This article is especially meaningful because it brings me back to the core of what The Taste Archives is all about: bringing people together through food, culture, and shared experiences. In a world that feels so divided, my goal with this platform has always been to create connection through food. A place where people are introduced to flavors, traditions, and cultures that they may not be familiar with and remind us that food can be more than just a meal.
As someone who is half Gujarati and grew up eating homemade Indian food, I have spent a lot of time around it and can sometimes be a tough critic on Indian restaurants. I do love trying new Indian restaurants around Chicago and seeing how they create their own spin on different dishes. I think Nadu in Lincoln Park is a great restaurant for someone who has never had Indian food before and is looking to try it.
Nadu is a regional Indian restaurant that focuses on some of the best staple dishes from around the country. The restaurant's ambiance is modern and a little more upscale, with fun artwork and bright colors. Chef Sujan Sarkar is a James Beard-nominated and Michelin-recognized chef behind Nadu, Indienne, Swadesi, and Sifr in Chicago. Needless to say, I was incredibly excited to taste his food at Nadu. The restaurant week dinner menu is $45/person and comes with four courses. What I really liked about Nadu, and something I have found few restaurants do during Restaurant Week, is that they allowed us to order dishes from the main menu that were not on the Restaurant Week menu. Overall, we had a great experience at Nadu and I'd definitely love to go back.
Here is everything we ordered and what we thought!
Cocktails: Aam and Kokum: I ordered the Aam which was a spicy tequila drink made with unripe green mangoes, chili, agave and sea salt. It's a cocktail created from a popular Indian drink: Aam Panna. I unfortunately didn't like this cocktail as much as I thought. It didn't have as strong as a flavor as I was hoping and was a slightly bland. I think Nadu has opportunity to lean more into their cocktail menu and the great flavors they've already come up with.
Papad and Chutneys + Rasam: These two dishes came to the table for everyone to share and I absolutely loved them. The Rasam was a small starter that I truly thought about the rest of the meal and when I got home. Rasam is a tomato and pepper based soup with lentil and a touch of tamarind. It was excellent, and so good on a cold Chicago day. I was inspired from that Rasam to make my own at home. Papad is a light chip-like snack that was paired with a mint chutney and saunth chutney that was a little sweet. I have always loved Papad by itself, so having the chutneys with it really leveled this dish up. Great start to the meal.
Jackfruit Shammi Kebab and Chicken Kalmi Kebab: I chose the Chicken Kalmi Kebab and my friend Riya chose the Jackfruit Shammi Kebab to kick off our first courses. We decided to split everything so we could each try something new for each course, and that was definitely the way to order. Both the Jackfruit Shammi Kebab and the Chicken Kalmi Kebab were delicious. I honestly didn't know what to expect with the Jackfruit Kebab, but I really enjoyed it, especially with the mint-cilantro chutney and pickled onions it came with.
Dahi Bhalla: The Dahi Bhalla was the one food item we ordered off the main menu because Riya, who had been to Nadu before, wanted me to try it. This Dahi Bhalla is a soft lentil dumpling soaked in yogurt and layered different types of chutneys and topped with a crispy potato and some pomegranate. It came out and looked like dessert, and it definitely has a sweetness to it. It's delicious and refreshing, and I'm glad we ordered it!
Murgh Makhani and Kadai Paneer: For our large plates, we ordered the Murgh Makhani and the Kadai Paneer. I was most excited about the Murgh Makhani, which truly delivered. The Murgh Makhani is butter chicken and the Kadai Paneer is cheese cubes cooked in a tomato masala and served with vegetables. I have always loved Paneer and I thought both dishes were great, but the Murgh Makhani was my favorite of the two. The one thing we both noticed throughout the courses was the spice level. I really enjoy spice and I think all fo the dishes could have been a little more spicy, but still, the flavors were great. We chose the Garlic Naan and Basmati Rice as our sides to go with the large plates. The Garlic Naan was so fluffy and paired really well with the Murgh Makhani.
Mawa Cake and Elaneer Payasam: We ended our Restaurant Week Menu dinner with the two dessert options on the menu. The Mawa Cake is a Parsi cafe-style cake topped with custard, vanilla ice cream, and masala tea crumbs. This cake was my favorite out of the two desserts. The cake was crispy and went so well with the custard and vanilla ice cream. The Elaneer Payasam was not really what I was expecting, but still had a good, strong coconut taste to it. If you like coconut a lot, thi is definitely the dessert for you. I was expecting it to have a richer consistency, but it's more like a coconut drink.
Nadu's interior
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