RESTAURANT REVIEW: Musaafer
November 2020:
Many months into the pandemic, and I still hadn't been out to eat at a restaurant (I still remember the last one in the before times, Bravery Chef Hall on the night Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID, shutting down the NBA and shortly thereafter everything else in the world), and takeout can only get you so far. My birthday was approaching, so I decided to finally bite the bullet and go to dinner.
After copious amounts of research, I found that Musaafer (which opened at just about the worst possible time, May 2020, though was hotly anticipated by me some time before, going back to 2018 when it was originally going to be called The Spice Route) had a large outdoor balcony with white linen-adorned "day bed" seating, aka plenty of separation from other tables that I felt comfortable enough taking the risk. And I am sure glad that I did, because that was one of the best meals of my life.
The shear joy of dining at a restaurant again, eating expertly prepared food and not having to worry about cooking or dishes or anything else, was such a beacon of hope in a dark time. I'll always remember the "Prohibition" cocktail (sadly no longer on the menu), a nod to when alcohol was banned in India, where you were given an empty glass with only an ice cube, and the waiter handed you a cocktail-filled bottle under the table. Ridiculously theatrical, sure, but so cheeky and fun.
Fast forward five years and I've been fortunate enough to return a few times, but not since it was awarded a prestigious Michelin star last year. So when it was time to bid goodbye to a good friend who was moving out of state (who was also one of the main people that encouraged me to start writing about food), I figured it was again time to visit of the best dining establishments in Houston.
Musaafer means "traveler" in Hindi, and is meant to evoke journeying through the 29 states of India (as the owners did on a 100-day voyage to collect recipes and inspiration for the menu). The restaurant is located in the Galleria (like, actually in the Galleria, near Nobu in the new-ish Saks wing), and it is a massive and absolutely jaw-dropping space. There are multiple different rooms, all decorated in spectacular fashion, with Indian accents and flourishes. If you can, try to sit in the "Palace of Mirrors", a section that is covered with over 200,000 pieces of mirrored glass (or, if it's not too hot, on the aforementioned outdoor patio).
The service here is outstanding, on par with BCN for the best in Houston. Our waiter, Justin, was so incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and Indian food in general, and provided excellent recommendations and descriptions. It can be a bit daunting to parse through all the various dishes, especially if you're not intimately familiar with the ins and outs of Indian cuisine. But, rest assured, the staff will guide you to guarantee that you get the perfect meal.
Let's stop beating around the bush and dive into the food. On the menu, appetizers and mains are broken down by seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes. Paani Puri, the popular Indian street food consisting of thin fried shells filled with chickpeas and potato cubes, was presented on a custom pedestal with each piece at a different height. They are served with five different "waters" to pour into the hollowed-out pods to customize your flavor (there were more traditional options such as tamarind and yogurt, as well as more fruity sweet choices of mango, guava chile, and passionfruit). This is a fun way to start the meal, though I couldn't help but wonder how many of these serving podiums they have, and how they store the rather unwieldy-shaped items in the kitchen. By the way, if you're looking for another great pani puri (how it's spelled everywhere but here, apparently), the Hillcroft vegetarian restaurant Shri Balaji Bhavan has an exemplary version.
A clever twist on a classic is the Chipotle Chicken Tikka, where skewers of chicken are grilled and served with rice crackers and a bit of preserved apple for some sweetness. The addition of smoky Mexican chipotles to the traditional Indian spices elevated these morsels beyond the usual Tandoori fare, and they certainly weren't dry like similar dishes sometimes are.
Bouncing around to the seafood section of the starters, Mithu's Coriander Shrimp (named for the mother of one of the owners) consists of prawns bathed in a fragrant sauce of coconut, turmeric, shallots, curry leaf, and cilantro (duh). The curry had a beautiful yellow color, and was served with copra pav, a soft roll that has a hint of spiced coconut flavor to bring the dish together. It was difficult not to sop up every last drop of the sauce with the bread after the shrimps were gone.
