The Jewel in the Crown: Suvai Paradise of Indian Cuisine
Suvai, an elegant Indian restaurant newly relocated to la Roma, began its life as a delivery-only ‘dark kitchen’ offering the dishes typical of South India. Owner Malini, an extraordinary home cook who grew up in New Delhi but whose family hails from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, concentrates on that area’s specialties. After moving from her kitchen to a humble locale in Del Valle then to Polanco, she has expanded her menu to include those of other regions. It encompasses, amongst other delights, street foods of Bombay and Delhi, tandoor-baked meats from the Punjab and Bengali’s pride and joy, fragrant rice biryani.
A masala dosa at Suvai
South Indian cooking features dishes based rice and lentils that have been made into a dough that is fermented and fashioned into steamed or fried vehicles for aromatic, spicy sauces and fragrant vegetable stews. As corn is transformed into a host of diverse Mexican antojitos (tacos, sopes, tamales etc.), batters made of basmati rice, white, pink or yellow lentils, wheat and graham flours, red beans, garbanzos become idli, vada, paratha, uttapam—and the iconic dosa: a crisp fried, paper-thin rice/lentil crêpe stuffed with saucy potatoes. This dish, popular throughout all of the Sub-Continent is emblematic of India’s southern cooking. Suvai does not only the best, but the only in Mexico. These dishes are typically eaten for breakfast; a dosa or idli brunch at Suvia, which opens at 10 a.m., is always a good idea.
Pani poori, (‘pani’ means water in Hindi) is a common street food throughout India: hollow deep fried dough balls are filled, on the spot, with savory, tart, fragrant “water” and popped into the mouth with a crunch and a splash.
Tandoor cooking, in which meats (and sometimes vegetables or cheese) are marinated and baked in a hot clay oven originated in Persia and was adapted to the Northern Indian penchant for bold spicing , are done to perfection. They are eaten taco-style in house-made pan-baked breads topped with tantalizingly aromatic sauces.
Chettinad curry, which rarely appears on menus outside India, is named for an area within Tamil Nadu; it is a meat based masala heavily spiced with chilis and black pepper.
A perfect lunch is the thali, pictured above, India’s answer to our comida corrida except that here everything is served in one fell swoop on a pretty round tray. In India, thalis range from the humble rice-and-veg atop a banana leaf plate, eaten with the hand, to the elegant, Gujarati version with its umpteen curries, chutneys and breads. Suvai’s thali, whose components vary according to the whims of the chef, falls somewhere in between. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate - sexy is the word for it.
Suvai is a welcome addition to the growing options for Indian food in la CDMX. Namaste!
Suvai
Zacatecas 139, Roma Nte.
Telephone: 56 1888 8320
Open Tuesday to Saturday 1 to 10 pm,
Sunday 1 to 5, closed Monday
