OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : BUNGALOW, NEW YORK

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : BUNGALOW, NEW YORK 

On May 13, 2026, I was thrilled to tick off one of the top items in my bucket list. My husband, Prem and I were dining at Bungalow, 24, First Avenue, New York! This is a renowned restaurant in which Chef Vikas Khanna - often described as an global ambassador of Indian gastronomy - is a Partner. 

Besides being excited at dining here, we were thankful that we had got a reservation in the first place! Trust me, it is very, very difficult to make a reservation. You have to book 20 days in advance of the day you wish to dine. Guess what? All the slots get grabbed in some insane time like 10 seconds!! The good news is that once you have a reservation and reach Bungalow, you can be assured of a memorable experience. 

We had the privilege of meeting Chef Vikas Khanna, who was recently named in Time mag's 100 Most Influential People of 2026! He makes it a point to greet diners as often as he can. Much to my delight, we spoke of my blog and he remembered my picture. He penned a gracious message in my copy of his book, " Flavours First: An Indian Chef's Journey ".

I reminded him of his praise for the food from our Mangaluru area, where he studied, which he warmly acknowledged. For me, this was the highlight of our conversation. Coming from a Master Chef like him, our Konkani cuisine has got a richly deserved boost in the eyes of the culinary world!! 

We began the dinner with Nilgiri Tandoori Prawns as starters. These jumbo prawns were huge in size  and absolutely delicious! 

For drinks, we went through the list of innovative offerings. I had the Lucky Cheng: clarified green curry infused Gin, Lime, Kewar, and Crispy Green Curry Leaf. Prem chose to have Paan Sour: vodka, Paan chutney, kewar, and dehydrated rose petal dust. 

For the entree, we had the Chicken Amritsari eaten with Butter Tandoori Rotis. The succulent pieces of chicken were richly marinated and served in a thick, creamy sauce made of charred tomato, fenugreek, tandoori spice mix and cashews. 

We decided to have The Mango Three Way for dessert. This was crafted with homemade Mango ice cream, rasberry coulis and candied fruits.

Bungalow has a lovely Indian style decor in keeping with Chef Vikas Khanna's love for his homeland. 

The dinner finally came to an end! We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Bungalow. This memory will stay with us forever. 

SHAHI PANEER

SHAHI PANEER

My husband and I are fond of paneer (Indian Cottage cheese) which I use quite often at home. You will therefore find many recipes using paneer in this blog. For example, three amongst them are: Methi Paneer,  Achari Paneer, and Paneer Makhmali.

Today's recipe is adapted from Shahi Paneer by Master Chef Vikas Khanna, one of my favourite Chefs.  For making the royal restaurant style dish - Shahi Paneer -  we usually use a lot of butter and cream to get the richness for the dish.

Today's Shahi Paneer is part of the Saffola FitFoodies range of recipes. In this more healthy version,  butter and cream have been avoided without compromising too much on the taste.

I have used the store bought Nilgiris Paneer and not the Low Fat Paneer mentioned in the original recipe. I have also not garnished the dish with chopped cashewnuts.

We tried it out recently and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• Paneer, (Indian Cottage Cheese), cut into cubes, 200 grams
• Saffola Oil, 2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Cinnamon, (Dalchini) 1
• Yogurt, 2 tbsp ( lightly blended) 
• Bay Leaf, ( Tej Patta), 1
• Cloves, (Laung),  2
• Fresh Tomato Puree, 3 tbsp
• Water, 2 tsp
• Dried Fenugreek Leaves, (Kasuri Methi), 2 tsp
• Almond Cream, 2 tbsp ( 7-8 almonds ground to a paste) 
• Honey, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Cashews, coarsely chopped, for garnish
• Garam Masala, 1/8 tsp, for garnish

To Be Ground To A Smooth Paste 

• Tomatoes, chopped, 1 cup
• Onions, chopped, 1/2 cup
• Cashews, 1/4 cup ( soaked in water for 10-15 minutes) 
• Byadgi Dry Red Chillies, 2
• Water, 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat the pan (without adding any oil) and add the chopped tomatoes, onions and cashews

Add the dry red chillies, 2 tbsp of water,  and cook covered till it gets all the flavours

Take it off the flame and allow it to cool
Transfer to a blender and blend it to make a smooth paste and keep aside

Heat 2 tsp of oil in the pan and when it gets hot add the ginger garlic paste, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves and saute for half a minute

Add 3 tbsp of fresh tomato puree, 2 tsp of water,  and dried fenugreek leaves

Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes 

To this, add the ground paste prepared earlier  and mix well

Next add the lightly blended 2 tbsp of low fat yogurt and 2 tbsp of almond cream, salt and honey 

Now add the paneer cubes, mix well  and cook uncovered for a few minutes

Lastly, garnish with coarsely chopped cashews and a bit of garam masala