Page 16 - Masala Lite Issue 159 March 2024

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Naturally, guests will expect wonderful seafood, not to mention a selection of
meats, but we are delivering food from the southern region as well, which means
we will have plenty of vegetarian options. But it’s not exclusive to the South. For
example, one of the more popular foods from Kolkata is the Mochar chop (banana
flower croquettes) served with tomato chutney.

As for signature dishes, I’m excited for guests to try the Lobster ghee roast, a dish
from my childhood. The origin of the ghee roast comes from the neighbouring
town of Kundapura, where I used to live. At NILA, of course, we wanted to put our
own twist to it by replacing the original chicken dish with lobster; we’re simply
adopting most of the spices of the original.

Even the slightest alterations like the lobster can lead to more innovative
dishes it seems. From your perspective and experience, do you believe too
much innovation is creating a disconnect from traditional food? How do you
Chef Bharath Shridhar Bhat, balance innovation and staying close to your roots?

Executive Chef at NILA, advances Indian I can’t speak for others, but personally, I like to keep the flavours authentic. Take
the lobster ghee roast dish again, as an example. We keep the same traditional
cuisine by returning to his roots. ingredients but we will present it in a unique way where the technique or plating
of the dish is completely new. I wouldn’t say this is fusion. These are basically
ingredients rooted in tradition, yet presented in a contemporary manner. Times
are changing, and Indian restaurant culture is also opening up to new ideas
BY MAHMOOD HOSSAIN and accepting of modern takes on traditional dishes. For any cook, you should
always know the authentic flavours before becoming adventurous and trying
contemporary cuisine.
rom completing his Bachelor’s degree in hotel management in Mangalore
back in 2003, to diving into the deep end of his international culinary journey Could you indulge us in your thought process as to how you keep your ideas for
in 2005, Chef Bharath Shridhar Bhat, Executive Chef at NILA, is no stranger food so engaging and evergreen for people?

to the local culinary scene. He’s come a long way from being a chef de partie in When we were creating the menu for NILA, for instance, we wanted to figure out ways
Dubai, to embarking on a new coastal cuisine voyage with the soon-to-be-opened to add to the dining experience, not just various ways of plating food. We have ideas on
restaurant NILA at Amari Bangkok. This new venture actually hits closer to home, how to not only present the food but also new ways to prepare the food on a guest’s
as he imprints his own upbringing and ancestral influences on nearly every dish table. For example, we will be serving a dish called Prawn tomato sour – it’s a version
on the menu. With this new project, Chef Bharath and his talented team want to of a tomato soup infused with prawns.
deliver the best coastal Indian cuisine experience in the city, where tastebuds are
tantalised, the aroma never fails to allure, and the service is consistently immaculate, The traditional way of serving soup is basic. Our serving technique will involve a coffee
like the restaurant’s interior décor. siphon, which is in two parts. At the base, we have the soup, and in the top part, we
have the prawn, coriander roots, and black peppercorns, which are the main ingredients
In 2015, after returning to India for a short stint, Chef Bharath, as he’s fondly known of the soup. When the soup starts heating up, the vapours travel upward and mix in
amongst the Bangkokian crowd, took the helm of Punjab Grill Bangkok for the with the rest of the ingredients. Once we remove the heat, the rest of the soup comes
past eight fruitful years. As an executive chef, he led the restaurant through a back to the base, ready to be served in the guest’s bowl.
transformative period, elevating its Indian cuisine with a commanding presence in
the kitchen and innovative ways to cook, prepare, and plate classical North Indian We’re always trying different ways to engage with our guests, because they expect so
dishes. So, what has changed? After all these years, what’s enticed Chef Bharath much more than the food that is being served. They want to immerse themselves in
to bring exciting new flavours of coastal India to Bangkok? I had the pleasure of the surrounding environment and truly enjoy the ambience. Later, it is recorded, saved,
sitting across this brilliant culinary artist, and peeling back the layers of his latest and shared on social media. So, we also have to make these dishes and experiences
long-term project, beginning with the question: what’s in a name? more aesthetically appealing.

