Peachy Picks Sahib Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Jhinga Haryali Tikka!
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The fantastic garlic naan of Sahib arrives in a star shape, indicative of its laudable flavor and freshness that earns it virtual stars! It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we have known Hemant Mathur, creator, founder, owner and Executive Chef of Sahib for so many years that we worked with him at another restaurant to start with.
Few restaurants advance to Peachy's Picks in 2017 compared to our earlier years, because not all new restaurants are as competitive or as intelligent as our favorites that have been in it to win it for decades.
Sahib was first featured in the summer of 2017:
Sahib is one of five Indian restaurants owned by Hemant and his team and
is the first of the five to advance to Peachy's Picks. It is the newest and opened to the world in October 2016.
Sahib in Indian means "Mister" and is a sign of respect, and we love the copper accents and stylish decor that announces to the world that a clean look announcing less is more is absolutely a winner. For some reason the decor reminds Peachy Deegan of Cape Cod. Not all Indian venues have fantastic Cabernet for our resident red wine enthusiast, but Sahib does. The drinks list is much more evolved than other Indian venues with several cocktails available as well as wine and beer.
The menu is extensive in appetizers and if you are a vegetarian or vegan, you are going to be thrilled as there are exact sections of the menu that are titled vegetable starters and vegan starters, each different from Non-Veg Starters (Peachy's favorite section).
We do however like vegetables and strive to incorporate them into our meals.
For the Veg Starter, Peachy chose the Samosa:
The light flaky crust achieved the perfect balance between soft and crisp, and inside was filled with lovely spiced potatoes, fennel and cauliflower filling, proving to ignite our appetite for Hemant's talents.
We were highly impressed with the Baghari Jhinga! Let us translate for those of you fairly new to Indian food like Peachy, who has only eaten it in her adult life. The flavor of this dish is evidenced by the true bright colors unedited in this photo. Kashmiri style creamy shrimp and ghee rice have gorgeous flavor with an incredible kick; not too spicy and not too bland, it was just right for Goldilocks Peachy: a perfect medium moderate flavor.
The Tandoor Section of the menu is simply superb; Peachy chose the Jhinga Haryali Tikka: Tadoor fired shrimp, jalapeno and green masala maranade is a phenomenal combination! The red onion accents were also perfection on the side. The freshness of the shrimp combined with the style of preparation brings out fragrant, fresh, herbaceous notes that will revive you after any holiday shopping! Or a stressful Monday at work....
Chicken Tikka Masala is the gold standard in Indian food; it is kind of like meatballs and spaghetti at an Italian place...so if Lady and the Tramp are reading, we suggest Sahib for your next date where you can feast on Chicken Tikka Masala. The creamy consistency with splendid tomatoes and fenugreek are superlative and this is one of the best renditions of Chicken Tikka Masala we've seen.
Drumroll please! You know Chicken Biryani is Peachy's favorite Indian food.
At Sahib, it plays hide and seek with you! Absolutely delicious, this boneless Chicken Biryani will warm you up and announce to you that this comfort food is highly deserving of a place in your stomach wish list for Santa. And Hemant. Ms. I Mostly Don't Like Anyone's Sauces who usually eats everything dry to taste it straight (you know, like drinking scotch!) even liked the accompanying sauce. Our panelist is an import from the UK who has many decades of expertise in Indian food; you know who colonized India! (See our interview with Mover and Shaker India Hicks here...she was in Diana and Charles's wedding we wonder if she will go to Harry's? Congratulations Meghan and Harry!)
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Sahib Indian Restaurant is situated in a stretch of Lexington Avenue, which is known as “Curry Hill” due to the substantial number of Indian Restaurants in the area. Sahib can be found between 27th and 28th street in amongst many other competitors offering Indian cuisine. Therefore, to succeed in this area you need to be able to offer something extraordinary to attract customers and encourage them to return. This made my visit intriguing as I was looking forward to seeing if it had that something special or was it just simply another run of the mill Indian “Curry house”.
When pursuing the menu, I was impressed with its diversity and originality. There is a good choice of veg and non- veg starters. For my veg starter I tried the “Ragara Patties” which is a favorite street food in Southern India.
The soft smooth potato patties were topped with an array of garnishes that provided a blend of texture and flavor. Here they came with chickpeas, yogurt and chutnies. It was a perfect balance that left a lingering gorgeous spicy aftertaste.
For my non veg starter I ordered the “Murgh Chop”, which is roasted bone-in chicken, creamy marinade, and malt vinegar. This dish was recommended on the menu as a “must try” dish and I understand why, the chicken was marinated to perfection, literally fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. I have quite literally NEVER tasted chicken so tender. It was exquisite and I totally endorse the menu’s recommendation that you quite simply MUST try this!
From the Tandoor section I decided to have the “Jhinga Malaiwali” which consisted of Tandoor fired shrimp in a creamy marinade. The succulent shrimps and the creamy marinade were an excellent combination, I particularly enjoyed the subtle taste of the marinade, correctly allowing the shrimp to be the “star” of the dish and accepting its role as “support act.” It was served with a lemon but quite frankly this was redundant as the shrimp and marinade were self-sufficient and didn’t require any other accompaniment.
For my main entrée I went for the Lamb Madras which is a coconut based curry dish. This is a classic Indian dish, very popular in England where I am from. I was curious to see how it compared with the UK version that I have sampled on numerous occasions over the years in England. I was certainly not disappointed, the fusion of various spices blended well with the succulent mouthwatering tender pieces of lamb. It was quite simply tantalizing and one I would highly recommend.
As I mentioned earlier to succeed in this particular area of Manhattan to succeed amongst your many competitors you need to be able to offer something extra that will encourage customers to choose and return to your restaurant. The excellent authentic cuisine in this establishment would certainly make me want to return and having eaten in Indian restaurants all over the World but particularly in England and the USA that is a huge compliment. If you are an Indian food connoisseur or are tempted to try it for the first time I would certainly recommend that you try Sahib. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!
Peachy Picks Sahib!
Sahib is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
