Nirvana

Walking into Riltz Carlton and passing between the beautiful bakery and the cozy lobby, taking left will lead you to Nirvana, the most luxurious Indian restaurant in town. The decoration and interior are grand and gorgeous that it makes you feel that you're dining in an Indian palace. Although the size of the place is quite small, you don't feel it as the seating arrangement comes in different types which makes the place look bigger. 

It doesn't make a difference if you visit Nirvana for lunch or dinner because there are no windows that connect you to the outside world. Which is totally acceptable and suitable for such place and you can get your fix of sunlight once you're done in the bright Ritz lobby. 

Our meal consisted of the typical Indian dishes that people usually order in Indian restaurants: Ghosht Biryani, was delicious and rich with herbs. We expected the Chicken Makani to be as grand as the place, but it wasn't. It was very average. My favourite dish was Aalo Geera (potatoes), it tasted really good. The Dal Makani was quite good too but not one of the best we tried. Pakora is a fun dish to start with (deep fried potatoes, eggplants, cauliflowers dipped in batter of gram flour).  It was a grand meal. You can tell the difference between a grand meal and a cheap one once you're done. We felt light and we weren't bloated. 

The table wear, especially the glasses were gorgeous. I'm sure that the first thing that your eyes will notice on the table are those beautiful glasses that are used for water. The service was good and because of the size of the place it was very easy to reach the waiters. But the staff weren't smiling or making extra effort to be friendly. They were too serious. One thing that we didn't find pleasing too is that they called us twice the day before to double check if we'll be there which was a bit annoying. 

Nirvana is perfect for quiet family dinners. If you're a fan of the historical Indian movies like Juda Akbar, have a meal there to get a hint of that grand atmosphere.

Published on Daily Tribune 31 August 2012