There’s a certain predictability to Delhi’s South Indian dining scene. It’s comforting, yes, but also restricted to the familiar template of idlis, dosas and filter coffee. Even the most popular restaurants, despite the queues they command, rarely stray from it.
Nadoo, a new restaurant in Delhi’s GK-3, sets to change that.
Helmed by restaurateur Sahil Sambhi (of VietNom, Japonico, Latango), Nadoo, which means ‘region,’ broadens the lens widely. It brings forth the micro-cuisines while tapping into the diversity of the region, which spans from Hyderabad’s famous biryani to Kerala’s sumptuous seafood, and from Karnataka’s bisi bele bath, to Tamil Nadu’s Chettinad fare.
“If you go down South, you’ll see people eat dosas with curries, or idlis with chicken. That’s the perception I want to change, the idea that South Indian cuisine revolves only around idlis and dosas,” says Sambhi.
Nadoo marks a departure from Sambhi’s other high-energy restaurants that focus on international cuisines. “This is very homegrown,” he says, and more personal, too. His Tamilian mother, whom he lost during the pandemic, remains central to the idea. “This is my tribute to her.”
Sambhi also spent nine years in Bengaluru. “Most of my memories with food are from my time there. I miss that food here, because South Indian cuisine in north India is so restricted,” he says.
To bring the idea to life, he was looking for “a chef who could do justice to it.” He found that in Chef Shri Bala, a chartered accountant and food researcher, whom Sambhi describes as “an encyclopedia of southern cuisine.”
And together, they’ve crafted an experience that makes you pause, spotlighting the lesser-seen facets of southern Indian cuisine, with a sharp focus to detail.
A rooted design
The space draws you in as soon as you enter. There’s a quiet bustle as the team moves between tables, taking orders, making recommendations, and attending to every detail.
The service staff are dressed in ikat, each in a different colour, a nod to the weave’s origins in Pochampally, Telangana.
While most South Indian eateries tend to lean heavily on motifs, Nadoo takes a more restrained approach. The space is rich, rustic and textured, drawing from rammed-earth architecture, a technique common in parts of southern India. Sambhi’s home in Bengaluru was built employing it. “It insulates the interiors from the heat and keeps them cool,” he explains.
The rustic aesthetic carries through to the ceramic tableware, adding to the overall experience.
Beyond idlis & dosas
The meal begins with a welcome drink—panakam, a sweet-sour-and spicy mix of jaggery, tamarind, dry ginger, black pepper, lemon, cardamom and a hint of edible camphor.
The menu is expansive and layered, moving between nibbles, small plates, thalis, biryanis and shack-style menus, balancing the familiar with the lesser-known.
The meal opens with papadam, served with three chutneys, a mango thokku pickle, and a Mandaveli ketchup. “Chef Bala is from Mandaveli,” the server points out.
I begin with the Kala Ghoda hummus, a take on Tamil sundal, built around chickpeas and served with parotta crisped into nacho-like shards. This is followed by the more familiar vadai, reimagined as Dunken Doughnuts -- flavourful and spot-on in texture.
There’s also a Bengaluru-style masala puri, which draws from Sambhi’s food memories of the city. “Everyday after school I would have it. I had it for three years straight,” he says.
For the mains, the Russell Market raan, a leg of goat slow-roasted in a Chettinad spice blend, stands out. The Thalassery biryani, served in a kalchatti (stone pot), comes with soya chaap and a delicious raita.
Seafood, too, finds ample representation, with dishes like prawn ghee roast paired with idiyappam.
The dessert section, too, pushes the boundary, with a clear emphasis on experimentation.
The pol rotti tres leches stands out for its mild flavour and well-balanced texture. There’s also the idli churro, served with Kandhari chilli-infused hot chocolate—an unlikely pairing that works surprisingly well.
Of cocktails and kaapi
The drinks, too, tap into the South Indian experience. A popular item on the menu is the Southern Tide, a gin-based drink made with pandan, charred coconut and burnt lime. Then there’s the Malabar Drift cocktail, an interesting take on the currently fan favourite picante, made with tequila, mezcal, fermented raw mango brine, red rice, bird’s-eye chilli pickle, and nannari.
Nadoo also boasts of an extensive kaapi bar, created in a collaboration with Bili Hu. Standouts include the First Dose Kaapi, inspired by the cup Bala’s father would make each morning. Then there’s the Chill Maadi, a jaggery-sweetened cold coffee, a nod to Sambhi’s childhood drink.
“We don’t say, we’re a south Indian restaurant, we say, we’re a southern Indian restaurant, because South India is restricted to a region, southen india covers a wider perspective,” Sambhi says. And with Nadoo, he doesn’t want to change, “but rather correct the perspective about southern Indian food.”
