorite part of the meal. I liked it too, but found it fairly typical of the dish.
Saag Paneer, with fresh paneer shipped in from Oregon. With mustard seeds. The paneer was springy and you could taste the milkiness. Loved this dish. It was much spicier than any other saag paneer I’ve had. Most of the food was spicier than at other Indian restaurants i’ve been to lately. My GF actually couldn’t take the heat, and asked for more raita (which was delicious, by the way.)
Fiinally, a mushroom curry. My friend said this wasn’t a dish she’d ever heard of, and it wasn’t on the menu. After the saag paneer, this was my favorite - so much umami.
No pic: Dessert was gulab jamun - Indian donuts (or pancakes), basically, soaked in rosewater syrup. Too sweet for me, i just had a bite.
I got a pic of (I believe) Chef Patel (not in the kitchen, and her husband, working the pass window.
I’d definitely go back. There are a couple of non-veg options (lamb, chicken) which I didn’t try as my friend is a vegetarian. Next time!
