Specializing in Modern Indian cuisine, this is a great new addition to the Vancouver dining scene where Owner/Chef Tushar  has created a wonderful menu of dishes from his home region and country.

I have been a fan of Chef Tushar Tondvalkar ever since he first cooked for me when he worked at Mumbai Local, since he had run his own catering company, staged at world renown restaurants around the globe, developed his own line of sauces and more. Now he has his own restaurant and he has assembled a great kitchen team which includes Pastry Chef Prajakta Sankhe. The front-of-house team is led by general manager Yash Shah (previously Autostrada), who happens to also be Tondvalkar’s childhood friend since they were five-years-old. The beverage team is comprised of wine director Nikhil Kumar (previously The Victor) and bar manager Kabir Sehgal (previously Chupito).

Kavita is named after Tondvalkar’s mother and also means “poetry” in the Marathi language. The restaurant’s à la carte menu draws inspiration from India’s festival calendar, with dishes reflecting the unique cultural traditions and celebratory foods found across the country. For the tasting menu ($98 ++ per person), the amma-kase will change seasonally, based on what is available in British Columbia.

We had a selection of items that included the Buns & Butter and this was so unique as the buns were banana and cumin with toasted coconut and chili butter on the side. The Bengali-style Veg Cutlet, is better described as Croquettes with kasundi (mustard chutney), five spice, and beetroot; very good.

Then the Malvani Black Chickpea Stew which I loved, in a caramelized coconut and onion sauce served with wade (fried bread) for dipping; as well as the Chicken Bhujing is another dish which I loved with flattened rice, compressed chicken and chicken rassa and we were instructed to mix it all up ourselves; this dish is from Chef Tushar’s home town. We also had an order of the Tandoori roti (wholewheat).

Steamed cheesecake (Bhaba Doi) was light and fluffy and the perfect ending to the delicious meal.

Restaurant Kavita is located at 250 W 3rd Ave in Vancouver, you can follow them on instagram @restaurant.kavita

By: Richard Wolak