logo
#

Latest news with #Bukhara

'Recipes for Broken Hearts': How an ancient Uzbek city will be the world's new cultural table
'Recipes for Broken Hearts': How an ancient Uzbek city will be the world's new cultural table

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

'Recipes for Broken Hearts': How an ancient Uzbek city will be the world's new cultural table

From 5 September to 20 November 2025, this UNESCO Creative City will host the inaugural Bukhara Biennial, a ten-week journey of contemporary art, communal rituals, and culinary storytelling. Titled 'Recipes for Broken Hearts', the Biennial transforms a city of legends into a living stage where grief, memory and joy are reimagined through food, music, poetry and craft. Curated by international art figure Diana Campbell and commissioned by Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), the Biennial features over 70 commissions created in Uzbekistan, activating centuries-old madrasas and caravanserais in ways Bukhara has never seen. 'Bukhara has shaped the world before: through knowledge, craft, and exchange,' says Umerova. 'This Biennial is a way of giving it the tools to do so again, through creativity and dialogue'. Not just an exhibition. A sensory ritual. Rather than opening with a red carpet or gallery wall, the Biennial begins with the aroma of fermentation. At Cafe Oshqozon, Buddhist monk and chef Jeong Kwan will prepare kimchi on the first day — only to unearth it again ten weeks later for a final meal, ripened by time and silence. It is a metaphor for the event itself. 'Recipes for Broken Hearts' explores how time, tradition, and care can heal. Every element – from food to sculpture, textiles to sound is part of a broader experiment in emotional repair. Diana Campbell, known for her work at the Dhaka Art Summit, calls it a 'multi-sensory feast rooted in Bukhara's spirit of hospitality and intellectual depth'. She adds, 'You don't just look at the art. You smell it, taste it, feel it in your hands and bones'. From salt and sugar to clay and code The artworks span disciplines and geographies. Egyptian-born food artist Laila Gohar conjures memories through Navat, a traditional sugar crystal made from saffron and grape juice. Colombian artist Delcy Morelos constructs a dome from earth, sand, and spices. Uzbek artist Oyjon Khayrullaeva, working with ceramicist Abdurauf Taxirov, builds mosaic organs - a stomach over the cafe entrance, lungs and hearts tucked across the city connecting venues as parts of one collective body. And then there's Subodh Gupta, who repurposes enamel dishes from traditional kitchens into a towering dome, inside which guests dine on dishes connecting India and Uzbekistan. 'It's about collapsing distance — between countries, between disciplines, between people,' he says. All works are made in Uzbekistan, many in collaboration with local artisans. 'This was non-negotiable,' says Umerova. 'We didn't want an art fair. We wanted something that speaks from here, even when it reaches the world'. This Biennial is a way of giving it the tools to do so again, through creativity and dialogue At the centre of the Biennial is the House of Softness, a transformation of the 16th century Gavkushon Madrasa into a space for public programmes, children's workshops, and storytelling. Artist and architect Suchi Reddy has designed a protective canopy inspired by Uzbek ikat casting patterns of healing across the courtyard. Here, a three-day symposium titled 'The Craft of Mending' will bring together thinkers, historians and artists to explore repair as both a physical and political act. 'Erasure is a form of heartbreak,' says Aziza Izamova, an Uzbek scholar at Harvard leading the event. 'And so, to repair to remember - is an act of resistance'. Young curators from across Asia will also gather in Bukhara for a workshop on how to commission work that does not yet exist. It is a fitting lesson for a city reshaping its own future. Music, too, flows through the Biennial's veins. Each full moon will be marked by a ceremonial karnay ritual – the long Uzbek horn used in weddings to symbolically summon water to the desert. These performances, led by Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser, fuse local tradition with global environmental consciousness. Elsewhere, the Bukhara Philharmonic will collaborate with artists like Tarek Atoui, bringing together Arab and Central Asian musical traditions. Weekly street processions and spontaneous performances will animate the city with rhythm and memory. Food is not a side programme, it is the soul of the Biennial. From fermented rituals to nomadic grains, the meals are designed to explore loss, resilience and belonging. Uzbek chefs like Bahriddin Chustiy and Pavel Georganov will share dishes infused with memory, while guest chefs like Fatmata Binta from Sierra Leone and Zuri Camille de Souza from India will link Uzbek traditions to West African and Goan culinary heritage. The final week hosts the Rice Cultures Festival, featuring plov, paella, pulao and jollof rice cooked in the open air, surrounded by stories and songs. 'It's not about haute cuisine,' says Umerova. 'It's about how we gather, how we heal, how we remember - through food'. Why Bukhara? 'Bukhara is not a backdrop,' says Umerova. 'It is the protagonist'. For over two millennia, the city has been a center of spiritual, scientific and artistic exchange. Yet in the modern art world, it has remained peripheral, until now. The Biennial is part of a broader national strategy to reintegrate Uzbekistan into global cultural networks. With support from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the ACDF has launched restoration projects, museums, and creative platforms across the country and internationally including the Venice Biennale pavilion and the Expo 2025 in Osaka. 'This is not soft power,' Umerova insists. 'It's structural power. Culture creates jobs. It shapes futures. It builds identity that isn't reactive or nostalgic — but alive, generous, and forward-looking'. Bukhara is accessible by high-speed rail from Tashkent and Samarkand, with boutique hotels and guesthouses nestled among its UNESCO-listed architecture. The Biennial is entirely free and open to the public. Foreign visitors can expect immersive programming in Uzbek, Russian, and English, and a culinary scene where history is served with every dish. More information is available at and on Instagram at @

