Indienne, a restaurant founded by chef Sujan Sarkar, offers a contemporary take on Indian cuisine through a carefully curated tasting menu that blends modernist techniques with traditional flavors. Originally launched in Chicago in 2022, the restaurant has recently opened a new location in New York’s Hudson Yards neighborhood, aiming to introduce its intricate approach to a new audience.
Sujan Sarkar, who grew up in Kolkata and has a diverse culinary background working in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, London, and Dubai, initially planned to center the Chicago establishment around live fire cooking. Restrictions at the site led to a shift in concept toward a tasting menu format that highlights innovation and transformation rather than direct fusion of cuisines.
The New York venue occupies the first two floors of a luxury residential tower, also housing a cocktail lounge above and a Raj-inspired chophouse named Elder below. The dining rooms feature a muted yet elegant décor, with antique rose banquettes and walls painted in eggshell and burgundy tones. While efforts to add mood through lighting and music have been made, some critics note a disconnect between the setting and the food’s ambition, reflecting the neighborhood’s still-developing character.
The menu challenges traditional expectations by reinterpreting familiar Indian street foods with molecular gastronomy influences. For instance, pani puri is presented as a hollow orb resembling an oyster shell, served on reindeer moss, while bhel is distilled into two black rice wafers encasing an avocado semifreddo. A deconstructed dhokla eschews its usual sponginess for a brittle aerated form infused with white chocolate and cocoa butter. While these dishes demonstrate technical skill and creativity, not all succeed in capturing the essence and texture of their inspirations, with some elements perceived as colder or less flavorful than anticipated.
As the courses progress, the dishes grow more substantial and balanced. Highlights include a yogurt disk prepared with liquid nitrogen for a crisp texture, an egg gently steamed to a creamy consistency served atop a curry foam with peas, and perfectly charred lobster tail pieces cooked over coal. Meat dishes such as a tender lamb shami kebab and Kashmiri-style lamb rib with fermented pomegranate glaze combine subtlety and richness. The portion sizes are generally modest, intended to leave diners satisfied but eager for more.
However, the meal concludes with a heavier trio of chicken preparations layered in a terrine-like fashion that some found overly dense and lacking distinct chicken flavor, despite an accompanying well-executed butter chicken sauce. This final course prompted reflection on the tension between the desire to elevate the cuisine and the constraints of haute dining formats.
Vegetarian options hold their own alongside the meat dishes, featuring offerings like a rich butternut squash sambar and a celeriac kebab, smoked and confited to create a velvety texture. Bread served at Indienne stands out, combining elements of Indian pao and French brioche with fillings of caramelized onions and ginger.
Desserts crafted by pastry chef Shagun Mittal McNorton provide a charming conclusion, including a silver-leafed cashew butter sandwich with pistachio fudge, mishti doi transformed into a tart, and a coffee and chocolate shell with chicory bitterness.
The restaurant pairs its flavorful courses with both wine and inventive non-alcoholic drinks incorporating ingredients such as calamansi, brewed mushrooms, and Darjeeling tea. The latter received particular praise for complementing the potent and nuanced flavors without overpowering them.
The atmosphere on later nights occasionally shifts to include music that evokes Bangla disco jazz, highlighting cultural references beyond the plate. Diners familiar with Bengali language remarked on the aptness of the term “moja,” meaning both “fun” and “delicious,” underlining the restaurant’s blending of cultural memory with culinary innovation.