An Indian restaurant in Vancouver just launched a $48, seven-course tasting menu
We know it can be hard to switch things up from your usual order.
It’s difficult to justify taking a risk on a dish that has the potential to not be good, especially when your hard-earned dollars are on the line, making it easy to fall into a common routine (when it comes to Indian food, we tend to fall into the routine of shahi paneer, garlic naan, and a syrupy gulab jamon for dessert). But this narrow view of a country’s cuisine can result in you missing out on what your next favourite dish could be.
Thankfully, Sula is offering a menu that just might help with that.
Now we’re no strangers to Sula here at Dished. The restaurant has grown to operate three locations throughout Vancouver in addition to a new cafe concept in collaboration with our pals over at Alai Coffee (the malai pista mocha is a must-order if you’re looking for a chocolate-meets-pistachio recommendation). It’s also hosted celebrities like actress Priyanka Chopra.
So, with a couple of hours to kill between work and a performance of The Little Mermaid as part of Theatre Under the Stars (which was a great time), we popped into Sula’s Davie location to take a look at its seven-course Spice Route Tasting Menu.
The multi-course menu is a culinary journey throughout the many states and regions of India, taking you from its northernmost tip all the way to the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Intrigued? So were we. And at $48 per person, it’s hard to say no.
A couple of things to note before diving in: this meal is exclusive to Sula’s Davie Street location, and requires at least two people to participate.
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Upon arrival, staff warmly welcomed us in and sat us at our table before explaining about the adventure we were about to take, explaining each of the seven courses to us in detail while using the provided map attached to the menu to help us visualize. Forget Christopher Nolan, this is the kind of odyssey that we’re interested in.
Like many great dining experiences, our meal at Sula started with a soup. Specifically, a bowl full of creamy Coconut and Kafir Lime Thukpa, which featured a coconut broth accompanied by gentle spices inspired by the cold Himalayas where the state of Sikkim resides.
From there, we moved further inland into Uttar Pradesh, with the Muradabadi Dal Chaat. Slow-cooked moong dal was paired with bright chutneys served alongside crisp wafers perfect for scooping.
Muradabadi Dal Chaat (Marco Ovies/Dished)
Then we were presented with a Butter Bhuna Guchhi Mini Kulcha — a flatbread stuffed with Kashmiri morel mushrooms and served with a side of bhuna masala for dipping and a favourite dish among staff — and a Strawberry Sorbet as a palate cleanser before moving into some of the heftier mains of our meal.
In case it wasn’t obvious, this menu consists of a heck of a lot of food. Wine pairings are also available with this menu, featuring wines exclusively from India for an additional $30 per person.
The first of our mains was titled Golden Roots and Coastal Waters. Char was… well, charred, and served on a bed of squash purée that was just begging to be eaten by the spoonful. Plus, crispy curry leaves topped the dish, adding a nice textural variety to the experience.
Golden Roots and Coastal Waters (Marco Ovies/Dished)
But our favourite dish of the night was the Nawabi Murg with Fried Raw Banana. A dish inspired by the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. Chicken was wrapped in a flaky warqi paratha and served with a saffron curry poured tableside and a side of fried raw banana.
This was our final savoury course before moving into the sweeter side of things, which consisted of a refreshing Coconut Pineapple Panna Cotta inspired by the southern Tamil Nadu state, before concluding our meal with a Gur Gur Chai (also known as butter tea), which consists of tea churned with butter and milk to create a rich and smooth flavour.
It’s safe to say that this meal is truly a feast, having walked out feeling stuffed to the brim. And if you’re not wowed by the delicious food, you will be by the service the team provides every step of the way.
Sula Davie Street is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sula
Address: 1708 Davie St., Vancouver
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