The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Delhi welcomes new eateries, but dining experience falls short
The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Delhi welcomes new eateries, but dining experience falls short

Hindustan Times

time21-07-2025

  • Business
  • Hindustan Times

The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: Delhi welcomes new eateries, but dining experience falls short

There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that many new restaurants have opened in Delhi this year. Once upon a time all the openings were in Gurgaon which was not great for Delhi people who did not want to brave traffic jams of much more than an hour or get stuck in water-logged roads for the three months of the year when Gurgaon becomes some Haryanvi's idea of Atlantis, the undersea kingdom. Delhi sees new restaurant openings but quality remains a concern.(Unsplash (representative image)) The bad news is that most of the newish Delhi restaurants are not much better than those in Gurgaon where the average standard is pretty dismal. The National Capital Region (NCR), which is basically Delhi plus Gurgaon plus Noida (which is the one part of Uttar Pradesh that nobody bothers to travel to for the food), has nothing on Mumbai or Bangalore where great new restaurants keep opening. Oh yes, Delhi is very good at the top of the market (Bukhara, Indian Accent, China Kitchen, Dum Pukht, 360, Shang Palace, etc) and the dhaba food can be wonderful. But at the middle of the market very few outstanding restaurants have opened in the last few years. If you want a reliable place to go to, the 50-year-old favourites (United Coffee House, Kwality etc) are still your best options. I know because even though I keep trying to eat at home when I am in Delhi, on the grounds that I eat out all the time when I am travelling, I have forced myself to explore the restaurant scene over the last two months in the interests of keeping my readers well informed. (Which is not to say that every bad meal I have had to endure is your fault, dear reader, only to inform you of the sacrifices I make for the sake of this column.) There have been some good experiences. Sahil Mehta, who is to the patisserie scene in India what Cedric Grolet is to France, has opened the Paris Coffeehouse in Greater Kailash Two market. Of course it's wonderful because Sahil is incapable of making any patisserie that is less than excellent. But it's a small cafe that depends entirely on Sahil's skills and not a full fledged restaurant. And then there is Mesa in the Lodhi Colony Market (apologies to those who live outside the NCR but all Delhi localities have strange names like these) which is a relaxed oasis of casual dining. (Dos, Tres, and Jamun are popular options.) My wife and I wandered in one day for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. Mesa is run by a young chef called Sandeep Namboodiry, who once worked with the great Manish Mehrotra (after I posted about my meal at Mesa on Instagram, Manish messaged to say how talented Sandeep was), but sticks (mostly) to a modern European menu here. Not everything works brilliantly— he doesn't have the oven required to make the greatest pizzas, though his were not bad, and his Japanese omelette was not much more than acceptable— but there's enough delicious food to make me want to go back. You can see real skill on display here and Sandeep is a chef to watch. This counts for something because I don't think Delhi has as many talented chefs as, say, Mumbai. And unfortunately, even when Delhi chefs have talent, the restaurants are badly run. A few months ago I went to Cala, an unassuming neighbourhood restaurant in Panchsheel Park. The European food was far better than anyone had a right to expect. The pizzas were good, the pasta was authentic and a sophisticated prawn dish stole the show. The chef appeared to serve the dessert (also good) and when I asked about his background, said he had worked at Masque in Mumbai. Encouraged by that experience I booked for lunch last Sunday. When we arrived the solitary server in the dining room asked if I had a reservation. I said I did and gave my name. I don't know why he bothered to ask because he didn't look up any list of reservations but just led us out of the restaurant to an outside area where a low hung shamiana had been erected. I remembered the outside area because we sat there last time. This time, presumably because it was hot, it had been covered with this makeshift shamiana. It was dark (either they had no lights or they had not bothered to put them on) claustrophobic and the tables had not even been set. I asked why this was our only option given that I had booked the day before. The server had no idea. I said we could not possibly eat here and left. He seemed unconcerned. Perhaps the restaurant is closing down and they don't care about guests. Because nobody who wants to stay in the hospitality business can afford this kind of attitude. Stuck for a place to have lunch, I looked up Plats, which many people have praised, on the net , found the number and called. Nobody answered. I then called Indy at Eldeco centre. This is run by the people behind QLA, a restaurant I like. They answered the phone promptly but said they were full. Resisting the urge to take the easy way out and find a hotel restaurant or to return to one of our two go-to places for Sunday lunch (Cafe C at Chanakya and Cha Shi, both of which are excellent) we decided to try our luck at the new bustling Eldeco Centre in Malaviya Nagar, where there are many other restaurants apart from Indy. Nearly every place was full. There were crowds of hungry Bengalis outside 6 Ballygunge Place and the Arts Room was packing them in. But we roamed the corridors till we found a table at a Japanese restaurant called Hikki which I had never heard of. It is a relatively plush place that is well managed and because it is more expensive draws an older average diner than most of the Eldeco restaurants. For all that, there were some basic mistakes. The tables are lit with overhead lamps that come down dangerously low which, I guess, is a stylistic touch favoured by someone with dodgy taste. But, more crucially, all of the lighting has been designed by a person who has never heard of Instagram. The low-hanging lamps throw shadows on the food so that you can't take pictures and they also make the guests look strangely ugly. The food is hit and miss. The prawn tempura was good with high quality frying but this was not true of the chicken karaage. The gyoza had an oily slippery feel to them. And even by the standards of junk sushi, the nigiri was a disgrace, made with rice that was so dry they could well have cooked it a week ago. The meal was redeemed by an interesting noodle dish which was made carbonara style (like the pasta) and powered with the addition of Korean gochujang paste. To the credit of the servers, they quietly took the karaage off the bill when they saw we had wasted it. Clearly, they mean well. And to be fair, by the time we left, the restaurant was full. Perhaps they will get their act together: they need some urgent changes in the kitchen and they need to get someone who understands lighting to redo the lamps in the dining room. So, nothing inspiring to report. But I shall keep looking. At some stage, some thing really good will turn up. Or so I hope!

