Nine One is Samaira’s dream project, the restaurant’s name is the country code +91 for India. I’ve known chef for nearly a decade now – courtesy of our husbands who work together in the kitchen. Many moons ago, I wrote and edited Samaira’s first chef bio when she started moonlighting as a private chef.
Chef Wife Chef Life
Samaira’s mother ran a dabbawala business in Mumbai while she was growing up and it’s where she learnt the magic of cooking Bombay East Indian flavours from her family’s kitchen with rich Portuguese influence in the family’s recipes.
The Kavatkar household is an endless well of homemade food from scratch. Samaira grinds her own flour, mixes her own spices the same way my mother and grandmother used to cook.
I’m so proud and happy for her that she’s living the dream, running her own restaurant Ninety One this year and sharing her rich and robust cuisine with the general public.
One time he was crying while eating this delicious spicy mackerel she made because it was spicy but it was also so delicious he kept stuffing his face, between eating, and drinking water and crying about how it was spicy, he finished a generous portion of the fish.
Kiddo’s first Dosa made from scratch when we started baby-led weaning. He devoured it.
Food is medicine
I’ve learnt so much about Indian cuisine, its history and the different cooking techniques and equipment from Samaira. She’s fed me through sickness and health, during pregnancy and also made the most delicious nourishing foods for my son who started baby-led weaning. Chapati, Dosa and lentils with organic ghee that she buys directly from the farmers from India.
I’ve learnt a thing or two about Ayurvedic medicine from Samaira, comparing notes with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), some of the world’s oldest civilisations and arguably the most sophisticated in terms of eating a balanced diet for healthy strong bodies.
Bombay East Indian girl
Samaira started moonlighting as a private chef and then moved on to sell-out pop up events before finally opening her own restaurant to hone her skills and share the love of bringing people together through food.
She’s been actively sharing and talking about Indian cuisine, the different regional specialties as well as to clarify the misconception that Indian food is not just about curries. In fact, there are no curries on the menu at Ninety One.
One definitely must order the “chicken lollipops” with a hint of szechuan peppers – so delightful, so delicious. We also had a saucy morels “gucchi” rice that was a highlight for the evening.
Our favourites we’ve eaten for years are on the menu – the keema minced lamb pau, her version of the sheperd’s pie(East Indian Lamb Potato Chop with Green Pea Chutney) , and butter chicken (chicken Khuddi) along with the signature crab salad.
It is difficult to capture the essence of all the dishes in words or images – you have to taste them yourself.
Nine One
Tsim Sha Tsui Centre, 66 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, KowloonHong Kong
