Hey NYC food enthusiasts! I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you all. I’m the lead investor and part of a passionate team that is opening a new fine dining Indian restaurant in July. Our aim is to redefine people’s perceptions of Indian cuisine, and create a tasting menu that will take you on an unforgettable gastronomic journey! Attached is our prix fixe menu. Any and all comments/feedback are welcome! If anyone wants more detailed descriptions of each of the dishes I’m happy to give them.
by Medical_Beautiful_31
32 Comments
Too expensive. It’d be just about the most expensive, or one of the very priciest, Indian restaurants in the city, which just seems like a tall order. Also, I’d ditch the caviar.
I can’t get over that price for a tasting menu — it’s borderline obscene.
FOH with them prices friend.
Most expensive Indian tasting menu I’ve ever seen
Selection of Indian cheeses means.. Paneer in various forms? Corn Bhutta, the h is silent? Pani puri elevated? Is there a Pakora somewhere to crown the whole thing? Hmm at what point do we cross from being a creative Indian menu to … Huh?
Lol that’s a $300 meal all told.
What I would expect for 150$ for 5 courses is to have this restaurant inspire me and change the way I perceive Indian food. Every dish should be on point and there should be moments where I fully understand why the courses were structured in this way without anyone telling me. The same is true for the wine pairings.
If this is just a New American spin on Indian food I would be real disappointed because it has been done before and at far more agreeable prices. If this is an IG restaurant, don’t ask this sub.
At this price range you are batting with most one Michelin star tastin menus, lunch service at A few 2-3 Michelin star establishments. Given that amuse bouche are general not substantial (a few bites), your cheese supplement is quite expensive (I believe I went Daniel’s and their cheese supplement was $20), you are asking a diner to pay $200+ after tax/tip for pani puri with few bites of caviar, duck and monkfish cheeks which is quite unreasonable.
I would honestly not pay more than $99 for this and would expect something with this type of price tag to have a salad/soup course, a bread course, another dessert/pastry course and arguable a small protein course in addition maybe for a supplemental price. Even then the execution I would be need to flawless.
This price point is a lot. I also don’t like the idea of champagne curry, it sounds gimmicky and not something I’d pay $150 for. My take is that the restaurant is trying to make Indian food French rather than make very high quality Indian food. That’s probably not what you’re going for but it’s my take on the menu!
This is the sort of Indian tasting menu I dream of, sadly Goa only offered it for a short time: https://ny.eater.com/2023/2/14/23596449/goa-new-york-tribeca-review
Around 7 courses for $150 might be more palatable (reference: Oxalis). Also this does have the vibes of “French with Indian influence”. The most acclaimed Indian restaurants recently seem much more Indian than this. So you might want to frame your restaurant concept differently.
Waaaaaaay over priced
Ima stick with punjabi deli
Pass.
For that price I rather eat at michelin starred restaurants who have garnered enough recognitions on the quality of their food, the likes of oxalis, joomak, jua, kochi, the musket room, etc
Caviar panipuri?! Boy you lost your mind
There are places that do creative Indian well, like Pondicheri in Houston. This does not look like that unfortunately. Caviar and pani puri? What?
In all honesty—what does this menu teach the diner? At those prices there has better be food epiphany somewhere in there. As written that epiphany is hidden. Also, five courses, and you go from duck to desserts unless you pay for a $30 pit stop? Please tell me there was a palate cleanser somewhere in there—because at $150 I’d like a “hidden” course or two. And amuse bouche is not a course! It’s that little thing they give you to get in the mood—it’s a bite never should be more. I remember when it wasn’t even listed on the menu. A nice surprise you weren’t expecting (but were half way expecting because everyone was doing it). Like the homemade candy/pastry to take home thing that was popular a couple years ago. So really four courses at $150. Without more context, this menu would make the restaurant DOA.
Can you call the Duck something other than Duck, like Roast Duck or something? I don’t know, it just bugs me lol.
There’s a brand awareness issue here. Do cheese connoisseurs know what a selection of fine Indian cheeses is? One may be empirically superior than the other, but you’re up against the widespread perception of one versus the other.
Fine Indian cheese? Like what you gonna charge me $30 for Amul? 😂
Sounds interesting but just too expensive for a brand-new tasting menu. Restaurants charging $150/head have earned that right.
You’re definitely trolling us lmaoo I mean good job because I was chuckling as I went through this menu
What kind of indian food have you eaten mate to serve this?
or is this for pretentious goras only.
