Restaurant Report: Shanik in Seattle

Encouraged by the flowering of Seattle’s once-industrial South Lake Union neighborhood, the area’s restaurants now reflect a veritable United Nations of world cuisines. One of the latest and most celebrated is Indian, by way of the fertile mind of Meeru Dhalwala, half of the husband-wife team behind Vij’s, the outpost of nontraditional Indian cuisine in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Born outside Delhi, Ms. Dhalwala came to the United States at a young age, before moving to Canada in 1995. Though her background is in international development, at Vij’s she ran the kitchen and honed a highly personal and idiosyncratic take on Indian food. “I use many local ingredients, but it’s not fusion,” she said. “It’s Indian, though I’ve basically erased all the culinary boundaries of the subcontinent.”

Her passion and vision are in evidence at Shanik, a 72-seat restaurant that she opened with Oguz Istif in December on the street level of an Amazon headquarters building. The warm space mixes Moller Danish modern chairs with suggestions of India in the form of wooden screens and touches of gold leaf and paisley. In the lounge, blue lights wash the ceiling, evoking the Himalayan night sky, as patrons nibble snacks like piping-hot vegetable pakoras.

Following Ms. Dhalwala’s desire to erase boundaries, many dishes layer flavors and textures: A fiery, chunky purée of roasted eggplant and butternut squash gets a bit of crunch from black chickpeas. In one of the place’s most popular preparations â€" inspired by her love of the good old American combination of meat, mashed potatoes and gravy â€" lamb chops encrusted with northern Indian spices crown a mash of split peas and spinach in a pool of velvet-smooth curry made, in southern Indian style, with coconut milk. For dessert, a rich liquid custard gets a sprinkling of caramelized nuts and a vivid red lacing of Rooh Afza, a syrup that is the subcontinent’s answer to grenadine.

The kitchen staff, visible from the dining room, also reflect a personal vision. She has hired female cooks â€" half of them Punjabi, the others Ethiopian â€" with no restaurant experience but a deep knowledge of spices. “I train them in my recipes, but I learn a lot from them, too,” she said. “I really don’t consider myself a chef. That puts a name on something that comes from my heart.” 

Shanik, 500 Terry Avenue North, Seattle; (206) 486-6884; shanikrestaurant.com. Average price for a dinner for two, excluding drinks and tip, is about $80. No reservations.