Reinventing Indian Cuisine

Whether it is Ziya at The Oberoi Mumbai, Indego by Vineet in Dubai or Vineet Bhatia London, the Michelin-starred chef has experimented with form and texture to put Indian cuisine firmly on the world culinary map.

- Shafquat Ali

Ziya at The Oberoi, Mumbai, clearly means a lot to you. Besides returning home with your cuisine, it also meant returning to the same grounds where you started your career. How do you see the evolution of your journey? 

I would say the journey just begun. Although my journey began way back began in 1985 I just think the journey evolves as you grow. You always look at the next benchmark. So it’s a constant quest to evolve. I still think I am at a very early stage of my career in many ways. You are constantly evolving, but deep down basically you are still a cook. And that is what I enjoy doing most i.e. cooking. From being a cook to becoming a chef and then to becoming a mentor or a restaurateur, nonetheless I think it has been quite a journey.

Do you think Indian cuisine is finally getting its due in five-star hotels?

In terms of Indian cuisine, I would say ITC has done a fantastic job – Dum Pukht, Bukhara, Dakshin, these are great restaurants. Taj also has some great restaurants. I think they got slightly derailed in the past with a few of the concepts but they are back on track. As for the Oberois, they were very inclined towards European style cuisines but things have changed today.

As long as the prodigal returns… 

(Laughs) Yes, that’s Mr (PRS) Oberoi's words, and I do thank him for that.

And this time you have made the most of it by experimenting with both form and texture…