I had dinner at the Bread Bar at Tabla last night, which was an interesting experience. It’s meant to be “home-style Indian cuisine,” as it’s at the “bustling street level,” separated from the posh-er Tabla. But are people really going to the Bread Bar for home-style khaana? With such mixed messages, it’s no surprise that there was something about the whole experience that was a little awkward. The food itself wasn’t bad. All of the portions were pretty small, which meant that between four people, we shared five dishes, three orders of naan and two desserts. Some of the food–like the Apple-Potato Chaat, the Raita and the Kulfi-Peach dessert–was really delicious, but the rest of it was just…different. Granted, it was kind of cool that someone thought to serve Baingan Bharta (“Eggplant Bharta”, in fusionspeak) cold instead of warm, and to serve saag on a roti, put some goat cheese on top of it and call it a pizza. Conceptually, I think the ideas are great and there are some really interesting mixes of flavors. But when I sit down to eat dinner, I want delicious food, not just a mix of flavors that I haven’t thought of before. I don’t mean to be an ethno-purist or anything. I like the idea of fusion food and am pretty hopeful about concept in general. Actually, I’m hoping to find a place where I can forget about the concept and enjoy the food.

http://www.tablany.com/