The next time you're in New York City and crave the delicious foods of true Indian cuisine, go to Bungalow, the East Village establishment run by Michelin star chef, MasterChef India judge and author, Vikas Khanna, and Bombay House Hospitality founder and CEO, Jimmy Rizvi.
Earlier this week I dined at Bungalow with family and friends - I hope you saw the photo on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. On the menu, Chef Vikas includes some of his favorite family recipes as well as traditional classics and regional specialties. Guests can select from a list of small plates and large plates - we tried nearly every one and enjoyed them all. Among them, the Smoked Sweet Potato Chaat, Shrimp Balchao cones, and Anarkali Chicken, Chicken Chitranee, Paneer Chandni, Sheermal bread, and much more. For dessert, we had Rose Kulfi, Molten Chocolate Cake, and Mango Three Ways: rasmalai, mango mousse, and coulis with raspberries. It was a very fun and most delicious meal.
Here are more photos, enjoy.
It was a lovely evening to meet up with friends and family after a busy work day in New York City. Here I am in front of the restaurant Bungalow with my niece Sophie Herbert Slater, her sons Silas and Felix, Chef Vikas Khanna, and his friend and assistant, Mysha.
Vikas Khanna is a Michelin star chef, restaurateur, cookbook writer, filmmaker and humanitarian. I first met Vikas when he catered an event for me in 2005. He was also a guest on my LIVE television show in 2011 along with my niece Sophie. Vikas went on to be the host of MasterChef India for seven seasons. And last March, he opened Bungalow.
The name Bungalow refers to Indian social clubs and comes from the Hindi word “bangla” meaning “a house in the Bengali style.” (Photo courtesy of Bungalow)
Outside the entrance to Bungalow are two large stainless steel vessels containing a bath of red rose petals, pink roses, and votives. This symbolizes femininity, beauty, strength, and fertility.
The restaurant is divided into three different sections including a lounge, a dining area, and a kitchen. Many of the photos and decorations are authentic and were brought here from India. (Photo courtesy of Bungalow)
This is the dining room, which gets lots of natural light. Chef Vikas and Jimmy wanted the space to feel nostalgic and cozy. (Photo courtesy of Bungalow)
We loved this beautiful small plate of Smoked Sweet Potato Chaat made with green mango sauce, yam chip, ashwagandha droplets.
This dish is called Ammi’s Lamb Chops served with mango powder, green papaya, poppy seed, ginger, and garlic. Everything was so flavorful.
This exquisite chaat, which is the Hindi word for “snack,” is finger papad with lime and garlic crystals.
And this appetizer is called Shrimp Balchao Cones – a dish from Goa. It is made with nigella, tamarind, garlic and curry leaves.
Anarkali Chicken is another small plate with pomegranate-chili, cilantro chutney, and zesty watermelon radish.
Among the menu’s large plates, or entrées, is this Paneer Chandni – it was one of my favorites. This is made with homemade cheese, cashews, cardamom, and black pepper.
Everyone loves traditional naan – the leavened, oven-baked flatbread characterized by its light and slightly fluffy texture and golden-brown spots from baking. This garlic naan is a must-have.
This very special dish is inspired by the harvest festivals of South India. It is spice roasted pineapple with coconut, lemon, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. This photo was taken just before the sauce was poured around the fruit.
The Chicken Chitranee is a homestyle chicken curry with tomatoes, tamarind, and shishito chili – another big hit at the table.
This was one of the most unique dishes! It is a saffron bread called Sheermal made with flour, cardamom, saffron and a satiating amount of ghee, or clarified butter.
My nephew Christopher also joined us. Here he is with Sophie, Chef Vikas, Felix, and Silas.
For dessert we had Rose Kulfi, an Indian-style ice cream, with candied rose petals, butterfly pea rabdi, and white chocolate bark. Sophie noted that the floral rose notes were reminiscent of many of the ancient temples she has visited in India.
This Molten Chocolate Cake was complimented well with gulab jamun ice cream and cherry compote.
This dessert was called Mango Three Ways: rasmalai, mango mousse, and coulis with raspberries. The children devoured every morsel.
