Ocean Tava raises bar, and the temperature

The Hyderabadi dishes were indeed the highlights, though the central Indian spicing is subtly different from the Punjabi dishes that are best known in America

Ocean Tava server Shan Rai with lamb curry, chicken biryani, raita and garlic naan.

“You’ve been here for the lunch buffet, haven’t you?” asked the owner of Ocean Tava as he handed us menus. “You shouldn’t judge us by that – dinner is different.”

In fact I had judged them by the buffet, and I was back. It would be unfair to compare a buffet lunch with freshly made food seasoned to your liking, but the type and quality of food on a buffet can tell you plenty about a restaurant’s ambitions and skill. Indian food happens to be better suited to a buffet situation than many other cuisines. Curries and other stews can hold up on a steam table without deteriorating, as can tandoori chicken and biryanis. As long as the fragile items like breads and pakoras are frequently replenished, you still get a fair representation of the cuisine.

In Ocean Tava’s case, the selection of items was a bit more wide-ranging than usual and fresh breads were brought to our table, so we had decided an evening visit was in order.

The restaurant has a different feel at night. The rear parking lot was less visible, while dramatic lighting showed off an artistic wall treatment. The space is composed of two rooms and two patios, so that it already feels intimate for a fairly large establishment.

One member of our party was late, so while we waited I ordered fish pakoras and papdi chaat, a Bombay street snack of wheat crackers topped with garbanzo beans, roasted cumin, tamarind chutney, and yoghurt sauce. The light, crispy crackers made this dish like a savory breakfast cereal, but grown up and sophisticated. The spiciness is gentle and moderated by the cool yoghurt, and it’s a winner of a way to start a meal. The fried fish in garbanzo bean batter was also tasty but a bit less interesting to me, the spicing too muted despite the fact that we had ordered it at 3 on a spiciness scale of five. That scale was accurate on the other dishes, so perhaps it’s just that these are always a bit mild.

We ordered a bottle of Chateau St. Jean Riesling to go with our meal, one of several good choices from their list. Indian food is excellent with Gewurztraminers and Rieslings, the sweetness and delicate spice in the wine a perfect match. At $27 it was modestly priced, which is a smart move. People think of Indian food as a beer-only cuisine, and having good entry-level bottles will encourage people to explore.

We were musing about what to have next and asked our server, who turned out to be owner Kenny Dewan. He suggested two specialties of the house, lamb biryani Hyderabad style and pudina chicken tikka, We added lamb vindaloo and okra sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and cumin, and he assured us that we had ordered a well-balanced meal for four.

We had, although it didn’t look like it. The entrée plates were small but piled high, and the richness of the food made it quite a feast. The Hyderabadi dishes were indeed highlights, the central Indian spicing subtly different from the Punjabi dishes that are best known in America. Instead of the tart flavor and bright red hue that is typical in tandoori chicken (achieved with tamarind and turmeric in traditional recipes, but now more typically with citrus for flavor and red dye for color), the kebab we ordered had a fresh flavor of mint, garlic, and spices. The smokiness and moist character of chicken cooked over charcoal in a clay oven was there, but it was a fresher and more natural effect. I still like the tart Punjabi style tandoori chicken, and it is available here, but the Hyderabadi spicing takes this into a different realm.

The Hyderabadi biryani was unusual too. Instead of the standard dish of rice with lamb and onion, this had a deep, complex flavor thanks to lemon, coriander, and spices. It was hotter and more interesting than the typical biryani. If you usually order biryani as a respite from spicy dishes, this is not the dish for you. Plain rice with peas is served with most dishes, so you will have a bland dish anyway. And you will want some of that plain rice after you taste the vindaloo, the notoriously hot and savory dish that is a specialty of the coastal city of Goa. At many Indian restaurants vindaloo is just a jumped-up tomato sauce, but here it’s a sweet-and-sour sauce on steroids, powerful and richly flavored. I haven’t done a comparative tasting with the vindaloo from Addi’s, my previous benchmark for this dish, but I can say that Ocean Tava’s version is much better than the standard for Los Angeles.

The okra with onions, tomato, and cumin was a hit too, even with the two people at our table who usually regard that vegetable with wariness. We had ordered it mild, and while it was not particularly hot, it was intensely fragrant and complex. Most people who dislike okra seem to have a problem with the particular mushiness that it gets when overcooked, but that wasn’t a problem here – there were varied and interesting textures along with the flavor.

We ordered two breads – kabuli naan, stuffed with raisins, nuts, and cherries, and gobi kulcha, flaky wheat bread stuffed with cauliflower and herbs. The kulcha was the only item we had that was cooked on a tava, the shallow griddle that the Ocean Tava is named after. Both breads were excellent, the kabuli naan a fruity nut bread that could enter the mainstream as a dessert item were it were given that opportunity. The sweetness works very well to cleanse the palate in the midst of a meal of spicy food, and is a must-have item when dining here.

Indian desserts were offered, but we were full. Those serving plates that looked small had enough that we took leftovers home. Our bill was $144 for a lavish dinner for four with one bottle plus two glasses of wine and a pair of mango lassis. That’s a bit higher than is standard for Indian food in LA, but it’s worth it for the quality of the food and the beauty of the environment. Ocean Tava is a gem, a new candidate for best Indian restaurant in the greater South Bay and a fine place for exotic upscale dining.

Ocean Tava is upstairs at1212 South PCH #206 in Redondo. Driveway entry from Avenue E. Wheelchair access good, beer and wine served. Parking lot in rear. Starters $5-$9, entrees $10-$19. Menu online at oceantava.com. (310) 540-2240 for reservations. ER

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