Place Setting: Inside Kavita, Vancouver’s New Indian Restaurant Where the Food Steals the Show

Chef Tushar Tondvalkar points out that basmati is the go-to rice at most local Indian restaurants. “Everyone thinks that’s the only rice we eat back home,” he says with a laugh. In reality, of course, Indian cuisine is far more diverse, with different communities swearing by different kinds of rice, bread and spices. “Food changes from region to region—like every hundred kilometres,” says Tondvalkar.

At his new Vancouver restaurant, Kavita, the chef aims to stay true to the unique roots of his food. The Kerala-style duck, a dry-aged Fraser Valley duck with Kerala curry, for example, is served with organic Sri Lankan heirloom rice, the kind traditionally eaten in that region. The Mangalorean chicken, a coconut curry dish, is named after and inspired by a Sunday-night staple at his childhood friend’s house. Even the restaurant’s name is close to home: Kavita translates to poetry, but it’s also the name of Tondvalkar’s mother.

The honesty and transparency built into the menu is reflected in the restaurant’s open-concept design, which presented a welcome challenge for Ruth M’rav-Jankelowitz, founder and principal designer of Janks Design Group. (Having the kitchen team exposed to diners can be wonderful for forming connections, but tricky when it comes to the inevitable cooking mess.) “We wanted to make sure that the acoustics and the visual clutter were managed within the space,” says M’rav-Jankelowitz.

To achieve this, the design team used a combination of glazing screens and strategic lighting. The fluorescents essential for kitchen work are muted by opaque glass, allowing the moodier pendant lighting to set the vibe for diners at the chef’s table. Felted ceiling panels control the ambient noise; they also match the curves in the oak millwork that give the cozy space an easygoing flow.

“A lot of Indian restaurants have bold colours and rich finishes,” says M’rav-Jankelowitz, “but we wanted a more soft, neutral, contemporary palette reflecting on the dishes served.” Pops of turquoise in the bar tiles and banquette seating punch up the otherwise wood-and-concrete restaurant, and mirrors placed along the walls and above the bar make the space feel roomier. Some materials are in disguise: while the curved arch is real oak, the matching wall is actually a wood-like tile and the matching pendant lights are made with wood and natural concrete. It’s a sneaky way to incorporate more durable materials without introducing visual distractions.

The restaurant’s design necessitates perfection from the kitchen team (the chef admits there’s no room for mistakes when you’re cooking with an audience). “I feel that, at a chef-driven restaurant, it’s nice for the chef to be exposed to the guests,” he explains. Plus, he has a front-row seat to Vancouverites testing out—and falling in love with—his favourite dishes.

On the Menu

Photos by Aditya Pawar

Jumbo Prawn Recheado

This prawn dish from Goa, a state on the southwestern coast of India, uses a paste made from red chili, coconut vinegar and  jaggery (a natural  sweetener). It’s a dish you’re not likely to find in other Indian restaurants, or even outside of Goa: “It’s really unique to that region,” says Tondvalkar.