Last call at Nine One

Pin It

Mr. Christmas is back in town for a short few days, and I relished the opportunity to catch up with him. As he was making his way around different parts of southern China, I knew that Cantonese food wasn't a must for him. I was somewhat surprised when he suggested we go for Indian food, and I knew just where to take him! I quickly checked in with the Bombay East Indian Girl as I knew she was off on holiday, but would be back in the kitchen at Nine One tonight. We were all set.

Early this morning I began receiving messages from my friend. She had returned from her travels yesterday, and has decided to leave the restaurant concept that she has spent the better part of the year building. She was clearly unhappy with whatever was happening in her absence and decided it was better to walk away than be part of it. However, she would be in the kitchen tonight for one last evening, as both another friend and myself had booked tables tonight, and she wanted to take care of us.

The mood was clearly a little awkward when we arrived. I could see it on Johnny's face, and of course my friend the Bombay East Indian Girl. I ordered a few dishes that I wanted Mr. Christmas and his family to try, and left the rest up to the chef.

Khakra, chundo - I've always enjoyed the spice in the khakra (ખાખરા) and especially the chundo (छुन्दो).

Corn chips and kachumber - always nice to have something refreshing like this to nibble on at the start.

Khekda (केकड़ा) - I figured this would be interesting for our visitors, and it turned out Christmas Junior was a big fan of the king crab! Of course, my friend noticed the gold foil on top and asked whether everyone gets it on their portions or it was added especially for me...

Eat a rainbow: bhel-puri - I also think this is an interesting dish for people visiting for the first time, and they can watch the ingredients being mixed together tableside. Sure enough, Mr. Christmas took Christmas Junior to witness the fascinating transformation as the bhelpuri (भेलपूरी) comes together.

This was the first dish that actually came with a reasonable amount of heat, and I love the different ingredients bringing their different textures and aromas together.

East Indian lamb potato chop, green pea chutney, kachumber - this has always been one of my favorites ever since the first time I tasted my friend's cuisine, and tonight this was also praised by our visitors. That combination of minced lamb and mashed potato can be magical.

I have a spell on you: chicken lollipop, schezwan chutney - unfortunately this is the only Indo-Chinese / "Chindian" dish on the menu, but I really do love it! It also came with a schezwan chutney that Mr. Christmas liked so much he kept adding it to other dishes...

Egg bhurji: Indian style scrambled egg, onion, coriander, lime - we thought we needed a bun of some sort for Christmas Junior, so we got the classic anda bhurji (अंडा भुर्जी). I looooove scrambled eggs, especially with herbs like onions, spring onions, and coriander. I couldn't imagine a better way to deliver it than inside a fluffy pao.

Not curry: East Indian lamb stew - OK... so I had told Mr. Christmas that this lamb stew wouldn't be out of place at a French bistro. Well... this French chef's response was that he thought there were more spices in this stew than what would be found in France. I can't disagree with his assessment, but we love this anyway. Love the carrots, peas, and potatoes. And of course the very tender lamb.

Fugias to soak up the tasty broth of the stew.

Gucchi "khichdi": bottle masala spiced morel mushroom, basmati rice - this was always one of the winners ever since I first tasted it. The flavors of the mushrooms are just so beautiful.

Green moong magic: comforting dal, birista, kulcha - dal (दाल) cooked with mung beans and birista (बिरिस्ता). Served with Amritsari kulcha (अमृतसरी कुलचा).

Matar kulcha: spiced white peas, onions, herbs, kulcha - another new vegetarian dish on the menu is the matar kulcha (मटर कुलचा), made with white beans and topped with some refreshing "salsa" of tomatoes and onions.

With Christmas Junior around, I knew we weren't going to be opening a lot of bottles. And as we fortuitously ran into a friend with a lot of bottles, he very kindly offered me a pour from a Cali pinot he likes very much.

2004 Dom Pérignon - this was drinking very well as it was very smooth and well-balanced. Wonderful nose of toasty brioche.

2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard - very ripe and sweet nose, like strawberry jam, along with really fragrant eucalyptus notes.

2021 Corisca Albariño - surprisingly this came with a little bit of fine tannins. The nose showed some oily notes along with petrol. There was some ripeness but the acidity on the palate was pretty high.

I enjoyed the food as much as each of my previous visits, and tonight makes my fifth visit in less than 5 months. Sadly this would be my final visit to what I thought was one of the best openings in 2024, as there is no reason to give this place any attention without my friend being part of the project. Here's hoping that my friend can spend some time recharging and figure out what comes next. Meanwhile I'm gonna put on my thick skin and ask to visit her at home...