Devi Indian Restaurant, NY
Devi Restaurant
(Btw 5th Ave & Broadway)
New York, NY
212-691-1300
Reservation available on Opentable.com
Hours of Operation:
Dinner (Monday – Saturday): 5:30pm – 11:00pm
(Sunday): 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Lunch (Monday – Friday): 12:00pm – 2:30pm
Devi Restaurant
Please forgive me for the graininess of the photos. I did not have my camera and I had to borrow my cousin’s Sony point and shoot camera. I have no idea what the model is, but I do know that it is an old camera (3-4 yrs old) and it does not take good pictures in in low-lighting scenarios as compared to the Canon ones. It’s not me being bias, it’s just in my personal experience.
My three co-workers and I have planned this unique experience to go dine at Devi for quite sometime now. After reading an article on the New York Times I was suddenly interested to go and suggested to my co-workers to go. To my advantage, two of my co-workers are Indian and one of them had been there before. The one who has dined at this restaurant agreed that this is a great restaurant and that the food is phenomenon even for a person like me who isn’t really a fan of Indian cuisine.
Did I mention that this restaurant received a Michelin Star? For those of you that don’t know, Michelin Guide [Travel Publications], hire a team of professional food critics who goes to restaurants as an undercover and review restaurants based on a set of criteria that they have. Now according to the Michelin Guide:
The star symbols judge only what’s on the plate, meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, mastering of cooking, personality of the cuisine, value for the money and the consistency of what the restaurant offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.
- One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, a good place to stop on your journey.
- Two stars denote excellent cuisine, worth a detour, with specialties and wines of first-class quality.
- Three stars reward exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey, where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. The wine list features generally outstanding vintages and the surroundings and service are part of this unique experience, which is priced accordingly.
In addition to the awarding of stars, the Michelin Guide provides a written description of each locale and a variety of other symbols to give readers further insight into an establishment’s ambiance, type of cuisine and specialties, and wine list, among other factors. In addition, the guide provides a comfort rating represented by the use of one to five forks and spoons for restaurants and one to five pavilions for hotels. These symbols take into consideration the decor, service, cleanliness and upkeep of the surroundings.
Now enough of that, let me show you my dining experience at Devi.
Please click on the following link to read more.
Devi Restaurant Ceiling
When you first enter Devi, you’re going get a strong scent of curry, no joke. It is very warm in here and luckily the hostess takes your jacket and hangs it for you in their closet in exchange for a number tag. On the bright side, this restaurant feels an look like an Indian palace. And did I mention that it looks incredibly warm and romantic because of the dimly lit lights? I was pretty impressed with the decor and fell in love with the bright beautiful lamps that hung above.
Now the restaurant is sectioned off into three parts. You have your main level that is literally right in front of the door, and then you have the back of the restaurant which is sectioned off by “booths” where there is a lacy Indian Curtain hanging in front. The third section is upstairs, maybe for private parties? When I arrived, it was empty. I am sure that it will be filled as the night progresses.
At the time that we arrived, 7:00pm, which was the perfect time because there wasn’t many diners. Despite this, there’s a huge team, maybe like 6+ waiters standing there waiting for orders. This is also another reason why I thought I was at an Indian Palace because there were so many servants, I mean waiters! The waiters are very nice and did not seem to mind when I whipped out my camera and pointed everywhere. I guess I could probably get away with this because it’s still early.
Devi's Bar
The waiter on the right with the glasses was ours for the night. He recommended a bottle of wine that I remembered tasted great, but I couldn’t remember the name of it because I was practically tipsy off of that one glass. You can request to have a taste and the waiter will gladly bring out the bottle and pour you a little for taste. FYI, A glass of wine is $7 and a bottle I believe is $55.
Devi's Upper Level Dining Floor
Devi Menu
We all decided to order from the tasting menu and share. The tasting menu that we chose is the 2-course meal that comes with an appetizer and an entree. It also comes with dessert which comes to about $35.
Appetizers:
Complimentary Sample of Devi's Appetizer
Sorry, I can’t remember the name of this dish, but I can remember it tasting spicy because of that red sauce. It has the texture and the filling of a potato croquette except that there is some kind of cheese and season inside. I will ask my co-workers to get the name of this free sample, but I thoroughly enjoyed this piece and could not wait for the rest of the food.
Goan Shrimp Bruschetta
I tasted a little of this Shrimp Bruschetta and oh dear lord the shrimp is amazing! The shrimp is so moist and juicy with a party of sweet and spicy flavors flowing through my lips, tongue and teeth. And the bruschetta is the one that tops this whole eating experience to give you that crispy feel, even though it’s been partially soaked by the tomatoes. Oh so good, so good. When I think Indian, I would have never thought that you can apply it to a bruschetta, but you definitely can. If you want to play on the safe side, definitely order this appetizer as you will definitely not be disappointed.
Bombay Bhel Puri
Bhel Puri contains puffed rice, fried besan (chickpea) flour and chilis topped with fried noodles. Think of it as an assortment of mixed fried snacks into this big beautiful pyramid. My other non-indian co-worker seems to like this appetizer and would definitely get this again next time.
Delhi Sprouted Mung Bean Chaat
When I saw this, I thought it was an Indian version of Salsa and [tortilla] chips! Of course there’s no salsa in this, but the cold mung bean chaat goes very well with the chip! It’s somehow strangely addictive and you just have to try this. If I didn’t come here with my Indian co-workers I would have never thought about ordering this because half the menu contains Indian.