The New Trains in Central Asia Travel Back in Time to Breathtaking Sights Along the Silk Road
The New Trains in Central Asia Travel Back in Time to Breathtaking Sights Along the Silk Road

Travel + Leisure

time14-06-2025

  • Travel + Leisure

The New Trains in Central Asia Travel Back in Time to Breathtaking Sights Along the Silk Road

In Central Asia, the new trains travel back in time. As early as the second century B.C., an important network of trading routes known as the Silk Road linked Europe and East Asia. Now, in Uzbekistan, the region's first high-speed railway system is making it easier to visit that part of the route. Italian photojournalist Francesco Lastrucci switched between these new trains—which are on par with France's TGV or Portugal's Alfa Pendular—and the slower Soviet-era trains. He traveled from the capital, Tashkent, to Khiva—with stops in Samarkand, Uzbekistan's second-largest city, and Bukhara. On board, Lastrucci encountered few tourists and even fewer English speakers. From left: The showroom of Bukhara Silk Carpets; Kukaldosh Madrassa, in Bukhara. Buy rail tickets à la carte at starting from $21, or join curated Silk Road trips, such as this 17-day Silk Road Through the Caucasus itinerary with tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. Here, Lastrucci recounts his three days on the Silk Road, complete with his best recommendations in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. Tilla-Kari Madrassa, in Samarkand's Registan Square. En route from Samarkand to Bukhara on a modern train. Day 1: Samarkand 'When I arrived in Samarkand, a city in east Uzbekistan that was a major stop on the Silk Road, I headed to Registan Square, which is arguably the most iconic site in the country. It started raining on my walk, so I ducked into Siyob Bazaar, a covered market with two levels and vendors selling food, pottery, and spices. A woman was selling bread, which, in Uzbekistan, is round like a wheel—although the decoration changes from region to region. In Registan Square, there are three madrassas, or religious schools, including Tilla-Kari Madrassa, which is connected to an ornately decorated mosque. I then took a fast train from Samarkand to Bukhara. Looking south, I could see mountains in the distance, bordering Turkmenistan. When we stopped at a station in Navoi, I peeked out the door and saw only locals.' From left: Bread for sale at Siyob Bazaar, in Samarkand; the Sherdor Madrassa in Samarkand, reflected in a shop's mirror. From left: Posing in front of Khiva's Ichan-Kala West Gate; Kalta Minor, an unfinished minaret in Khiva. Day 2: Bukhara 'Bukhara is known for art and hand-woven textiles. I started my day at Bukhara Silk Carpets, in the city's old town, which has a huge showroom and a workshop behind it, where I met about 20 kind, welcoming women making rugs. Artisans set up stalls at the entrance of the ancient Kukaldosh Madrassa, many painting Persian miniatures, which are small pieces with intricate details. For lunch, I sampled the pumpkin manti, a classic Central Asian dumpling, and beef soup at Jam, a restaurant close to the madrassa. My visit fell right before Nauruz, the Persian New Year; many locals were preparing for the celebration. These women were dancing while cooking sumalak, a sweet paste made of sprouted wheat.' 'The train from Bukhara to Khiva was older than my first train. The landscape between the cities is all desert. For me, looking out at that expanse was hypnotic; like a form of meditation. When I got on the train, I was given a pillow and sheets and made my bed in the car, which I shared with three other people—two women, who only spoke Uzbek, and a university math professor who spoke English. We chatted the whole trip, and he even invited me for lunch at his house.' From left: Inside Kuhna Ark, in Khiva; passing by the Paklavon Makhmud Mausoleum. Women dancing in the streets of Bukhara. Day 3: Khiva 'Khiva is smaller than Bukhara. The main attraction is the unfinished Kalta Minor minaret, which I visited early in the morning to photograph. My fingers were freezing as I took pictures, but it was worth it to have no one else around. In the late afternoon, I had tea at Terrassa Café & Restaurant, which has breathtaking views over Ichan-Kala, Khiva's Old Town. Away from the big crowds of Samarkand, my stay felt quieter, more intimate. I continued on to Paklavon Makhmud Mausoleum, the tomb of Khiva's patron saint, which has a magnificent turquoise dome and a blue-tiled façade. Kuhna Ark citadel feels like a city within the city of Khiva. It was built in the 17th century by the khan of Khiva and is surrounded by fortified walls and watchtowers. I climbed one of them and found the best view of Khiva.' Terrassa Café & Restaurant, in Khiva.