“The name NILA, there are a few different meanings behind it,” began Chef Bharath.
“For one, the word nila means blue, referring to the ocean. Second, there are blue
gemstones, such as topaz and sapphire, that represent good fortune or a sign of
prosperity in the spiritual sense. Finally, the blue itself seems infinite as you look
into the ocean off the coast. The ocean is so vast, that it seems as if there is no end
to it. We want to hold on to that feeling at NILA.”
NILA is a fantastic title for a new chapter in your career. What lies on the horizon
with the restaurant?

I’m excited to take this on, because it’s quite different from my time at Punjab Grill
Bangkok, where the focus was more on North Indian cuisine. Here at NILA, things
are different. There are no tandoors, and we’ll not be serving chicken tikka masala,
naan, and the sort. NILA is a coastal cuisine affair, which is very close to my heart
because I was not only born and brought up in Mumbai, a coastal city, but my
ancestors are from Mangalore. Again, yet another coastal city. I’ve gone back to my
roots and have the opportunity to be more creative in that aspect. I want guests On the topic of innovation and moving forward, what do you believe sets the
to experience the beauty of coastal cuisine from India. current generation’s chefs apart from the more seasoned veterans of the culinary
field? What are the lessons to be learned?
Generally speaking, when people think about an Indian restaurant, their minds go
to the usual North Indian menu items. But at NILA, we offer something different. I would say for the younger generation, it is critical that you know your basics first. No
Yes, it’s food from home, but we still needed to dive further into the details of the matter the cuisine, if you do not grasp the foundational steps to cooking, you will not
coastal variety. We travelled across India to learn about the authentic flavours, and be able to innovate or create food that sets itself aside from the rest. I urge them to toil
procure the spices, cutlery, crockery, and so on. We visited every major coastal city hard, learn the basics, understand the roots, and practice with the authentic dishes first,
you could think of, alongside the East coast to the West: Kolkata, Kerala, Mangalore, then they can advance in their culinary journey and put their own touch or flair to it.

Mumbai, and of course, Goa. NILA is based on a Portuguese artifact traveller who is Finding the right ingredients for particular Indian dishes may be challenging, but not
settled in Goa, and the restaurant’s décor resembles the design of the traveller’s home. impossible. However, are there elements to Indian cuisine that can’t be duplicated

Now to bring our focus to the actual experience of the restaurant. The first thing outside of India? What are the possibilities of bringing that to Thailand?

we noticed the moment we entered the restaurant is… When we were creating the menu for NILA, we definitely did our due diligence and

…Is the bar! Yes, the concept of the bar incorporates the classic rum from Goa. thorough research when we were travelling across India. We knew there would be
We actually have Goan distilled rums with cashew or coconut feni (a local liquor certain ingredients that were not available in Thailand, so we’ve collaborated with
originating in Goa), so the bar is essentially a feni bar. We will have a few jars special suppliers that will import and deliver those necessary ingredients from India.
where we will flavour the feni with different spices for various cocktails. Again, we We want to make sure our guests have the most authentic experience when it comes
are incorporating coastal elements through our bar options that can be globally to dining at NILA.

accepted, with some Indian flair. What do you hope to achieve with NILA? What would you like people to take away

While the bar is the first thing guests will see, what are the main foci of NILA’s from their experience?

culinary experience? What dishes are you most excited to introduce? As we are planning to open NILA in the second half of March, we want our guests to eat

Well, this is a culinary journey. That’s why we say NILA is the essence of coastal and enjoy quality coastal Indian food, as well as embrace the entire ambience. We not
cuisine. As mentioned, this journey begins from eastern India, travelling to the only want to make NILA a famous brand in Thailand but also throughout Southeast
South, then making our way to the West. From West Bengal to Orissa, then to Asia, and eventually, expand to other territories across the continent. That was one
Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and some parts of the key factors in joining this project. We have a genuine opportunity to make NILA
of Gujarat. We will have dishes from all these states. a global brand through Amari hotels in several destinations, and we’d love for all of
your readers to be part of that.

MASAL A LITE ISSUE 159 - MARCH 2024