When Vineet Bhatia started his career as a chef in 1988, he briefing interned with The Oberoi, Mumbai. Today he leads the show at the hotel along with helming other modern Indian restaurants across the globe. His passion project Ziya completed 6 years last year, while his Michelin starrer Rasoi in London turns 12 this year, so you know he’s a busy man. Luckily for us, the true blue Punjabi chef is in town to revamp Ziya’s menu and we hoarded his afternoon to do some serious eating while chatting him up. And believe us, his food is as spunky and real as he is!
AMBIENCE
The Oberoi is blessed with a great location and by extension, Ziya is too. So you can dine with a gorgeous view of the bay as abundant fresh light streams in during the day and after sundown, you can marvel at the brightly lit Queen’s Necklace. The décor complements the menu and is modern with hints of ethnicity. A glass enclosed kitchen shows off precision as your meal is prepared in front of you with wafting aromas building up the appetite.
FOOD + DRINKS
You can expect two things when you eat at Ziya – your plate will look stunning and you’ll notice bold flavours in unusual pairings. The new menu is already up and running, and we sampled the Sunday lunch spread along with a few highlights from the regular al a carte list. They also offer 7 course gourmand menus that include vegetarian options as well, making it a perfect option for diners who want to sample a variety of dishes.
We started with the Chaat Thali that comprised of bite size Papdi Chaat, Aloo Tikki, Vada Pav Tokri and Dahi Bhalla placed on a shiny golden board. Giving a fine dine makeover to street food staples, the team shows off vibrant flavours and fresh textures. Another dish that gets a global polish is the humble Poha, only this one comes topped with Prawn Balchao giving it an extra bite and spicy kick. The herbivore version comes topped with wholesome aubergine chutney. Then there’s the Spring Onion Uttapam – their take on the humble onion uttapam comes with a side of spicy dhaba murg topped with old school fryums that add crunch.
After a great beginning, our meal swam upstream with the Machi Duo. The pretty plate had two types of fish – smoked salmon in a honeyed mustard-dill marinade and a pan grilled coconut bekti served with coconut chutney shaped as lego block. While the betki was fragrant with coconut, the salmon’s kasundi mustard paired with honey gave it a flavour profile that we are still dreaming about. The fish was followed by Chaap Kheema – ginger lamb chops, walnut potato toss, kheema cones or as they call it Matterhorn and rogan josh coins. While the lamb chops where succulent, the earthy potato balanced the dish with meaty Matterhorn stuffed with kheema and rogan josh jelly made out of curry.
If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you save a lot of room for it, as the options here are excellent. Our favourite was the creamy rice Kheer that was dressed on a coconut granola topped with saffron caramelised pineapple. A close second was the Coconut Rasmalai topped with fresh alphonso mangoes, rose caviar and hints of fennel seeds that gave the dish a fresh aftertaste.
While Chef Bhatia will head back to London soon to give Rasoi a fresh look, his home team at Ziya will be helmed by Chef Nayna. So get yourself a table right away as the property will look beyond stunning once the rains seep in and the food will continue to evolve.
Price: Rs 4,500 for two
Timings: 12.30 pm to 2.45 pm and 7 pm to 11.30 pm
When Vineet Bhatia started his career as a chef in 1988, he briefing interned with The Oberoi, Mumbai. Today he leads the show at the hotel along with helming other modern Indian restaurants across the globe. His passion project Ziya completed 6 years last year, while his Michelin starrer Rasoi in London turns 12 this year, so you know he’s a busy man. Luckily for us, the true blue Punjabi chef is in town to revamp Ziya’s menu and we hoarded his afternoon to do some serious eating while chatting him up. And believe us, his food is as spunky and real as he is!
AMBIENCE
The Oberoi is blessed with a great location and by extension, Ziya is too. So you can dine with a gorgeous view of the bay as abundant fresh light streams in during the day and after sundown, you can marvel at the brightly lit Queen’s Necklace. The décor complements the menu and is modern with hints of ethnicity. A glass enclosed kitchen shows off precision as your meal is prepared in front of you with wafting aromas building up the appetite.
FOOD + DRINKS
You can expect two things when you eat at Ziya – your plate will look stunning and you’ll notice bold flavours in unusual pairings. The new menu is already up and running, and we sampled the Sunday lunch spread along with a few highlights from the regular al a carte list. They also offer 7 course gourmand menus that include vegetarian options as well, making it a perfect option for diners who want to sample a variety of dishes.
We started with the Chaat Thali that comprised of bite size Papdi Chaat, Aloo Tikki, Vada Pav Tokri and Dahi Bhalla placed on a shiny golden board. Giving a fine dine makeover to street food staples, the team shows off vibrant flavours and fresh textures. Another dish that gets a global polish is the humble Poha, only this one comes topped with Prawn Balchao giving it an extra bite and spicy kick. The herbivore version comes topped with wholesome aubergine chutney. Then there’s the Spring Onion Uttapam – their take on the humble onion uttapam comes with a side of spicy dhaba murg topped with old school fryums that add crunch.
After a great beginning, our meal swam upstream with the Machi Duo. The pretty plate had two types of fish – smoked salmon in a honeyed mustard-dill marinade and a pan grilled coconut bekti served with coconut chutney shaped as lego block. While the betki was fragrant with coconut, the salmon’s kasundi mustard paired with honey gave it a flavour profile that we are still dreaming about. The fish was followed by Chaap Kheema – ginger lamb chops, walnut potato toss, kheema cones or as they call it Matterhorn and rogan josh coins. While the lamb chops where succulent, the earthy potato balanced the dish with meaty Matterhorn stuffed with kheema and rogan josh jelly made out of curry.
If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you save a lot of room for it, as the options here are excellent. Our favourite was the creamy rice Kheer that was dressed on a coconut granola topped with saffron caramelised pineapple. A close second was the Coconut Rasmalai topped with fresh alphonso mangoes, rose caviar and hints of fennel seeds that gave the dish a fresh aftertaste.
While Chef Bhatia will head back to London soon to give Rasoi a fresh look, his home team at Ziya will be helmed by Chef Nayna. So get yourself a table right away as the property will look beyond stunning once the rains seep in and the food will continue to evolve.
Price: Rs 4,500 for two
Timings: 12.30 pm to 2.45 pm and 7 pm to 11.30 pm