Growing up with NĀVU

Growing with NĀVU has been a journey. “It’s like when you start life in a single-room and bathroom home. Domlur was one upgrade that reflected the comfort of a friend’s home, with its walls covered with pop-art frames, curio-filled wooden cupboards and flower pendant lighting fixtures. This new address is like the next, where you use your hard-earned money to create a space thoughtfully,” says Sharma. “We hired a designer.We brought in our old lights and frames, and refurbished the chairs. We are a 52-seater because that’s how many chairs we had,” she chuckles. “The bar is an upgrade, because I definitely want to serve you alcohol when you visit my home.”

NĀVU began with the idea of elevating casual dining. The duo’s only request of their diners was to surrender at the door and be open to trying something new. That willingness to experiment ensured dishes such as Pissaladière with cured sardines served on brioche with olive tapenade, caramelised onion, and tomato jam, and the Cauliflower Crème Brulee with walnut chikki, crispy leeks, rocket and truffle oil, quickly became fan favourites. 

“Today we call it ‘informal luxury’. Classic bistro food in a non-intimidating setting, without a hefty price or being restricted to just weekend indulgences,” says Menon. “About 30 per cent of the earlier menu continues. People order two to three of their favourites and then experiment with something new,” she adds. Clearly, NĀVU has firmly instilled in their diners the confidence to let their palates explore. 

Sharma and Menon have always wanted the NĀVU experience to be like dining in a friend’s living room. A thought that resonates with almost every diner who has experienced a similar trajectory of going from a one-room pad to a home that now proudly showcases all that growth. In a culinary scene punctuated by media blasts, influencer reels, and week-long launch parties, NĀVU chose none of that and let its food do all the talking.

The support system route to sustainability

So, what is the language that NĀVU’s food speaks? It is cuisine-agnostic but technique-heavy, and deeply rooted in seasonality. The food draws influences from around the world, and you will find a crossing of Mediterranean and Japanese influences across dishes and techniques. 

“Those anchors have become our cornerstones. It is within that arena that we play, have developed our style and continue building on it. With our expanding team, we train and mould them to express this philosophy, and their creativity shows on the menu. It is us, NĀVU, but it is also them,” says Menon. 

What their anchors have also done, say the chef-duo, is help hone their approach to the idea of sustainability. “To us, the concept is not just about ingredients but about sustaining communities, ensuring business to local butchers and vendors, and creating an ecosystem that allows specific farmers and producers to connect with us,” explains Menon, adding that finding and growing things seasonally supports local communities and, in turn, brings in sustainability, which then becomes the bonus. 

What the diner eats at NĀVU comes from Indian markets. “Given the perception around our food, people are surprised that we go to the market and pick up our fish. Why fly in frozen seafood when we can support a livelihood here? We have vendors who now call us in the morning to tell us what they have for us, and we hand-pick from the choices available, even getting them to wear NĀVU T-shirts!” says Sharma. 

The team now has Himalayan Trout on the menu, which comes into Bengaluru thrice a week. It will remain on the board till the fishing season for it ends. Asparagus arrives in early March from Himachal, and the farmer calls the chefs when it is ready to ship. The restaurant’s grapefruit comes from a single vendor in Hunsur. 

“Without calling it ingredient-forward, there is a strong reliance on quality produce, which comes from finding specific people for particular things. Great produce doesn’t need excessive intervention. And when certain elements complement each other, it becomes a beautiful mélange on the plate,” believes Menon.

Placing NĀVU Bresaola in context, Sharma explains that it begins with wine-cured beef that is then air-dried. “We pair it with locally sourced radicchio and grapefruit from Hunsur. Traditionally, you would add Parmesan. We didn’t want to take the cheese angle, so the dressing is made of grapefruit juice. It draws from a classic northern Italian bresaola, but everything we use is local—from the meat to the wine and the grapefruit.”

One can also enjoy dishes like the Ballotine—fried potato pavé, green apple and jus, the Crudo—cured fish in a celery coconut tiger’s milk served with green apple and black rice, or the Rib-Eye Carpaccio—sliced raw beef brushed with a koshu ponzu. 

And not to miss the duo’s love for combining the unexpected. Think Mustard Icecream, Parmesan Churros and Bon Bons—chicken liver pate encased in white chocolate!

At a time when Bengaluru is witnessing a plethora of thematic restaurants, rapid multiplication of breweries, and also becoming the country’s cocktail capital, NĀVU is a quiet story of growth, heard loud and clear by a city that truly loves it.