Supekhana International

The reputation of this restaurant preceded it.  Born of the long time and very popular popup, Bombay Breakdown, Chefs Yoshi Yamada and Zeeshan Shah joined forces with Jason Hammel to open Superkhana International, a restaurant opened on a stretch of Diversey Avenue that has become wildly international (Tiki bar Lost Lake,  Bakery Cellar Door Provisions, and Fat Rice, an award winning restaurant focusing on the cuisine of Macau).  The stretch is very diverse and an on the surface, an Indian Restaurant would fit right in, the thing about that though is that the chefs do not serve classic Indian food, and don't even serve rice as a dish on it's own.  The menu combines American comfort food with Indian flavors to make some really diverse and creative dishes that make them an even better fit for the stretch of Diversey where they are located.  From the shape of the restaurant and the curves in the interior, my first thought was that the restaurant was located in a former furniture or carpet store.  I was told however that the space was too small for either ind it was actually formerly a crappy pizza joint.  The interior of the restaurant is concealed from the entrance by a colorful curtain.  The bar is located just inside the door which is where I sat.  The bar was light colored stone and the walls of the space were light brick with a lot of curves, though there was another very colorful painting on the wall across the bar from where I was sitting.  I was sitting at the end of the bar and had to look completely across the length of the bar to study it.  In the bar area, aside from the windows, light was provided from hanging globes above the bar.  The drinks served at the bar focused on beer and some reasonably priced Highballs and Spritzers.  I started things off with a Highball, A Gin & Tonic using City of London Gin and E. Imperial Tonic.  I was actually kind of surprised at the size of the drink considering the price.  City of London Gin is a London Dry style and with the tonic, the drink was very dry and crisp.  It was also pretty bitter, so I didn't drink it quickly.

For my food, I started things off with the Beans.  Now Beans do not typically come to mind when thinking about Indian cuisine, particularly Green and Yellow Beans.  These however, were coated with Toasted Coconut, Toasted Almonds, and Yogurt.  This was very good.  The beans were very fresh and crisp with some additional crunch being provided by the coconut and almonds.  The Yogurt tied everything together and made for a great dish.  While this did get me excited for what would be coming next, this was good enough, that I would have been happy for another plate of these beans.

The main course was called Achaari Pork Pao and what it was was essentially a pulled pork sandwich.  It was a Braised and Pulled Pork Shoulder spiced with typical of Indian Cuisine such as Fenugreek, Anise, Cumin, Onion, and Chili Powder, with Tamarind, Fried Shallots, and Lettuce on a Pao (Portuguese for Bread, Pao or Pav is a Soft White Bun).  The food was very flavorful and bright.  Again, I could have eaten a couple of these.  I did not, however, want to eat two of these because there was still dessert to be had.

 The dessert menu was very small, consisting of two items, an Ice Cream Sandwich and Shahi Tookray.  I had no idea what Shahi Tookray was and was told besides that the Ice Cream Sandwich was small, so I decided to try the item, that I had no idea about except to be told that the description doesn't do it justice and I had to try it.  Considering my other dishes, I was sure that the Ice Cream Sandwich was good, but I decided to try to try the Shahi Tookray, which was just described on the menu as a list of ingredients:  Ricotta, Sultanas, and Almonds.  What I received was not at all what I expected, not the least of which was because it had a layer of silver foil on top.  It was was really good and similar to a fruit crisp.  To go with the dessert, I had a digestif called Townshend Kashmiri Amaro which, while I had never seen it before, was really good.  It combined flavors of Indian Chai and Italian Amaro.  It was really good and went well with the Shahi Tookray.

I liked everything about this place.  The place was cute, colorful and welcoming, the service was outstanding with my questions answered well, and the food was outstanding.  I would say that I would return to this place, except that I already have.  What I will do is continue returning and introducing friends to this place that combines Indian Flavors with American Comfort Food.