Chicken-Apricot Seekh Kababs
Finally my appetizer arrived! I honestly didn’t imagine my kababs to be like this because I am used to the ones on skewers that are sold on the streets of New York City. Let me tell you, this chicken kabab is sooooo amazingly good!! VERY MOIST. VERY TENDER. AND SO VERY JUICY. It’s somewhat spicy which I like, and I could definitely do the dish without the apricot. The apricot sauce is sweet, but not overbearingly sweet like how other restaurants have served it to me before, but it is good. I like my meat seasoned and spicy which is why I love this appetizer!
Entrees:
Lamb-Stuffed Tandoori Chicken, crispy okra, tomato chutney
I’ve always had bad experiences when it comes to lamb because of the “gamey-ness,” but Devi definitely knows how to make a good lamb. This is one of my co-worker’s dish and first I thought was how interesting it is to have lamb stuffed in tandoori chicken! You can barely taste the lamb, but you can definitely feel the texture of lamb in the chicken since lamb, in my experience, is usually more tender. With the little piece that I tasted, I really liked it. My coworker finished all the meat, but left the okra since she wasn’t a fan of it.
Tandoor-Grilled Lamb Chops, pear chutney, Southern Indian potatoes
This is my entree. I heard that Devi special dish is the lamb chops. I have always heard that the Indians are very good when it comes to making lamb/goat and I knew that I had to try it even though I’m not a fan of it. This dish usually cost $34 if you don’t order it from the tasting menu. I’m sure they would give you two more pieces of lamb if you did order it separately, but let me tell you, it is definitely worth every single penny. Oh, never have I had a lamb that is so well seasoned, tender, moist, and flavorful! You can definitely taste a hint of the gamey-ness, but that’s natural because it is a lamb. When you eat it with the wonderful Indian potatoes, it just makes that experience more orgiastic.
Chicken (or Beef) Curry onion kulcha, fattoush salad
Sides:
Onion-Parmigiano Kulcha, Spinach-Goat Cheese Paratha
I was gung-ho in ordering Roti, but the waiter and my co-worker suggested that I get this because it’s stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, giving it more flavor. To my advantage they were right! The roti that I have in Malaysian restaurants or fusion Indian restaurants never had roti like this! This is definitely very good and it tastes better when you dip it in curry or raita, which is in a nutshell, yogurt seasoned with coriander. Yummy!
Naan
Looks like Roti, and I suspect that they’re probably the same….haha.
Raita
Raita, like I mentioned above, is yogurt seasoned with coriander and cayenne pepper. I’m sure there are more ingredients to it, but that’s what I tasted. It tastes so good with naan and my Onion-Parmigiano Kulcha, Spinach-Goat Cheese Paratha. Like my Indian co-worker says, “You can’t have naan without raita” and I completely agree.
Matar Paneer (tomato-onion sauce, Indian cheese, green peas)
This is a vegetarian curry, please correct me if I’m wrong, that is loaded with different spices. I don’t know exactly what is in it, but I can tell you this, it is soooooo good with naan, my onion-parmigiano kulcha spinach-goat Cheese paratha, and rice!
Dessert:
Mango Cheesecake
I seriously and sincerely believe that this is the best mango cheesecake that I have tasted — ever. Besides the awesome presentation, it is so rich and smooth! It might be too sweet for my three co-workers, but it worked just fine with me because mangoes are supposed to be sweet! I personally think it’s like taking a real mango and then turning it into a cheesecake. It is so delicious, creamy, and oh so smooth. The candied mango is good, but I can do without it. It is just a real pleasure sitting there and eating this because it’s a real treat! Plus this dessert is one of the restaurant’s specialties, so give it a try when you come!
Bombay Falooda: Honey-soaked basil seeds, Falooda noodles, strawberry and mango sorbets, coconut lemongrass milk, coconut tuile
While I was having the cheesecake, the rest of the gang drank down this dessert. Apparently they all loved it! I was fortunate enough to have a taste of this, and it is deliciously very sweet. The coconut milk hits your tongue first, and then follow by the mango sorbets. I just had a teaspoon of the top which is probably why I couldn’t taste the strawberry part of the sorbets.
All in all this was the best Indian meal I have ever had, and the most expensive too! I can see how this restaurant earned a Michelin star because it is simply Indian cuisine at it’s best and it’s definitely worth every single penny. I can say that because even my Indian co-workers loved it and said that it is very close to what Indian food is like at home. We all spent about $65 each for the tasting menu and wine. Definitely save up and plan a trip with your friends and dine here!
Now I’ll leave you with the the city’s Health Inspection Report!
DEVI
8 EAST 18 STREET, MANHATTAN 10003
212-691-1300Violation points: 16
Inspection Date: 09/03/2008
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
Sanitary Violations
1.) Personal cleanliness inadequate. Clean outer garments, effective hair restraint not worn.
Comments
3 Responses to “Devi Indian Restaurant, NY”
Leave a Reply
omg that mango cheesecake is to die for! i wanna try!!
looked absolutely yummy! i can’t wait to make mango cheesecake and the spinach/goat cheese naan at home. the lamb stuffed chicken is also somet i must try!!
Mhmm…everything looks so good. You did such a smart thing to go with Indian friends. It looks like they steered you towards the right food to pick.