If you long for traditional Indian cuisine, or are up for a culinary adventure, Namaste is your restaurant. Opened in 1991 Namaste is the longest-running Indian restaurant in Israel. You cannot argue with success!
Namaste is located on the Ashdod tayelet. You can't miss the uniquely designed Moorish-style building complete with pointed arches and curlicues! No, you are not in Morocco. The restaurant is a quiet retreat on the ground floor on the south side of the building. There is ample and convenient parking all around the building.
Namaste specializes in the foods of northern India. which is very different from other geographic areas of India. You won't find Dosa on the menu, for example, a food of southern India. The staff is primarily Israeli olim from one of India’s Jewish communities. But the two chefs are Indian, brought to Israel for the restauant. Ashdod has a significant Indian community that patronize Namaste regularly, a testament to the authenticity of the food.
Indian dishes traditionally containing both meat and milk. Kosher Indian dishes substitute vegetable based and coconut milk for the dairy ingredients and cashews for other non-kosher recipes. Though not exactly the same as the non-kosher version, the non-dairy substitutes come close enough.
The first time we visited Namaste we came with our English friends Pete & Pat (their names have been changed to protect the innocent) who are great fans of Indian cuisine. Pete & Pat not only know the Indian foods, they can actually pronounce them. They guided us through the unfamiliar menu and vouched for the authenticity of the dishes.
Wanting to taste everything, we shared our dishes that were placed in the center of the table. The dishes are generous so they can easily stretch for 4 diners and the more dishes you can try, the more fun this will be. The flavors are strong and powerful, and a small amount goes a long way.
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The dishes at Namaste are made fresh when ordered and can be tweaked to your taste. Tell the waiter your preferences spice-wise and you will be accommodated. Waiters come tearing out of the kitchen with trays laden with beautiful looking dishes, still hot from the cooking.
 For starters, on this visit my wife and I shared three dishes: Batata Wada, a potato dumpling with a crispy coating, Onion Bhaja, crispy deep fried onion fritters, and garlic Naan, Indian flat bread with garlic and cilantro topping. Naan is a staple of Indian cuisine, so there was no way we would have missed it. The naan is prepared in a Tandoor, an Indian tabun oven, on site.
The dishes were served with two condiments that we put on all of our dishes. The flavors were heavy on the Indian herbs but they were not spicy.
I have an unwritten rule that whenever chicken wings appear on a menu, I have to order them. The deep-fried chicken wings were our third starter. There were about 8 half wings with a pleasant crispy coating.
Three are a lot of starters, and as the foods are quite filling, I could have stopped right there. But wanting to taste a main dish I selected the coconut curry chicken, which the waiter agreed was a good choice. The dish had some 5 pieces of white meat in a large amount of curry sauce flavored with coconut milk. The flavor of the curry was strong but pleasant; I would rate it about medium on the spicy scale. We also shared a large portion of the basic basmati rice that comes with Indian herbs. The remaining curry sauce from my chicken dish was just what this rice needed. We also shared a large portion of the basic basmati rice that comes with Indian herbs. The remaining curry sauce from my chicken dish was just what this rice needed.
 The vegetarian section on the menu suggests about a dozen non-meat dishes and some of the meaty dishes can be prepared without the meat. There are also child-friendly dishes, but a visit to Namaste would be a good opportunity to introduce cooperative children to some special flavors. All the dishes are made to order, and can be requested not spicy, moderately spicy or as the good Lord intended.
After the starters and the substantial main course, we needed nothing more. Nevertheless we were interested in what Indians serve for dessert. Classic Indian desserts are made with coconut milk, rose water, and tapioca. Sticky sweet pastries are an option but we shared a Faluda, a specialty at Namaste. This is a parve sundae-looking dessert with a base of tapioca noodles and non-dairy ice cream on top.
If you have a yen for authentic Indian cuisine, or if you want to learn about it, Namaste is the place to go. The food is very good, the prices are reasonable, and the service is excellent.
There is a city parking lot next to the restaurant free of charge to Ashdod residents. The rest of us pay. The parking lot also serves the beach so there is some competition for spots.
Namaste can host parties of up to 100 people without disturbing other diners.
Reservations are strongly recommended, especially in the evening. Folks come from far and wide for this fine Indian hospitality. Pete & Pat will be happy to accommodate you on another visit to Namaste. Contact us for their fees.
When you visit, say hello, or namaste, from eLuna.
From the Menu:
Batata Wada NIS 22
Onion Bhaja NIS 38
Garlic Nan NIS 14
rice (medium) NIS 24
Chicken coconut curry NIS 66
Chicken Tikka from the tandoor NIS 68
Faluda dessert NIS 24/32
Mix grill NIS 162. |
