His first job was behind the bar counter at The Oberoi, where he wanted to become a bartender. There was one problem though — his height, which kept him from reaching the counter. It was this that led to him being transferred to the kitchen to become a chef instead. Determined to succeed, Vineet Bhatia raised the bar by becoming one of the first Indian chefs to receive a Michelin star in 2001, for his restaurant Zaika in London. Ever since, there’s been no looking back.
Today, with two stars in his kitty, Bhatia successfully runs several restaurants across the globe, and Ziya, the modern Indian restaurant at The Oberoi in Mumbai, since 2010.
His new gourmand menu that he recently launched in Mumbai, “is a journey, just like musical notes, where one starts off on a high note, goes through ups and downs, till one reaches a crescendo and finally finishes off”. The starters and the dessert, must leave an impact, he opines. And he ensures that.
He prefers to offer a starter that opens up the palate and gets the diner ready for the rest of the meal. In his latest menu, he has introduced the chaat toffee, where prawns, apple, corn and cauliflower are ensconced in a toffee-shaped pastry, with the flavours of a chaat intact.
Always, true to his Indian flavours, Bhatia plays around with the ingredients, giving a twist to flavour profiles, without altering the essence of the “Indianess” of the dish. His mustard chicken tikka is a perfect testimony to his progressive Indian food, where he serves the chicken tikka on a bed of aubergine raita , replete with the flavours of mustard and curry leaves, covered with crisp spinach thins.
Summer special
If beetroot had caught his fancy when he was in Mumbai in January this year, this time it is undoubtedly the king of fruits — mango. He has used mangoes in a kuchumber along with other traditional ingredients like tomato, cucumber and onions, and serves this with a sesame honeyed cod.
Vegetarian food as always, is predominant in his new menu. Yet, there is no dearth of innovation. “It is perhaps more exciting to create,” Bhatia says. Hazelnut butter aubergine, with edamame coconut khichdi , turmeric moilee and a pan-grilled sun-dried tomato momo, is as inventive as the option for non-vegetarians.
Bhatia admits that he is happiest when he is in his kitchen, creating new dishes and playing around with textures and flavours. “I love cooking fish, as the flavours are so delicate and have to be balanced perfectly. It is challenging and exciting at the same time,” he says.
Spices, according to him, are the “soul of any dish” and he loves to use them, but sparingly. Food should be well-spiced, not over-spiced.
A man on a mission to spread awareness of real Indian food in the UK and now globally, Bhatia is happy that world over, people now understand the flavours and nuances of Indian cuisine, rather than the tomato-based sauces that were passed off as Indian gravies, decades ago.
“I want to keep popularising Indian cuisine where there is a demand and respect for Indian food,” he says. Small wonder then that he is all set to open his second restaurant, Indego by Vineet, in Doha in December this year.
But it is Ziya that continues to hold a special place in his heart, for it was here that he learnt his.
For someone who did not match up to many in height, this 50-year-old rebel, but celebrated chef, known for his modern and evolved Indian food, now stands tall in stature with his talent, fame and creativity.
