London isn’t short of upmarket Indian restaurants, but demand remains high and so next up is another venture from the chef Rohit Ghai.
Together with business partner Abhi Sangwan, Ghai will launch Vatavaran on Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge, a “luxury Indian dining destination” drawing inspiration from the Himalayas.
Vatavaran means “atmosphere” in Sanskrit and the restaurant will be split across multiple levels. The hope is that the experience feels mountainous and atmospheric.
The restaurant, the Standard was told, will offer high-end dishes alongside live music and entertainment. Drinks will come from an upstairs cocktail bar named Shikhar, or “mountain peak”, where there will also be snacks.
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The bar is to come with a cocktail menu from Sangwan himself, paying homage to the spices found in the Indian mountains and incorporating tea and ingredients such as juniper and saffron.
As for Ghai’s menu, no dishes have been shared yet. The chef’s other London restaurants, Kutir and Manthan, are distinctly upscale. Diners might expect meat and fish cooked in the tandoor, truffle-infused pulao rice, and warming curries with prawns or venison.
Whatever the menu, Vatavaran is likely to be impressive. Ghai’s career in London began at Benares under Atul Kochhar, before moving to JKS, the owner of Trishna and Gymkhana, as executive chef.
He helped Leela Place open Jamavar, where he became the first Indian chef in the world to win a Michelin star within a year. His pedigree, then, is sound, and it might be that the city’s appetite for lavish Indian dining is unmuted.
Vatavaran will open at 14-15 Beauchamp Place, SW3 1NQ, on November 7. @chefrohitghai
