RESTAURANT REVIEW: NAIVEDYAM

For south Indian vegetarian food you can always count on.

 

One of the few real restaurants in HKV, Naivedyam is an old favourite. Reasonably priced, with happy sized portions and reliable south Indian vegetarian cooking this restaurant is a rre lasting fixture on the constantly changing HKVscape.

 

Rasam

 

LOOKS LIKE

The décor here is nothing to write home about but I actually really like it at Naivedyam. It has an odd cave life feel which keeps it cool in the summer and warm in the winters. The entrance with a statue of Nandi and multilevel lamp is charming and there’s clean lined, functional, dark wood furniture inside. The odd Tagore style paintings are an eyesore but it doesn’t make all that much of a difference. You’re going to have your snout deep in your plate.

Sambhar Vadai

TASTES LIKE

I’ve never managed to exercise enough discipline while ordering to reach the dessert section here and I regret it every time I think of the place. Considering the kind of trustworthy cooking coming out of the kitchen I would love to try their Kesari Bhath or Payasam.

Benne Rava Masala Dosai

Of the things I have tried, I love that every meal starts with a spicy rasam shot. The Sambhar Vadai is excellent and served up with tomato, coconut and coriander chutneys. I didn’t have any complaints with this dish till I tried the fresh off the pestle chutneys from Spice Water Trail. To be fair, I still don’t have any complaints but if there was a chutney competition my money would be on Spice Water Trail.

 

The Idiappum is sublimely soft with sweet light coconut milk. The Benne Rava Masala Dosai is a heavy, buttery dosa – yeasty and perforated with a fat helping of potato tucked inside. Though there may not be a more committed lover of dosai than I, my favourite dish at Naivedyam is the Chitranna (Lemon Rice). Every sharp, snappy and sunlit yellow bite comes alive in your mouth.

Lemon Rice

FEELS LIKE

Efficient and professional the waiters at Naivedyam are attentive and unobtrusive.

Idiappum

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Should you go: Definitely!

Vegetarian Options: Only.

Liquor License: No.

Smoking Area: No.

Address: 1 Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi

Phone: 011 26960426/ 011 26536045