Is this Indian food authentic? I have no clue. I'm not qualified to make such statements. My expertise is in "food good" or "food not good". And Cafe Nirvana? Food GOOD!
We came on a Friday night to a packed restaurant. We were the only ones not of Indian descent, so that may answer the question about authenticity.
Papads - Similar to receiving chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant to tide you over, they served us Papads. Crispy wafer type bread with two contrasting sauces: sweet plum sauce and a vibrant green type salsa puree. We were hesitant to try them at first, but they were wonderful. So many unexpected flavor explosions in my mouth!
Mango Lassi - All the children had a tall glass of what looked like an orange smoothie, so of course we wanted it too. It was delicately sweet and thick and full of mango yumminess. The first sip even made my husband stray from his usual vernacular and proclaim the beverage "delightful!" (with a notable high pitched inflection).
Kashmiri Naan - We really should have saved this one for dessert. Imbedded with fruits and nuts, it was really a treat.
Tandoori Chicken Half - This was listed as an appetizer. I don't know why we thought that half a chicken was a proper sized appetizer but we ordered it anyways. It was charbroiled and tasty.
Chicken Tikka Masala - Jump on the bandwagon! Like all the reviewers before me, this is the entree to get! Cubes of tender chicken breast in a creamy tomato based sauce. The flavor is smooth and mellow and pairs perfectly with the fluffy white basmati rice.
Navrattan Korma - This was our "healthy vegetarian dish". Shows you how much I know about Indian food lol. I don't know if it's the navrattan or the korma, but one of those words must mean super super rich cream sauce. Don't get me wrong, it tasted great. Nice and nutty flavor, but it was way too rich to eat as an entree on its own.
The overall experience was really nice. The servers were a bit slow but they were very kind and we weren't in a hurry. I recommend ordering family style, everything seems made perfectly for sharing :). Will definitely go there again!