Kailash Parbat (KP) is a bastion of Indian food, both at home and abroad. In fact, this writer gave into homesickness on a trip to New York last year, and succumbed to some khichdi at the chain’s Manhattan outpost. And now, KP is changing with the times. Their latest outpost off Bandra’s Linking Road will still serve the chaat, lip-smacking Punjabi food and gulab jamuns that it’s famous for, but there’s more.
Following other city restaurants, you can now find pav bhaji fondue, Amritsari fondue (made with their chole) and ragda empanadas on the KP menu as well. How much of this is just a simple rebranding of regular Indian food, and how much of it is truly innovative, we’ll have to wait and see.
The Hindu spoke with Kamlesh Mulchandani, one of the four managing directors behind the global family-held restaurant chain. “This [Bandra opening] is our 31st outlet now,” he says. “There’s five more lined up till November.” In the next few months, KP will be present in Surat, Vashi, Toronto, New Jersey and Chennai.
Taking a cue from Lower Parel’s swish establishments, this bi-level KP outpost is done up keeping in mind Bandra’s younger crowd. Colourful ikat fabrics and geometric motifs dominate the upholstery. The walls sport leather trunks that showcase tchotchkes from the different cities where the chain has outlets.
“This concept is basically KP around the globe,” says Mulchandani, alluding to baubles and trinkets from Singapore, London, and New York, among other international cities.
The highlight of this particular restaurant, however, is the addition of a bar — the first domestic one of its kind from the eatery.
“This is the first KP where we are doing a bar with it,” says the managing director. “There’s a lot of demand in this area for a vegetarian [restaurant] and a bar, so a lot of feedback [has been] taken.”
He added, “A lot of people are turning to vegetarianism, but still they’re not going off the booze.”
Essentially, this enterprise is an experiment to see how customers respond to being able to get a rum and coke with your chole. Punters looking to indulge will have to wait though, as the restaurant is still awaiting its liquor licence and won’t be serving drinks right from opening night.
Like the food, which has moved from being served on plates to pans, trays and all sorts of other Instagram-ready crockery, those indulging in a bit of tipple can expect to find regular cocktails with a twist. The drinks card promises to offer variations such as sharabi lassi, KP Long Island Iced Tea (made with pani puri ka pani) and a whiskey sour with an ajwain twist.
Not content to rest on its laurels, the family plans to expand to Australia, New Zealand, San Francisco and Hong Kong next year, and get to Nagpur in 2017. With both Indian classics and a new contemporary menu, KP hopes to expand its appeal to the young and old alike.
Kailash Parbat Bandrais now open at Ganga Jamna Sangam, Shop no. 1, near Starbucks, off Linking Road, Bandra West.
