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It’s been a so-so year for restaurants.
Nothing really precedent-shattering opened. Very few restaurateurs took chances. And chefs were gradually replaced by bartenders as more and more bars pretended to be restaurants.
This year’s list, like last year’s includes some of the most talked about Indian restaurants in the world as well as the most interesting restaurants in India.
Gaggan, Bangkok
Still the most watched Indian chef in the world, Gaggan Anand had us talking about him for two different reasons. His much publicised spat with Michelin which saw his restaurant leaving the star rating category (despite being voted the Best Restaurant in Asia by 50 Best) ended with Gaggan returning to the list. And the Indian food world is agog with speculation that he will finally open a restaurant in Delhi this spring.
Tresind Studio Dubai
This was the year when an Indian restaurant finally made Michelin history. Tresind Studio became the first and only Indian restaurant in the world to win three Michelin stars, a distinction that had foodies cheering and rival restaurateurs weeping. The stars were a tribute to Chef Himanshu Saini’s dedication and to founder Bhupendra Nath’s belief in Himanshu.
There will be two new Tresinds soon. One in London and one in America.
Sienna Kolkata
The best way to eat well in Kolkata, it has long been said, is to eat at home. Sienna is the restaurant that has proved the aphorism wrong. Starting out as a cafe on top of a shop it has grown into a full fledged restaurant. Two chefs —Avinandan Kundu and Koyel Nandy— pull brilliant dishes out of their imagination and break the boundaries that divide different cuisines from each other.
Naar, Himachal Pradesh
I used to say that more Indians have interned at Copenhagen’s legendary Noma than have ever eaten there. You could say something similar about former Noma intern Prateek Sadhu’s Naar. Though relatively few people have made the arduous trek to Naar’s distant location many more have eaten the food as Sadhu has travelled across the world cooking Naar’s menu at pop ups everywhere.
Sadhu is a gifted chef and Naar has become a desi Noma in the sense that even people who will never go there are familiar with the food.
The Table, Mumbai
| "It’s not easy to win international recognition if you are going to stick to classic Indian food but Jamavar has done what was once considered impossible." |
It’s always wonderful when a familiar restaurant starts firing on all cylinders. The Table is a Mumbai institution but ever since opening chef Alex Sanchez left to start his own empire the kitchen has limped along. But now, under Will Aghajanian, the food is so good that not only is the restaurant being talked about again but Kasper’s, a sister establishment, has also opened in Bandra.
Naru Noodle Bar, Bangalore
It’s an idea so outrageous that I am still amazed by how much of a craze it has become. Kavan Kuttappa loves ramen and decided to open a tiny noodle bar dedicated to serving the best noodles he could make. The restaurant took off because Kavan cut no corners. His noodles are totally authentic and his broth has more flavour and depth than you can possibly imagine.
It is Bangalore’s hottest reservation and almost impossible to get into.
Jamavar, London
It’s not easy to win international recognition if you are going to stick to classic Indian food but Jamavar (which grew out of the Leela hotel restaurants of the same name) has done what was once considered impossible. Its flagship in London’s Mayfair is always packed but more significant is that Jamavar is the only Indian brand to have won Michelin stars for all three outposts in three different cities: London, Doha and Dubai.
Comorin, Mumbai
Originally Comorin was meant to be the more outgoing suburban younger brother of Indian Accent; larger, noisier but with the same sort of food.
It is still all that but the food has developed a distinctive character of its own. A Mumbai version opened to huge success and in a couple of years there will be Comorins all over India.
Because the first Comorin is in Gurgaon they never opened one in Delhi. That gap may be filled when Manish Mehrotra the original founding chef opens his own restaurant near Sundar Nursery in a couple of months.
Veeraswamy London
It’s been an exciting year for Veeraswamy the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in the West. First the Crown Estate, its landlord tried to evict it from its historic location leading to an international uproar. Then its owners, the Panjabi/ Mathranis, sold their restaurant group to respected PIO billionaire Prem Watsa whose interests include Bangalore airport and Thomas Cook.
Let’s see what the future holds.
Semma, New York
When Semma opened in New York I thought it was just another restaurant in Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya’s Unapologetic Foods stable which already included the brilliant Dhamaka.
But Semma’s success has defied all expectations. It is the only Indian restaurant in New York with a Michelin star and Vijaya Kumar, its shy, unaffected chef has become a star, who is honoured all over the world, most recently by La Liste in Paris.
Who would have thought that a relatively simple restaurant that served fiery South Indian food would become one of the hardest tables to book in the world’s greatest restaurant city?
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