Restaurant Review: Nirvana Indian Restaurant

★★★★★

If you're looking for a great Indian lunch buffet in west Houston, look no further than Nirvana.  My boyfriend and I were tiring of the same old dishes at the same old Indian restaurants in Katy, so we decided to venture out of our Katy bubble to visit this spot that was highly recommended on Yelp.  Those reviews didn't lie.

Located at the corner of Dairy Ashford and Memorial, Nirvana apparently made a recent move from a previous location right next door.  The atmosphere at Nirvana is very polished, elegant, and clean.  The food is, quite simply, absolutely delicious.  The variety of dishes and amount of choices might very well make you feel like a kid in a candy store.  Some of the standout dishes for me and my boyfriend include the palak paneer, fish curry, chicken tikka masala, and the mushroom masala.  The buttery naan they bring fresh to your table is amazingly good, and the warm melt-in-your-mouth gulab jamun is the perfect way to end the meal.

And the service?  It definitely lives up to the quality of the food.  On our second trip to Nirvana, mushroom masala (my boyfriend's favorite) was not part of the buffet spread that day.  After asking the manager if the dishes at the buffet typically change day to day, the manager arrived back at our table about ten minutes later with a complimentary mushroom masala dish just for us.  Now that is above and beyond.

I can say, without a doubt, that I've definitely found one of my new favorite restaurants.

My Family-Famous Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is one of my family's favorite sweet treats.  After trying the bread pudding at Babin's Seafood my family was hooked, but I resolved to figure out how to make the dessert myself.  After some research and one evening in the kitchen, I adapted a recipe that easily beats out the one we tried at that chain restaurant by a mile.  Everyone in my family now craves and raves over this dessert.  I usually make it at least once a year on Thanksgiving or Christmas due to high demand, and it's always the first sweet to disappear.  Babin's who?

Bread Pudding

1 loaf of challah or brioche bread
2 TBS butter, melted
1/2 C. raisins
4 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 C. milk (or whipping cream)
1/2 C. French Vanilla coffee creamer
1/2 C. white sugar
1/8 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Break bread into approximately 1 ½" pieces into casserole pan.  Drizzle melted butter over bread and sprinkle with raisins throughout.

Combine eggs, milk, creamer, both sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.   Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, then remove and coat with meringue mixture (recipe below).  Put back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until meringue turns golden brown.

Meringue

 
1/2 C. water
2 TBS white sugar
1 TBS corn starch
3 egg whites, @ room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 TBS white sugar

In a small saucepan, combine water, 2 TBS sugar, and cornstarch.  Cook over low heat until dissolved for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In large glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt till foamy.  Mix in vanilla, then gradually the 6 TBS sugar till soft peaks form.  Gradually pour in cornstarch mixture, and beat on high until stiff.  This is ready to coat the bread pudding.

Banana Sauce Topping

2/3 C. white sugar
2 TBS corn starch
1 C. water (subtract 1 or 2 TBS from water to make room for rum/bourbon)
1 or 2 TBS. rum or bourbon
1/4 C. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2-3 bananas, sliced

Mix sugar and corn starch together in a small saucepan.  Whisk water into pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, and stir for one minute as sugar mixture dissolves.

Bring heat down to low, and add liquor.  Remove pan from heat, and add butter, vanilla, and sliced bananas.  Serve over bread pudding and meringue.

Welcome!

Me helping to clean the dishes after mixing a batch
of cake batter.  I was an excellent kitchen assistant.

If you've somehow managed to stumble upon this little page about food and all things eating, welcome!  This will be my tiny corner of the blogosphere where I share favorite family recipes, review restaurants in and beyond Houston, and share some handy tips and tricks in the kitchen I've learned over the years.

Even at a young age, I was never a picky eater.  Broccoli, spinach, basil--I didn't mind any of it.  I've always been one to try something at least once.  Whether visiting a new restaurant or experimenting with a new recipe, there have been some hits and misses.  This will simply be a personal account of what I find amazingly tasty, what I believe is worth a taste, and what no one with any functioning taste buds should ever go near.

I might even disclose some of my kitchen and food disasters, ranging in degree from mildly embarrassing to one incident that led to a quick trip to the hospital.  Stay tuned!