Jaz is a beautiful Indian eatery serving amazing food out of Hell’s Kitchen. Located on 813 9th Ave., Jaz is the brainchild of Jaz Rupall, who began hosting cooking classes and dinner parties at her apartment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t long before Rupall’s home felt like a restaurant itself, which led to her opening her Hell’s Kitchen location.
At her restaurant, Jaz will continue to be the ultimate hostess, visiting tables, serving food, and providing food and drink recommendations. The menu, designed by Jaz and Director of Operations Syed Haider, features authentic northern Indian cuisine with a comforting, home cooking twist retaining all of the northern Indian flavors. To help bring her vision to life, Jaz hired Co-Executive Chefs Bachan Rawat (Bukhara Grill) to cook the restaurant’s curries and Arif Ahmed (Bombay Grill, Sapphire) to man the tandoor oven.
When myself and my guest walked into Jaz, we were greeted by Rupall herself and guided to our seats. We started our meal off with a mango lassi margarita of sorts, which was absolutely delicious and one of the highlights of our meal. For appetizers, we split Chicken Pakoras (chicken cutlet fritters with mild spices) as well as Vegetable Samosas (mildly spiced potatoes and peas stuffed in a light pastry wrap). Both were extremely tasty and let my palette know the type of flavors I was in for.
We split our mains (as in ordered two half mains to make one whole dish) in order to really get a taste of what Jaz had to offer. I had the lamb chops (that were advertised as Jaz’s specialty) along with the Malai Kofta (mixed vegetable croquettes, mild spiced cream sauce). The lamb chops were truly immaculate and practically fell off the bone. I’m not sure if the other items on the menu are as good but you would truly be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t order the lamb chops. My guest had the Yellow Daal (tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves) and Baingan Bharta (roasted eggplant, onions, tomatoes, and herbs) which she really enjoyed.
If you’re looking for quality Indian cuisine, Jaz should not be missed. Not only do they provide cultural twists to many foods you may have had before, but somehow really let the Indian flavors shine through in their own unique way. Be sure to check out Jaz if you’re strolling around Hell’s Kitchen. jazindiancuisine.com
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