Guided tours are bad tourism — here's how they need to improve
Guided tours are bad tourism — here's how they need to improve

Times

time07-06-2025

  • Times

Guided tours are bad tourism — here's how they need to improve

We stumbled off the coach, blinking in the harsh light but delighted to have arrived in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Some of us had been dreaming of this moment since Joanna Lumley discovered this Silk Road city in 2018. Others even longer, but in all the excitement half the group missed the guide's instructions to cross the road and were left behind. By the time they caught up, the vanguard was fighting through an international brigade of tourists to gain entry to the fortress of Nasrullah Khan, the 19th-century 'Butcher of Bukhara'. In a forest of flags held up by dozens of guides, some of us joined different groups. Others got lost. Alone, I blundered into the throne room in the same way Arthur Conolly had in 1841. He'd come to rescue the British spy Charles Stoddart from a three-year incarceration in the bug pit: 12ft deep, 4ft wide and regularly topped up with ticks, rats and scorpions. However, as Conolly was thrown into the same foul hole himself, he must have realised that all hope was lost. • 17 of the best Silk Road tours Now, 183 years later, as we were hurried up stairs, down alleys and along battlements, all trying to make sense of the garbled words in our earpieces, some of us shared Conolly's despair. I found one of our group slumped on a stone bench in the shade of an arch. 'This is not how I dreamt Bukhara would be,' she sighed. Guided tours have been around as long as tourists — Herodotus was unimpressed with his while on a Treasures of Egypt trip in 442BC — but the type in which a coachload of confused travellers follow a pink umbrella through the busy heart of an ancient city is a product of the industrial age. Groups were being led around Rome in the 1820s; the essayist William Hazlitt noted with disappointment that the Eternal City comprised 'an almost uninterrupted succession of narrow, vulgar-looking streets'. In the 1920s the Rev Henry Mullineux of the St Barnabas Society was leading group tours of the Western Front. A decade later coach tours were all the rage: in 1936 Yelloway Motor Services of Rochdale offered an eight-day guided tour of the West Country for £8.75 all-in. • I'm 62: here's what I've learnt during ten years of group tours But as the travel industry matured, the way in which tourists were shown the sights remained all but unchanged. The shepherd leads the flock through the streets, corralling them at each point of interest. Facts and figures are reeled off; Herodotus recounts how a guide read out a list, without context, of the names of 300 kings on a long afternoon in Egypt. Then the sheep are herded onwards. The route is fixed, the clients are passive, and if you don't want to traipse half a mile through a sullen neighbourhood to see some street art, tough, because you won't know where you're going until you get there. I have nothing against group trips. They're a terrific way of making new friends and sharing experiences in wonderful destinations, but that tour of Bukhara was disappointing. It was also uncomfortable. There's something infantilising about following someone with a microphone and a flag through crowded streets like a seven-year-old on a school trip. Fortunately, Bukharans still welcome tourists. The same cannot be said of Paris. Last September I joined a walking tour of the city led by one of the world's biggest group tour operators. Twenty-two of us trudged through Montmartre following two tour leaders and the local guide. We clogged the pavements. We stood in shop doorways. We walked in roads. And then we blocked the door of a bakery that had been on TV. As the guide told us about Amélie, Emily in Paris or Chocolat — I wasn't really listening — the tour leaders caught up on their social media. Engrossed in their phones, they didn't notice as locals became increasingly enervés, subjecting us to a tirade of obscenities. Another hissed 'Ce n'est pas Disneyland' — but worse was to come. A lady in a wheelchair tried to push through a group of nice people who had suddenly become the exemplars of the dumb tourist. Later I asked the tour leaders about the incident. They were dismissive. 