#TerrificTakeout #InauguralReview @saarnyc #Saar by #ExecutiveChef and #Owner #HemantMathur
Executive Chef and Owner Hemant Mathur
Boy did we miss Hemant! Hold onto your hats the Hemant Mathur hit parade is back in town and this is the first float! Hemant has been featured many times over the years and was last featured when Sahib earned a spot in Peachy's Picks. He has been quite busy and Saar opened in 2018 on the west side of Midtown Manhattan. This is our first visit. We were graciously greeted with an amuse bouche of puffed rice, mint chutney, tamarind, fried onion and chickpea noodles.
Of course Peachy sipped on a robust Cabernet Sauvignon but you should know they have lots of choices for wine! We have a lot of future wine ambitions at Saar, and we love their Hallak pink everywhere (you know our friend John-Claude)!
Try some wheat and rice crisps while you peruse the menu.
We were next surprised with Cauliflower Latkes: green chili, ginger-spiced Latkes say "Welcome to Saar!" with cranberry chutney, just perfect for a rainy day like today. You should know that Saar means Essence in Indian and the cuisine is traditional India from all over the country.
Peachy adores salmon so she opted for the Salmon Tikka appetizer. Spicy and tangy, this grilled fish indeed is perfection and is enhanced with grilled scallion and basil peas. If your Friday is boring and you can't wait to get out of work, this is terrific excitement for your palate!
Obviously Peachy is supertall and towers over everyone (kidding); to that end we feel a distinct kinship with shrimp. The Tandoori Jumbo Tiger Shrimp are superb and might have been our favorite edible this trip. Certainly they were the first to magically disappear. Glazed with cilantro and tamarind, this succulent sea creations have a party with lemon chutney.
It is clear we have never been on a no-carb initiative ever and to that end we cannonballed into the fluffy, cuddly goodness of Onion Kulcha! The soft onion-filled bread is sure to appeal to everyone that likes garlic bread when you eat Italian, as is true for the Garlic Naan as well. You need this to balance out the spicy everywhere else in your Saar experience.
Garlic Naan perfection. Peachy LOVES GARLIC. This is her favorite:
Also you must try the Goat Cheese and Spinach Kulcha, below. Even if you don't like Goat Cheese other places like Peachy, you are going to like this combination as the creaminess is just right and not overpoweringly goat. The lovely nuance is made even better by the spinach which is just the right touch by Hemant who is a total expert.
You know we are normally huge advocates of green salads, but you don't often see them on Indian menus. However, here at Saar you will see the amazing Crispy Okra Salad! Crunching on it alone is exciting however when you incorporate the rainbow of flavors going on, it is like a salad rollercoaster! Tomato and red onion and obviously Okra are dominant and cilantro and raw mango dust are the perfect sparkle accent. It's almost like Tinkerbell touched it with her wand.
Everyone knows Peachy is in love with Chicken Biryani and we're getting to that. No Indian restaurant is featured without it. However, we met a brand new dish next: Jack Fruit Biryani! If you are vegetarian this has your name all over it. The jack fruit with its meat texture invigorates and reinvents this classic dish and if you want to try something different or it is a Friday in Lent, order this. We did love it however we love Chicken Biryani more.
Continuing along the vegetarian theme, do meet the Navratan Korma. Seasoned fresh vegetables are graciously cooked in a sauce of superbly flavored cashew nuts, dry fruits and our favorite saffron. Remember bathing suit season is coming and besides, you want to be nutritious so get those vegetables front and center in your diet!
Glamour shots of the Saar special!
Delhi Ka Butter Chicken.
You will be clucking jubilantly as you dine upon this special dish unique to Saar and a creation of Hemant's: the chicken luxuriates in a wonderful fenugreek sauce and every bite is pure decadence.
Another superlative shrimp winner is the Goan Shrimp Curry, below.
It had the same amount of stars in Peachy's notes as the Tandoori Jumbo Tiger Shrimp (Garlic Naan, Onion Kulcha and Chicken Biryani don't need stars as it is so innately obvious how great they are). The intoxicatingly delicious Goan Shrimp Curry is dancing in a party of coconut milk and spices, ideally crafted.
Finally we tried the Chicken Biryani, Peachy's favorite Indian dish and it was exactly as perfect as we remembered. This menu is so spectacular...in the future we hope to try the Truffle Risotto, Lemon Saffron Scallops...we know we have gotten you hungry!
We only do selfies with you if we really like you!
Stay tuned for more hits from Hemant!!!!
