Kiran’s Reopens on Richmond Avenue

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Verma’s unconventional pani puri includes traditional potato and chickpeas in the light flour puffs, but also pomegranate and cranberries. The mint-tamarind water served with it is a refreshing sip in its own right, not unlike the mint lemonade also available among the drinks.

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Verma’s unconventional pani puri includes traditional potato and chickpeas in the light flour puffs, but also pomegranate and cranberries. The mint-tamarind water served with it is a refreshing sip in its own right, not unlike the mint lemonade also available among the drinks.

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This soup flight includes, clockwise from top left, tomato-saffron, mulligatawny and more Mexican than Indian corn-Poblano bisque.

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This soup flight includes, clockwise from top left, tomato-saffron, mulligatawny and more Mexican than Indian corn-Poblano bisque.

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Vegetarians are treated to a choice of 21 different dishes (listed as sides on the menu), including this chickpea pindi channa, served here with the rich, nut-topped mango lassi.

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Vegetarians are treated to a choice of 21 different dishes (listed as sides on the menu), including this chickpea pindi channa, served here with the rich, nut-topped mango lassi.

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The lunchtime Scotch Egg Curry marries sikh kebab with a British classic. The crisp bread-crumb-covered meat rests in a bowl of rogan josh gravy. The purple heritage carrots, like roughly 80 percent of the produce at the restaurant, are local.

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The lunchtime Scotch Egg Curry marries sikh kebab with a British classic. The crisp bread-crumb-covered meat rests in a bowl of rogan josh gravy. The purple heritage carrots, like roughly 80 percent of the produce at the restaurant, are local.

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The rack of lamb is served with shallot marmalade, blackberry demi-glace and aloo methi (potatoes with fenugreek), as well as shaved apple. A burning rosemary sprig adds its aroma to the combination.

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The rack of lamb is served with shallot marmalade, blackberry demi-glace and aloo methi (potatoes with fenugreek), as well as shaved apple. A burning rosemary sprig adds its aroma to the combination.

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Ras malai, a classic Indian dessert of sweet whey balls in condensed milk, gets an upgrade with crunchy almonds and edible silver.

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Ras malai, a classic Indian dessert of sweet whey balls in condensed milk, gets an upgrade with crunchy almonds and edible silver.

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This saffron panna cotta was on the menu at the previous incarnation, but has been reimagined with a more modern look. Saffron gel, edible nasturtiums, microgreens and tiny pistachio macarons make it a varied treat.

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This saffron panna cotta was on the menu at the previous incarnation, but has been reimagined with a more modern look. Saffron gel, edible nasturtiums, microgreens and tiny pistachio macarons make it a varied treat.

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Last April, Kiran Verma served the final meal at her beloved River Oaks restaurant, Kiran’s. But tomorrow, it will reopen at 2925 Richmond Ave., not far from Kirby Drive. As of press time, Verma was still deciding whether she’ll offer lunch right from the beginning, but will likely wait a week or so. However, diners are already making reservations for dinner, which will be served from 5 p.m. beginning tomorrow.

When lunch follows, so will afternoon tea, she says. Those offerings include finger sandwiches with Darjeeling tea, including fusion fillings such as English cucumber with mint chutney, mango chicken salad with pomegranate and tandoor-smoked salmon and dill. The Brit version comes with Earl Gray and warm cranberry-orange scones, as well as petits fours and other desserts. There’s also masala chai made from Kiran’s own blend, which is sold at the front of the new restaurant and may soon be on shelves at Central Market.

When the restaurant’s previous iteration closed, tea was served on Saturday only. There was no lunch service. This will be amended from Monday through Friday with a varied menu of lighter dishes that use local ingredients to create Indian flavors. Awadhi biryani are tureens of the rice dish presented in pot pie style beneath a layer of flaky spiced pastry. Roti wraps and burgers (including a bison patty with lamb bacon, fennel-mint chutney and onion jam with masala fries) are fun finger food. Weekday brunch seekers can choose from egg white omelets filled with mushrooms, Gruyère and either lamb sikh kebab or foie gras. For those seeking a heartier meal, there are curries and a Punjabi thali that includes chicken tikka masala, rogan josh and palak paneer, as well as Verma’s take on fish and chips, using a Indian Kingfisher beer batter and tamarind tartar sauce.

Dinner continues Verma’s legacy of upscale fusion. A starter of foie gras, for example, may sound wholly French until the diner realizes that the fig chutney and toast, baked by Weights + Measures, are both heavily spiced.  Tomat0-and-burrata salad utilizes oozing mozzarella imported from Italy by Houston Select Foods, but gets its dominant flavors from a curry leaf-mustard vinaigrette and cumin-scented tomato consommé sorbet.

It’s possible to assemble a dinner entirely from the menu of chaat, including four varieties of samosas alone, but then diners would miss the rack of venison with apple-mint chutney and Mediterranean farro, the confited Moulard leg of the Duck Two Ways, and the black sea bass with charred Poblano, coconut broth, green pea purée and mushroom biryani.

The seafood, of course, is from the Gulf. As executive sous-chef Dominick Lee puts it, “We are sourcing the best ingredients. We really take pride in that.” The mushrooms in the biryani come from Indian Creek Farm in Spring Branch. Citrus comes to Kiran’s courtesy of Panzarella Citrus in Lake Jackson. 

The bright new space, which includes a bold art installation of bowls that reminded Verma of the format of her childhood meals, has something beautiful to see at every turn, from mother-of-pearl-and-gold inlaid walls to framed traditional Indian garments. The drink menu, a collaboration between restaurant consultant Shepherd Ross, bar director Andy Maurer and wine expert Dr. Jagdish Sharma, is similarly mult-faceted. Ross says that when he first arrived in Houston, Verma’s Scotch dinners had enough of a following that he became a regular. He’s added single malt Scotches and Japanese whiskeys to the mix, as well as unlikely pairings including sherries, ciders and even a Calvados.

Maurer’s cocktails utilize freshly squeezed juices made from the aforementioned local produce. Some, such as the Basil Martini and Guava Margarita are holdovers from the previous menu. But an entire section, entitled “Kiran’s 2.0,” is all new. “Aakhiree Shahb,” for example, translates to “Last Word,” and the Kiran’s version uses green cardamom syrup with its Aviation gin, green chartreuse and Luxardo maraschino cherry. The Pisco Masala has Pisco grapefruit alongside St. Germain and garam masala syrup.

And all of the above are ready for their close-up tomorrow.