As cooking enthusiasts, Heena Jain (The Kitchen Butterfly) and I had the great pleasure of partaking in a private cooking lesson with celebrity Chef Vineet Bhatia, visiting Mumbai to launch a new menu for his restaurant Ziya at The Oberoi. Chef Bhatia showed us how to make two of his dishes: Tandoori Malai Broccoli and his Bisi Bela Chicken. Both came out to delicious perfection – the broccoli was beautifully marinated without being drowned in cream or overcooked to a mush; meanwhile the chicken was succulent and delightfully spiced. For those of you keen on trying these simple yet elegant dishes at home, watch the video below!
After the lesson we settled in for a preview lunch of his upcoming menu, with Heena going the vegetarian way while I jumped right into the protein. Both of us received a Dahi Bhalla amuse bouche, beautifully complemented with a cool dollop of Tamarind Sorbet.
As an appetizer I was served the Akhroti Tawa Seekh, a classic seekh kebab that was beautifully spiced and surprisingly well paired with sweet, crunchy walnuts. On the veg side, Chef Bhatia served Tikki-Pe-Tikka: a spinach-dahi tikki with a smoked paneer tikka, featuring a delicate cardamom flavor and a side of aubergine chaat.
For the main course, I devoured the perfectly grilled Kolhapuri Jhinga (jumbo prawns) – tender but retaining that satisfying bite. As with all of Bhatia’s creations, this dish also featured a twist, as it came served atop a bed of classic Poha surrounded by a spicy Kolhapuri sauce. The vegetarian dish featured the same base, with a Mushroom Galauti Kebab substituted for the prawns. Although I am not generally fond of galauti, fans of the melt-in-your-mouth kebab will be hard pressed to find a better vegetarian substitute, both in texture and flavor.
Chef Bhatia makes no bones about his sweet tooth, and his desserts certainly reflected this. The inventive Rose Petal and Gulab Jamun Cheesecake – literally a rose flavoured cheesecake poured atop a gulab jamun base – was only to be outdone in its sweetness by the delicious Coconut-Mango Kulfi.
Ziya’s new menu launched this week, and offers both a la carte and fixed menu options.
The Details
Ziya Oberoi Hotel
Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021
Tel: +(91)-(22)-66325757, 66324343, 66326210, 66102007, +(91)-(22)-22043282