The Modern Indian movement advances in delicious style at this handsome Scottsdale newcomer.
by Nikki Buchanan | Photography by Tim Chow
Indian cuisine is hot, literally and figuratively.
In recent months, the Valley’s growing appetite for South Asian cooking has brought everything from India-inspired tacos and pizza to upscale restaurants incorporating global ingredients and modern cooking techniques.
Feringhee in Chandler was the first local Indian venue to get jiggy with it, ditching the pro forma tikka masalas and palak paneers of a typical mom-and-pop for a modern space, fancy cocktails and creative riffs on classic Indian dishes – effectively pulling one of the world’s most ancient cuisines into the 21st century.
INDIBAR, which opened last spring, is Scottsdale’s decidedly buzzy counterpart to Feringhee, a gorgeous place to enjoy a full-blown meal or simply hang out over a cocktail and grab a fancy, Indian-inspired nibble.
Housed in the extensively renovated space formerly occupied by beloved Southwestern eatery Rancho Pinot, INDIBAR looks sleek and modern yet offers the faintest whiff of old-school India. From the granite-topped bar come labor-intensive craft cocktails, including the refreshing Rai Sahib, a mustard-seed-infused version of a guava-tequila cooler. Meanwhile, the glowing backbar lends a sultry mood, framed by brass arches that complete a nod to Indian architecture and design traditions. A shelved niche at the entrance displays Indian art and artifacts, another bow to the richness of the country’s past.
A fusion of past and present are also found on the menu, devised by executive chef Nigel Lobo and chef de cuisine Ajay Negi, who both have a gift for creating daintily presented, elevated takes on Indian cuisine. Together, they combine the familiarity of tandoori chicken, biryani and naan with esoteric dishes (to Westerners, at least) only the geekiest of India-philes can properly pronounce – much less decipher. Not to fret. A glossary at the back of the menu provides translations, and friendly servers are fluent in menu description.
From the small plates section comes ragi papdi chaat, a creamy, layered snack of sweet potatoes, water chestnuts, chutneys and yogurt foam. Topped with a lacy, flower-designed wafer of crispy millet, it’s sweet, savory and tangy at once, if perhaps a bit delicate. Chaat is traditionally street food, and it’s hard to imagine this ethereal bite anywhere near a tuk tuk.
Murgh khatta pyaaz kulchette is essentially puffy flatbread pizza, blistered in the tandoor oven and topped with tangy chicken curry, a rich, spicy riff on the classic chicken and pickled onion curry from Northern India. Scattered with pickled onions, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and microgreens, it’s messy and delicious.
Kheema dosa, Southern India’s take on the burrito, traditionally combines a savory ground meat filling swaddled in a fermented crêpe called a dosa. At INDIBAR, the minced lamb, sweetened with thick, tangy tomato-based preserves, arrives in a bowl with a slightly crisped, rolled-up dosa presented on the side. It’s comfort food we devour in minutes.
It’s a shock, then, when a sampler platter of proteins – chicken, lamb chops, salmon and tiger prawns – cooked in the tandoor, each with its own elaborate preparation, just doesn’t ring our bell. The lamb chops, brightened with mint, coriander and kaffir lime, are far and away the best of the lot, followed by a giant tiger prawn, sharpened with Indian red chiles and sweetened with coconut, but the salmon and chicken are both dry and uninteresting, which I’m chalking up to a busy night.
I’m a sucker for sweet, mild paneer (a fresh, non-melting cheese that seems like a cross between cottage cheese, tofu and halloumi) and it’s fantastic in papad ki sabzi curry, another ultra-rich North Indian dish. Made with tomatoes, red chile, various earthy Indian spices, yogurt and crispy lentil crackers, it’s a spicy, creamy knockout with that firm, squeaky paneer.
Wish I could say the same for ultra-tender but rather ho-hum green peppercorn beef cheeks, served with a minutely portioned asparagus stir fry. Exciting fusion cuisine it is not.
What I love unabashedly, however, are two classics. The first is rogan josh, a Kashmiri lamb curry dish traditionally cut up in chunks. Served at INDIBAR as a whole shank, the lamb is slow-cooked in a deep-red, cream-enriched tomato sauce brimming with aromatic spices such as cinnamon, clove and cardamom. The dish is intensely flavored and wonderful with basmati rice and fluffy garlic naan.
Butter chicken is every bit as good – big chunks of yogurt-marinated, tandoor-grilled chicken floating in a silky tomato gravy. INDIBAR’s version is more spicy and complex than most – a spot-on iteration of an old standard that truly feels elevated.
Pancake-like appam, made from fermented rice and coconut milk batter, makes an excellent mop for gravy-like sauces. I love its tanginess and spongy texture, reminiscent of Ethiopian injera.
Our server recommends the piña colada dessert, a clever replica of a coconut split in half, its outer shell made from dark Valrhona Manjari chocolate and its insides filled with coconut ice cream and granita. Pineapple compote sprinkled with shaved coconut adds another layer of taste and texture.
Truth is, INDIBAR’s artfully presented Indian food isn’t quite as modern or fusion-y as its website suggests, but why quibble about branding when the atmosphere is this fun, and the dishes – traditional or otherwise – are this delicious?
INDIBAR
Cuisine: Indian
Contact: 6208 N. Scottsdale Rd., Paradise Valley, 480-219-9774, theindibar.com
Hours: W-Su 12-2 p.m.; W-Th, Su 3:30-10 p.m., F-Sa 3:30-11 p.m.
Highlights: Murgh khatta pyaaz kulchette ($18); kheema dosa ($20); papad ki subzi ($26); butter chicken ($28); rogan josh ($32)