And here I am with Chef Vikas. Congratulations Chef – to you, Jimmy, and the restaurant – it is excellent. And, it has already served 100,000 meals in the first 110 days since opening. If you love Indian cuisine, this is definitely a stop to include on your next trip to New York City.
It's so important to keep up with the maintenance and care of the many trees and plants here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Two years ago, I started creating a garden maze of interesting hedges, espaliers, and shrubs in the pasture across the carriage road from my Winter House terrace. I've planted hundreds of different specimens that add texture and interest - all according to a very detailed map I designed specifically for the space. To keep them healthy and looking their best, I make sure we prune, feed, and mulch them regularly. I'm happy to report, every row is looking vibrant and "a-maze-ing."
Enjoy these latest photos.
Here is one path of my maze. A living garden maze is a puzzle of plantings – most will grow tall enough to prevent walkers from seeing the paths ahead. And each row will branch off with various pathway options and dead ends – with only one correct route to the center.
Remember this view? I designed the maze in this three acre pasture in front of my Winter House, so I could see it right from my window.
As each puzzling path bed is cleared of sod, the spaces are measured and marked, the plants are carefully counted and placed, and then planted, watered and top dressed with nutrient-rich mulch.
Here is one of the early rows. For a maze, it’s best to use relatively fast-growing trees. Many will grow to be at least six feet tall and two feet wide at maturity.
And here is one of the rows I planted just this spring. Everything is looking so lush and green, in part because of the maintenance and care I give them throughout the year.
Each shrub or bush is planted appropriately with enough space to accommodate its full grown size. These will grow taller and more stout.
When needed, the developing hedges are trimmed. Proper and regular trimming helps keep them thick and full, giving them a neat and tidy look. It also promotes new growth, improves air circulation and light through the branches, and keeps them looking aesthetically pleasing.
I also trim the hedges in layers, so they can be seen from afar.
The footpaths are also designed appropriately, so my horses can walk through the maze as well. I think they really enjoy it.
Not long ago, the crew started taking on the task of mulching all the beds at the farm. Here, Alex takes a wheelbarrow of mulch to the maze. This mulch is made right here – downed trees are ground multiple times by a tub grinder I call in every couple of years.
The three-inch mulched area extends to the drip line of the branches. And be sure not to over-mulch, which could suffocate the roots.
I planted both deciduous and evergreen specimens, so there is something interesting to see at every turn.
This is one of three young weeping camperdown elms. Camperdown elms prefer partial to full sun, but will also grow in light shade. The maze is a perfect environment for these trees.
I also planted several Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’ trees, American sweetgums. As these trees mature, they will maintain their erect, columnar form, growing up to 50 feet tall and only about four-feet wide.
This is an Ember Waves Western Arborvitae
– a colorful evergreen with yellow new growth that contrasts so beautifully with the maturing chartreuse to bright green foliage.
Paul’s Gold threadleaf false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera, has year-round golden green foliage.
I also have espaliered apple trees growing in my maze – at the right time, those walking through can pick a fruit while they meander through this botanical puzzle.
All the apple trees are doing so well here – I already have so many fruits growing on the branches.
Red Beauty holly has bright red berries combined with glossy, dark green foliage. Many varieties of holly, Ilex, have compact habits and glistening leaves that’s excellent for hedges, borders, and yes, mazes.
And in this area, a selection of handsome London planetrees, Platanus acerifolia ‘Bloodgood,’ a relative of the mighty sycamore. These trees are large shade trees with broad open crowns. They were the perfect choice for the center of my maze, where they will surround and shade an open space.
The maze is looking so great – I am very pleased with how it is turning out. And we’ve gotten so much done. I think it may be finished sooner than expected – I can’t wait. Follow my blog here online and on Instagram @marthastewartblog and see all the latest updates on all my gardens at the farm.
My Stewartia Garden continues to thrive at my Bedford, New York farm.
My Stewartia Garden is located across from my long clematis pergola. The space was once planted with rows and rows of ferns and lilies. Many still grow here, but the garden is also filled with beautiful Stewartia trees, Japanese maples, Cotinus, and lush plants including Epimediums, Syneilesis, Thalictrum, and more.
Enjoy these photos.
Just beyond my charming Basket House and behind my Tenant House where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit, is a garden filled with lush perennials.
