Jaz, a northern Indian restaurant is opening in Hell’s Kitchen Wednesday, March 16th. The new restaurant is located at 813 9th Avenue, New York, NY. Jaz is open Monday – Sunday: 12pm-3pm, 5pm-11pm.
Jaz Rupall, owner and namesake of Jaz was born and raised as second generation British-Indian in Hertfordshire, England. She spent many of her years as an Executive Assistant at a local Family Law firm based in London, but always dreamed of owning her own restaurant. In 2006, her husband was offered a transfer to New York.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Jaz found herself like many, working from home and cooking more of her favorite northern Indian dishes. The lack of in-person social events inspired her to begin hosting cooking classes and dinner parties at her apartment. In May 2021, as things were beginning to return to some normalcy, she began looking for a location to make her restaurant dream a reality. She targeted Hell’s Kitchen for its proximity to the Upper West Side, Theater District, Times Square, and the heavy foot traffic. A few months later, her dream was realized with a restaurant location, at the corner of 9th avenue and 54th street.
To help bring her vision to life, Jaz hired Co-Executive Chefs Bachan Rawat (Bukhara Grill) to cook the restaurant’s curries and Arif Ahmed (Bombay Grill, Sapphire) to man the tandoor oven.
The menu begins with Appetizers, Shrimp Balchao, pan fried shrimp in a spicy onion-chili sauce; and Tandori Platter which includes Chicken Tikka Masala, Ginger Chicken, Sheikh Kebab.
The main courses on the menu are divided among Vegetarian, Seafood, Chicken, Tandoor, Basmati, Lamb and Goat. Highlights include Bhindi Masala, a stir fried okra dish with tomatoes, cilantro, and spices; Mango Shrimp, jumbo shrimp marinated in a tangy mango sauce and grilled in a tandoor oven; Ginger Chicken, chicken breast marinated in a ginger yogurt sauce and cooked in a tandoor oven and, Lamb Chops, lamb marinated for 12-14 hours with ginger, garlic, herbs and spices, and cooked in a tandoor oven, seared on the outside and the interior cooked to medium rare.
Accompanying the main courses are several Breads, each made fresh to order in the tandoor oven, including Peshawari Naan, a sweet naan made with almonds, raisins, and coconut stuffing; and Aloo Paratha, whole wheat bread stuffed with spiced potatoes; along with more classic naan selections.
Rounding out the menu are Desserts such as Gulab Jamun, an Indian dessert made with dry milk and cooked in honey syrup; and Kheer, a traditional north Indian rice pudding made with Basmati rice, sugar and full fat milk.
The restaurant also has a full bar featuring Indian-inspired craft cocktails: Spicy Chili Margarita, made with Milagro Silver Tequila, chili liqueur, lime, spiced honey, cilantro, chili, and tajin salt; Jal Jeera Mojito, vodka, club soda, lemon juice, Jal Jeer masala mix, tamarind chutney, and mint leaves; and Kiss From Jaz, Singhani 63 Bolivian Spirit, Campari, Combier rose liqueur, bitters, and prosecco; as well as a variety of bottled beer including Kingfisher and Taj Mahal.