'They need tourists in Montmartre,' said one. 'The wheelchair woman had plenty of space,' said the other. I asked if there was an acceptable number of locals they were allowed to upset in the pursuit of so-called sustainable travel, but they declined to comment. I cringe when I recollect that afternoon. Assigning 20 or more guests to a single guide may be a cost-effective way of conducting tours, but in a world where tourists are increasingly resented more than they are welcomed, stomping through cities like an invading army is not a good look. • 11 of the best group tours for solo travellers None of us like to feel unwanted, and yet when I spoke last summer to the citizens of Palma, Barcelona, Santorini and other destinations blighted by overtourism, the human centipedes came second only to Airbnb in terms of disdain. It's a problem easily fixed. Reducing group sizes to a maximum of six and taking different routes around attractions means visitors will have a richer, more intimate experience, locals will be less irritated and there will be more work for guides. Yes, it will be more expensive, because more guides will have to be paid. But if that's the cost of a happy memory, I'll pay it. As for the guiding, I want storytellers not statisticians. I don't really care what year any cathedral or castle was built, or how many hectares a ruin occupies — and I certainly won't remember. But tell me the tales of the people who lived and died there and I'll be boring people in pubs about it for weeks. By Richard Mellor Launched in 1998 by the travel writer Jonny Bealby, Wild Frontiers crafts itineraries where the routes, transport and places to stay are painstakingly considered. Groups have an average of nine and prices tend to include all meals, permits and entrance fees. Most guides have deep regional knowledge, language skills and local contacts (which can translate into special access), while the firm seeks out unusual destinations — epitomised by a new Pioneer collection, and its Mongolia tour, which takes in giant ancient petroglyphs, remote mountain lakes and a golden eagle hunters' Twelve nights' full board from £4,195pp ( Fly to Ulaanbaatar Rated consistently highly for its tour leaders and customer service, Explore! offers more than 350 trips to about 100 countries — everything from Inca Trail hikes to cycling in Kerala. An average group size of 11 means that tours are flexible, and can emphasise locally owned hotels and restaurants. Potential travellers can find out who has already booked on a particular trip (age range, solos or couples, etc). This summer's tours include Slovenia via laid-back Ljubljana and the photogenic, mountain-backed Lake Seven nights' B&B from £1,595pp ( Fly to Ljubljana Steppes's biggest USP is the chance to travel with some true experts — think Jonathan Green, the founder of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project, or the author William Dalrymple on an Indian train charter. The average group size is ten and accommodation is mostly luxurious, highly characterful or both. Run by a team of ex-rangers, guides or camp managers, it focuses on culture, history, good old-fashioned adventure or iconic animal species — such as a boat-based November tour where you can snorkel alongside killer whales in northern Seven nights' full board from £7,559pp, including lectures ( Fly to Alta Are you a fan of guided tours — or not? Share your views in the comments

