NĀVU in Bengaluru, known for its exclusive dinner service until now, is flipping the script this November. “We wanted to try a new format,” says chef and co-owner Kanishka Sharma of the exclusive dining experience.
The team known for its bistro dining is now introducing a move to exclusively offer breakfast, featuring dishes like babka French toast, potato rosti, and croissant sandwiches. Post breakfast, there are light snacks, including pain au chocolat, tea cake, and refreshing beverages until 3 pm.
Talking about her journey of being a self-taught chef, Kanishka shares, “Not all of us are fortunate or privileged enough to land the career of our dreams as soon as we leave school.”
(from left) Kanishka Sharma and Pallavi Mithika Menon | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
NĀVU, Bengaluru | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Kanishka started as a cook, running a catering business around eight years ago. Her supper club in 2016, which was a parallel activity she did for fun alongside her catering business, made her a popular name in the city among diners. “As a cook, you always need an outlet to just cook with abandon and without any rules. So, I started inviting people over to my house, and it ended up being called a supper club,” she says, adding “These supper clubs don’t make money; it’s simply a marketing exercise.”
“Those weren’t the days when we could simply opt for a career as a cook. I had to take a somewhat longer route, but it was always on my mind to be able to pursue it at some point in my life. Then an opportunity came, and I decided it would be now or never,” adds the Bengalurean, who is a self-taught chef.
NĀVU, which translates to ‘we’ in Kannada, is known for elevating casual dining in the city with its flavour-forward and inventive bistro food. One of the standout dishes is a savoury take on creme brulee — a cauliflower creme brulee with truffle oil and mustard ice cream — both turning heads and challenging expectations. Despite the restaurant’s commitment to a seasonal menu, this particular dish holds its ground, a testament to its unwavering popularity.
“We like to transform classic bistro-type dishes into something unique, for example rather than imitating or copying a roast chicken that many others have done, we take the classic concept and create our version,” says Kanishka. Their roast chicken, with crispy skin, fried potatoes, and a glossy bordelaise sauce is another house popularity.
Lamb chops | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“Having dined in numerous places during our travels, whenever we ate something interesting, we would come back and try it out in our kitchen. We’d consider how we could change a few aspects and introduce it as a new dish for the menu,” she adds.
After a while, Kanishka started inviting chefs over to cook at her supper club, which is how she started collaborating with chef Pallavi Mithika Menon, who worked at Mediterranean bistro Fava and Caperberry that used to serve modern European cuisine in Bengaluru. “In 2019, she cooked at my supper club and then we started working together in the catering business too,” she adds.
And just as evolution followed course, the two chefs and business partners started NĀVU at the Bangalore International Centre in 2020.
The Menu
Their shared interests in books, music and travel started shaping their menu. Their cilbir, a Turkish dish pronounced chil-bir, is a poached egg with garlic labneh, chilli flakes, coriander, and a touch of pepper. Pissaladière, a dish from Nice, France, typically features a dough midway between bread and pizza consistency, topped with caramelised onions, olives, and anchovies. Pallavi and Kanishka’s version opts for briny sardines, sweet caramelised onions, chunky tomato jam, and Kalamata olives.
Beef tataki | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
They source a significant portion of their ingredients directly from farmers. “We take great care to find fresh meat; we don’t use frozen. I’m not claiming 100% exclusion of frozen items, but we do our best to keep the menu fresh with ingredients as well,” she says.
The seasonal menu changes when ingredients go out of season. For instance, during Christmas, they incorporate old holiday menus such as the classic date pudding, requiring the removal of existing items to introduce something new. This is how their menu evolves.
The intention was always to have NĀVU in a non-traditional building and area of the city — in Domlur. “We aim for people to feel comfortable when they walk in through the door. The idea was to create a space that is literally a fusion of both our living rooms. If we were to live together and create a big living room that also served as a dining space, what would that feel like? That was our vision,” says Kanishka.
Unforgiving business
As two chefs running a restaurant, the business side of things can be quite challenging, but Kanishka believes that is regardless of what background you hold. “This food and beverage business, regardless of your background, is relentless. It is unforgiving. Breaking even is not easy, but you have to focus,” she says. “I think the only thing that Pallavi and I have done right is to focus on our intention of providing good, high-quality, healthy food in the way we would like it if we were to go out somewhere and dine.”
Pissaladière | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
baked broccoli | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
According to the latest release, food inflation reached 6.61% in October in India. Shaktikanta Das, governor of the Reserve Bank of India, highlighted the risks associated with a surge in food prices, stating the country remains susceptible to “recurring and overlapping” food price shocks, despite the recent easing of inflation.
Vegetable, milk, and cereal prices have been notably volatile recently, forcing several restaurants to consider revising prices on their menu. “Everything is very expensive,” says Kanishka. Since they opened the restaurant in Domlur in June this year, however, they have kept their prices steady.
NĀVU, Bengaluru | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“I have to knock on wood; in the last four to five months, we have had a steady stream of people coming to dine with us, and I give credit only to the good food we put out there. I think people are willing to pay for good, quality food. So, we have not suffered too much under the effects of inflation, but it’s a challenge to keep the prices down, that’s for sure,” she says.
Although they are a breakfast only space this month, they hope to bring dinner back in December. Average cost for meal for two at NĀVU is INR 1,250. Breakfast is available between 7 am and 12 noon.