If you didn’t already guess, I named this garden the Stewartia garden because I planted several Stewartia trees in this space. Stewartia is a species of flowering plant in the family Theaceae, native to Japan and Korea. All varieties are slow-growing, all-season performers that show off fresh bright green leaves in spring, white flowers resembling single camellias in summer, and colorful foliage in autumn. Some of the varieties in this garden include: Stewartia gemmata, Stewartia x. henryae, Stewartia pseudocamellia ‘Ballet’, Stewartia monadelpha, Stewartia rostrata, and Stewartia henry ‘Skyrocket’. And do you know why I love Stewartia trees? Well, Stewart is my last name after all. However, there is no relation. “Stewartia” is named for Scottish nobleman and botanist, John Stuart, who had imported the plant to his personal London garden. He later served as British prime minister from 1762 to 1763.
The tiger lilies are just beginning to bloom. Native to China and Japan, Tiger lilies, Lilium lancifolium, bloom in mid to late summer, are easy to grow and come back year after year. I also have them across the carriage road in my long and winding pergola garden.
Hostas have easy care requirements which make them ideal for many gardens. I have them all around the farm. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
When blooming, osta flower rise high about the foliage. The flowers feature spikes of blossoms that look like lilies, in shades of lavender or white. The bell-shaped blooms can be showy and exceptionally fragrant.
Some of the ferns in this area include the Japanese painted ferns – beautiful mounds of dramatic foliage with luminescent blue-green fronds and dark central ribs that fade to silver at the edges.
In contrast are the ostrich ferns – a light green clump-forming, upright to arching, rhizomatous, deciduous fern which typically grows up to six feet tall.
Heuchera is a genus of largely evergreen perennial plants in the family Saxifragaceae, all native to North America. Common names include alumroot and coral bells.
Last year, I decided it was time to create some new footpaths around my Stewartia garden. I used large flagstone pavers placed several inches apart and surrounded with mulch. I have many stone materials already here at the farm and knew these would be perfect for this space.
These are the dainty leaves of Thalictrum, or Meadow Rue – a robust, upright, clump-forming perennial featuring clouds of lavender mauve flowers later in the season.
This is Syneilesis palmata. Over time, these plants form a sizeable patch of green umbrella-shaped leaves. Mature foliage can be more than a foot across with deeply toothed, narrow leaves – it is really an interesting plant.
I love Japanese maples and have many here at the farm. With more than a thousand varieties and cultivars, the iconic Japanese maple tree is among the most versatile small trees for use in the landscape. Some of the Japanese maples in this garden include Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’, Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’, and Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Red Dragon’.
This is Pulmonaria, or lungwort – a beautiful, versatile, hardy plant. Lungworts are evergreen or herbaceous perennials that form clumps or rosettes. The spotted oval leaves were thought to symbolize diseased, ulcerated lungs, and so were once used to treat pulmonary infections.
The garden is edged on one side by the towering bald cypress trees, Taxodium distichum – a deciduous conifer. Though the bald cypress is native to swampy areas, it is also able to withstand dry, sunny weather and is hardy in USDA climate zones 5 through 10.
One of the most interesting characteristics of the bald cypress is its knees. Known by the scientific name pneumatophores, these growths are specialized root structures that grow vertically above the moist soil near the tree. It is believed that these structures aid the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the roots. Looking carefully at the ground, one can see many of these unique knees.
The delicate puffs from the Cotinus can be seen from afar. Cotinus, the smoketree, or smoke bush, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs.
Astilboides is an interesting plant with huge, bright green leaves that are round and flat and measure up to 24-inches across. The effect is dramatic, and beautiful among other hardy perennials.
Epimediums are long-lived and easy to grow and have such attractive and varying foliage. Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop’s hat, and horny goat weed, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae.
I also have several Cotoneaster in one corner of the garden. Cotoneaster is a vigorous, dense, evergreen shrub with soft arching stems studded with leathery, glossy, rounded, dark green leaves. These plants work well for a low hedge – I only wish I had planted more.
Asarum europaeum, or European Wild Ginger, is a slowly spreading ground cover that is primarily grown for its glossy, leathery, heart-shaped, dark green leaves.
Here’s another view of the handsome stand of bald cypress. All my gardens continue to be works in progress. Every year, they grow more beautiful and more lush.
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