Nothing worse than including an item on an already expensive tasting menu for “supplemental cost.”
most have already commented on the overpriced nature, so i won’t harp on that. what i will say is this a 4 course tasting menu that i would at most be willing to pay ~$90 for – and that’s only if there’s significant caviar (without that, i would say i’d pay like $75) and also would only be willing to pay that much if i had already seen lots of positive reviews (and not just tiktokers). are the drink pairings 5 full pours – because that would overtake the dishes by getting your diners drunk, and if it’s anything less it sounds like a ripoff.
there are interesting components to each dish but it sounds like it’s trying too hard to be cool vs choices that make sense but again this is hard to tell from a flat menu given the gastronomic complexity. also, the dessert doesnt feel like anything indian?
additionally, at this price point, presentation and service needs to be IMPECCABLE.
another option that could help justify the price point is if people are able to choose between options (prix fixe vs tasting menu). if i can choose the items i want to order, i’m willing to pay a little more since i would choose the ones i personally value the most.
I don’t mind the idea of an expensive Indian restaurant because it’s about time people change their perceptions of Indian food as cheap/comfort/late-night/etc. Some things I notice
– Why is the restaurant named that?
– What exactly is a selection of indian cheeses? This may show my ignorance but I think the diners will need some more context to understand what this is.
– Isn’t there an h in bhutta?
– While i don’t mind paying top dollar for indian food in principle, $175/person for four courses is approaching 2 and 3 star michelin territory.
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Edit: Apparently there are in fact a [wide variety of indian cheeses](https://curlytales.com/scrumptious-varieties-of-cheese-that-truly-belong-to-india/) i have never heard of or seen made. If you offered some of these with explanations and pairings it would have the potential to be one of the most interesting indian dishes in the city.
$150 ….. naw I’m good. Price it at $100 and build your clientele for a $150 menu in the future
As an Indian, No one is asking for this. As a random person with some disposable income – NO ONE wants pani puri with caviar and a dill gelée
Update from OP: We will be having a bread course, a palate cleanser after the duck, and mignardises at the end with tea or coffee (all complimentary of course).
Jesus, might as well just call this a French inspired take on Indian cuisine rather than innovative Indian. 🤣🤣
Tossing 1 Indian ingredient on a dish of French Duck and Monkfish protein mains and charging $150 dollars for a 4 course tasting menu doesn’t redefine Indian cuisine. 😂😂
And pretty sure it’s bhutta not butta, and I assume by ratte you mean raita?
This has to be a troll lol
“Fine Indian cheeses” bruh, you mean mishti??? What in the gentrification-
caviar on pani puri? On pani puri?!?
jfc yaar gimme a gd break 🤦🏻♀️
I think you need to be more realistic about the general state of NYC restaurant industry (I am industry adjacent and have knowledge of Indian restaurants and how they are perceived – DM me if of interest). Below are some snark free things to consider
A Q first – how many seats is this restaurant? 12 seat kitchen counter vs 60 seats etc is a big difference
– The pushback about pricing below is based part on the unfair perception that Indian food is/should be cheap – it has not gotten the respect it deserves though that is slowly changing, Recent experience with a hyped restaurant that attracts a lot of Indian customers shows that when prices are high, expectations are through the roof and the current state of NYC service is very challenging as no one stays for very long and people often show up to work high, drunk or disinterested.
– The gold standard for success is Unapologetic Foods aka Dhamaka/Semma/etc and they own most of the media coverage (food media is dying in NYC fyi). They don’t do tasting menus for a reason. I guess you could look to Junoon but that place has gone through changes and challenges over the years. Havent been in a long time so can’t comment on them specifically.
– Success of a tasting menu restaurant is directly tied to a Michelin star. Your guys may have some pedigree but they were sous chefs not exec chefs and these were not their own restaurants. Also New Yorkers have in the past been skeptical of newcomers coming here and opening things (Ducasse failed the first time he showed up for example). Doesn’t mean you can’t succeed but New Yorkers tend to be skeptical as a default. Also see my comment of timing of Michelin announcement and your opening possibly being too late to get a star this fall.
– Great that you have a month of pre-opening resys, that’s certainly achievable with the right connections and some work but who will be in your restaurant in January? that’s much harder. hype in NYC can list months or even weeks. Don’t rely on what you have now, it’s all about what you want to have in 6 months, 12 months
– The economy is extremely mixed right now with a lot of people in tech losing jobs and very high interest rates slowing things down, plus everyone is dealing with inflation so disposable income is down and I am seeing a general slowdown in restaurant reservations. Many many many opened post pandemic and only a handful are super hot & full all the time. Many of those have Michelin stars
There is a lot more to consider and you can succeed but I have seen too many people lose money on concepts without having all the facts at their hands. I wish anyone starting a business in NYC the best of luck and hope you can change some perceptions.