Remember in Harry Potter how young wizards would learn some unsuspecting word—lumos, for instance—and suddenly magic would happen, like light appearing in the darkness? Great chefs do something similar, making unforgettable meals out of unexpected and deceptively simple things. Consider Niven Patel’s new island-inspired restaurant, Paya, where each dish was excellent, and unlike any version I’d tried before.
That’s always been Patel’s way, with his award-winning takes on Indian dishes at Ghee and homage to Italian classics at Erba. At Paya, Patel has once again teamed up with partner and hospitality pro Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar. They’ve refreshed the former Joliet space just east of Sunset Harbour, reconfiguring the entrance along with the poolside terrace, which will open soon.
For the menu, Niven uses produce from his farm, blending it with island and Indian flavors. I started with the tangy papaya salad with shrimp; scallop crudo served on starfruit with passion fruit puree; oysters with jackfruit mignonette; tamarind-glazed lamb chops with roasted plantains, and a Caribbean-spiced crab cake with fruit salsa.
Then there’s the grilled cheese, cut into quarters and standing upright like the ones you’d dip into tomato soup, but here it’s served on fluffy sourdough with truffle brie and anchored in mango jam. This dish—just three ingredients—was pretty otherworldly.
I’d already eaten too much before the entrees arrived: a crispy tripletail in coconut curry and peri peri chicken with salsa verde and boniato mash. But each dish was so well done, not an errant ingredient in sight. So, zero regrets.
It continued into dessert, a crowd-pleasing rum cake with caramelized edges and guanabana ice cream with—get this—a quenelle of caviar. I’d never had caviar with dessert, but there we were, savoring the saltiness of fish eggs in the night’s final bite.
I’m not saying Patel has a magic wand back there in the kitchen. But at Paya, one of Miami’s finest chefs has conjured an entirely new menu of dishes so good they seem crafted with sorcery.