India is defined by its authentic traditions and food forms part of the rich Indian culture. Here at Narayana Tea Stall, they would like to take you back to their roots and show you the authentic colours of India through their warm hospitality, fresh ingredients and delightful cuisines bursting with flavours. Select your journey from their scrumptious medley of street food from various states of India such as Dahi Puri, Vada Pav, Amritsari Chole with Stuffed Bhatura, Methi Pakoda, and many more.
There’s something comforting about eating comfort food – ‘Food for the Soul’ they say – as it evokes tender memories of meals prepared by our mothers or even grandmothers.
In their kitchen, they take simple dishes and transform them into exotic cuisines by adding a touch of finesse to their delicacies prepared by chefs hailing from India. Tantalize your taste buds with our assortment of rustic spices and relish an ethnic fine dining experience like no other at NARAYANA TEA STALL, Sri Sendayan.
Opening in the newest eating locale called Narayana Tea Stall, tucked in Sri Sendayan – Seremban’s exclusive and opulent neighbourhood – Narayana Tea Stall is bound to entice your taste buds and create a unique dining experience. The restaurant which boasts authentic Indian cuisine aims to take customers on a culinary journey through one of the of the most colourful sub-continents in the world.
Ambience
While Narayana Tea Stall saw a relatively quiet opening, word seems to have gotten out in the interim, as I popped in on a weekday at 11am to a full restaurant The interiors are striking with cinematic allusions to Marvels’s famous Heroes, featuring a centrepiece of auspicious tree and soon a water fountain, perhaps….., casting a sentimental feeling and moody glow on the spacious dining room.
The elongated space is divided into a few sections and seats a total of 100 diners. Newly whitewashed walls and deep grey trim temper gleaming white and black tile floors and beautiful overhead lighting. Indian art adorns the walls and twanging strings of traditional and at times modern up beat music set the mood.
The chef, Krishna, who has been with Narayana Tea Stall for many years (branch in S2, Uptown) has many years of experience and has the passion and love for what he has been doing for years.“His cooking is very clean and delicious,” Ravee says. “He keeps an eye on everything and wants the ingredients and preparation to be a certain way.”
The menu is heavy on appetizers and chaat (savory snacks), thali specials (sampler plates), tandoori clay oven specials, and curries and naan (Indian bread) with toppings.
Chicken fritters, or pakoras, are battered with house garbanzo bean flour batter. These are a parent’s answer for the fussy child who has not veered from recognizable Malaysian flavors. The lively herby mint and sweet tamarind dipping sauces and the slivered cucumber garnish add welcoming zing and freshness for palettes wishing for a flavor boost.
Pieces of half chicken, brushed by paprika and baked in a tandoor clay oven, arrives on a platter and is overlaid with curry-hued slices of onion and wedges of lemon . The yogurt- and spice-marinated legs and thighs are buttery and tender, having been given the advantage of deep cuts sliced into the meat that become flavor-catching crevices. Light charring adds smokiness.
Vegetarians have ample choices — potatoes, cauliflower and peas cooked in a tomato-based curry sauce (aloo matar gobi); a combination of ginger, garlic, tomato, spices and coconut milk (mushroom masala), and vegetarian coconut curry. The latter binds together potato, cauliflower, bell peppers, peas, carrots and broccoli in thick, creamy coconut, garlic and ginger white sauce that’s perfect for swiping with the naan.
The plain naan is perfectly adequate on its own, but add in red and green onion and Indian spices or smother it with warm, shimmering pesto and, although it might lose some of its airiness, it’s hard to resist.
Biriyani dishes resemble stir-fry and are dominated by rice. Choose chicken with a confident kick of spice, lamb, prawns or vegetarian. Raiti (yogurt, carrot, cucumber and house-made spice) comes as a condiment and is a refreshing compliment.
Ms Sobana has been devotedly running her restaurants for a long time. She brings a steady following for filling and fully flavored cuisine and efficient, accommodating service. She also prides herself on her commitment to giving back to her community through charity organizations, school fundraisers, thanksgiving meals etc.
HARIYALI CHICKEN TIKKA
Crispy fried spinach leaves coated with thin batter, mixed with chopped vegetables, different chutneys and drizzled with yoghurt
PANEER TIKKA
Delectable pieces of marinated cottage cheese mixed with spices and pickles and slowly barbequed in a tandoor and skewered with roasted peppers and onions
TANDOORI CHICKEN
Specially marinated chicken with a combination of special Indian herbs and spices, roasted in tandoor
CHICKEN TIKKA
Boneless marinated chicken slow grilled in tandoor and skewered with roasted peppers and onions
The menu, as you might expect, is a sort of greatest hits assemblage of the most popular Indian dishes. The tandoori chicken is bright red and butter-tender, with the meaty heft of the charred flesh balanced out by a tangle of barely cooked sweet, white onions. For a dish that’s often cursed to be dried to a chewy, wood-chip texture by the heat of the clay oven it’s cooked in, Narayana’s version is impressively moist, retaining a slight tanginess from the yogurt that marinated the meat. The saag paneer’s cheese cubes have a nice elastic bounce, the perfect foil to the creamy blanket of pureed spinach and onion that they float in, with a mild spiciness that cuts through the fat, like a dressed-up version of the creamed spinach that used to be de rigueur in every high-class steakhouse. And the butter chicken is impossibly soft, pillowy meat absorbing the pool of creamy, buttery tomato sauce that tastes almost like a smokier penne alla vodka, the perfect accompaniment to their fresh-cooked, crispy-edged naan, whose spongy interior makes the ideal tool for sopping up all these saucy plates.
Narayana Tea Stall is a restaurant that feels like home.
Narayana Tea Stall presents a special breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner for folks, so foodie where are you? Diners at Narayana Tea Stall will demand you to have a plate full of your favourites without missing out on any! Then this weekend, cancel all your appointments and grab a delectable North Indian cuisine!
Narayana Tea Stall, No 230, Sendayan Merchant Square.
For for information, please contact 06-7923684 or http://www.facebook.com/narayateastall.
Business Hour: Weekdays 8.30am to 10.30pm
weekend & Public holiday 8.30am to 10.45pm
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