ITC?s Royal Vega at the impressive Grand Chola in Chennai is interesting for more reasons than its pedigree and the fact that it?s being pitched as the next Dumpukht/Bukhara. Instead, this is an intriguing concept as the country?s first super-luxe all-vegetarian restaurant; a category notoriously difficult to crack despite its potential and opportunity in India.
But first, the details. A compact restaurant, this one seeks to emulate the opulence of royal dining with silver thalis, raja-rani seating, glittering crockery and sarpanch motif strewn around?from tableware to uniforms.
The food itself, researched by corporate chef Manjeet Gill and his team of consultants, does not pay allegiance to former royal kitchens or indeed to any specific region in the country or community. This is both surprising?as well as an inspired tactic. At a time when community-based cuisines are being delved into zealously, Royal Vega is unique in its stance that none of the recipes are so-called ?traditional? or ?authentic? (itself a tough-to-navigate concept in Indian cuisines, where food changes from home to home and constantly assimilates many different ingredients and influences). Instead, they have been ?refashioned?. Inspired by flavours from different regions and communities, the team of chefs have tweaked them so that the end result is uniquely Royal Vega.
The moong dal, for instance, is first-rate but embellished with crispy, fried makhane?that you are unlikely to find in any home. That adds another texture and uplifts the otherwise simple dish. There?s kofte made from ker sangri?the dried beans of Marwari food, again a refashioned dish. Rice is flavoured with an intense jasmine extract and with local hill berries we can?t even name. And there is a seasonal dish of locally-sourced bitter gourd from Chennai, the size of peas! The flavours, in short, are at once familiar and exotic and thus perfect restaurant food.
One reason why vegetarian food does not quite sell as much as exoticised non-vegetarian food at high-end restaurants?despite all our high networth vegetarian individuals?is that diners in India actively go looking for ?restaurant? food while eating out. As we all know, ?restaurant food? is different from home-cooked food in India. And given that such little attention is usually paid by chefs into cooking local, seasonal vegetables imaginatively, the best vegetarian food has remained in our homes. If one has great tinde, bathua or makai ka saag made at home, where is the point of ordering it in a restaurant?
With its ?reimagined? recipes, the Royal Vega seems to have cracked that problem. Instead of merely doling out homely recipes in the name of authentication, professional attention has been paid to tweaking and exoticising them so that you feel that money has been well spent!
The second reason why vegetarian Indian food fails to do well in restaurants at least at a non-thali level has to do with its cooking. Any chef or cook will tell you how it is tougher to cook a flavourful veg meal than a masala-laden, intensely-flavoured non-veg dish. In a mass-production kitchen, where chefs are catering college passouts, it is almost impossible to recreate the unique flavour of your mother?s ?hands?.
Somehow, the Royal Vega has been able to address this too. Everything I tasted was not just flavourful, but different from one another (obviously, there are no common masalas being tossed around). One reason for this could be stricter quality control to ensure consistency?even the grades of spices have been specified apparently. But another reason could be the entire belief system that forms the underpinning here.
In hospitality circles, chef Gill is known for his knowledge of ancient Indian cooking, for collecting old culinary texts and for his belief in Ayurveda and Vedic cooking. As you listen to him talk, it is clear that this is his personal passion.
At the Royal Vega, the vegetarian kitchen is separate from the non-vegetarian hotel kitchen and chefs from vegetarian families have been employed! Ayurveda informs the entire cooking?done in only ghee or mustard oil. There are seasonal menus apart from the main one. And attention to detail: A small sweet, for instance, is presented at the beginning of the meal because it helps soothe the stomach and stimulate appetite. Dessert portions at the end of the meal are small and optional ?because you don?t really need it; there is enough sweetness in your balanced meal that incoporates all six tastes?.
You need a leisurely meal here to assimilate not just the flavours, but the entire philosophy. Now, to see how the restaurant pans out.
The writer is a food critic