Tattv is Sanskrit for principle, but any principles against indulgence or overeating are best left outside the door while dining at this elegant new restaurant.
The food consists mostly of kebabs from India and Persia. The raison d’etre of the restaurant is its focus on the five basic principles (tattv) of cooking in this region: tawa (griddle), sigri (coal, dung or wood-fuelled stove), kadai (wok), tandoor (coal or wood fire clay oven) and curries (generic gravy dishes). The menu largely follows this categorisation, ending with the desserts. Interestingly, the open kitchen is also set in this sequence.
The menu also includes traditional roasts and breads from various regions of the Indian subcontinent, the central Asian region, the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Iran. The Indian dishes come from, among others, the erstwhile princely states of Punjab, Jaipur, Baroda, Cooch Behar and Hyderabad
The hara bhara kebab and dahi ke kebab, teekhi machchi, salmon tikka and prawns are noteworthy, as are the light-as-air tandoori roti and the soft paranthas. Staples like the dal makhani and Rajasthani laal maas are true to form.
Tattv is at 25/4, Ist Floor, Above Barista, Lavelle Road, Ph: 080-41552225; Meal for two: Rs 1,500+
(Anita Rao-Kashi is a Bangalore-based freelance writer)