Lastly in the opening act was the most interesting of all, the Onion Xuixo (pronounced zhu-zho). If you've never heard of this, you're not the only one... some research tells me it's actually a Catalan pastry apparently named after the sound of a sneeze! Traditionally it's a croissant-like confection piped with a citrus sweet cream, but here it's repurposed into a savory dish with an onion filling, reminiscent of the Indian snack kachori. It's fried to a nice crisp and topped with a spice blend, and served with tamarind and mint chutneys. The exterior has a great crunch, and the soft alliaceous interior contrasts brilliantly. Quite the unexpected mash-up.
Moving on to the entrees, I enjoyed the Malwani Fish Curry quite a bit. This dish borrowed from Goan fishermen, was a tangy and spicy, deeply flavorful orange curry coating a soft Chilean sea bass filet. It was topped with a cute edible garnish in the shape of a fish skeleton. Not something I'd usually order, but a great option for pescatarians and ichthyophiles alike.
The next dish really puts the "vin"(egar) in vindaloo: the Beef Vindaloo is my favorite item on the menu, one that I first tried back in 2020. A filet mignon is cooked to a flawless medium rare, served over some baby potatoes, and then that all-star gravy is poured around the sides. The acidic flavor of the vinegar coupled with the fiery chili peppers and spices is such a tantalizing combination, and it is done to absolute perfection here. Vindaloo is unquestionably the GOAT curry, and while steak is certainly not the traditional pairing, it goes so well together that this would honestly make some less-devout Hindus reconsider their stance on cows.
One other must-order is the Dal Musaafer. Black lentils are slow-cooked for 72 hours, and combined with tomato and smoked chilis for an unbelievably smooth and creamy mixture. This can easily be eaten by itself, or spooned on top of some rice (we opted for the caramelized onion & cumin preparation, but plain basmati is also available). True O.G.'s of this website might remember my first ever review, in which I compared one of the most bizarre dals I've ever tasted to this magnificent version.
There's bread as well of course, both of the naan and roti persuasion. We opted for garlic and bullet naans (the latter including red chili flakes), and, while flavorful, they were a tad bit harder than I would have liked. I'm reaching, I know, but I have to say something slightly negative lest I'm accused of being a paid shill (that being said, if you're reading this, Mr. and Mrs. Musaafer, please pay me to eat at your restaurant in free food and I will gladly remove this paragraph!).
For dessert, go for the most beautiful dish on the entire menu, the Mishti Doi, which finds a cluster of meringue-textured dehydrated yogurt "mushrooms" planted in a soil of almond cake, with some freeze-dried raspberry pebbles. There are some pretty impressive molecular gastronomy techniques on display here, but more importantly, it's just plain fun to eat.
I know this is a fairly logorrheic review, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of the many great cocktails. A new addition to the menu, "The Truffle Master" won the inaugural bartender award at the Houston... Truffle Masters competition. Tequila fat-washed with truffle oil is combined with a Chinese black tea cordial, Amontillado sherry, sprayed with "imitation tonka mist", and garnished with a bright red circle of "magic jelly". This is wildly complex drink with so many flavors working in harmony to create a magnificent beverage,
Look, this is obviously not cheap, and I know you can get tremendous Indian food for much lower price points in the city, but it is a superlative experience that is absolutely worth a special occasion splurge. To be honest though, depending on what you order it doesn't have to be particularly painful, and I was actually surprised to discover that my bill ended up being less than somewhere like Camaraderie, which I lauded for being "fairly reasonably-priced".
RANKING UPDATE: Easily retains its spot in my "Essential 33" as well as #1 on my Best Indian Restaurants list. I'm still in the early stages of formulating an overall best Houston restaurants ranking, but this is almost certainly in the top 3 for me.
NEXT UP: A Latin-inspired cocktail bar that I could have walked to... if I still lived at my old apartment near the Galleria.