Jhol KL offers fabulous coastal Indian cuisine by celebrity chef Hari Nayak
Jhol KL offers fabulous coastal Indian cuisine by celebrity chef Hari Nayak

The Star

time20-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Star

Jhol KL offers fabulous coastal Indian cuisine by celebrity chef Hari Nayak

Growing up in Udupi in south India, celebrated chef Hari Nayak says a love of food ran through his veins from his childhood – a familial trait he probably shares with his grandfather, who once ran a restaurant in Udupi. 'My grandfather was a restaurateur. My father did not continue that business, but growing up I would hear a lot of stories about how my father grew up in this restaurant world and the amazing Udupi food they served,' says Hari, a humble, eloquent man. As a young adult, he went to a hospitality school in India and worked for a spell at Bukhara, a celebrated Indian restaurant in New Delhi. Then, he moved to the United States where he learnt culinary arts at the renowned Culinary Institute of America. 'Honestly during that time, I was like 'Oh, I'm going to get out of Indian cuisine and go to the West and learn everything about Western food'. I was trying to run away from Indian food, technically. 'And I think that's because my first experience in an Indian kitchen was not the best – I was given 50kg of onions to peel! 'The old-school Indian chefs were not really teachers – they would hide the recipes, whereas in the West, they welcome you and teach you,' he says. Hari is a celebrated chef and author who opened Jhol KL in tribute to coastal Indian cuisine. Yet Hari's Indian roots proved strong because despite having worked with top chefs in the US like Daniel Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson, he began re-examining Indian food through a new lens. This eventually birthed his first cookbook, Modern Indian Cooking – which was considered ground-breaking during its time. 'Back then there were only a few chefs in London who were kind of into this modern cooking world. And for me, working in a French kitchen, I think it naturally kind of helped me think differently. So the book was all about how to use Indian traditional flavours with Western cooking techniques,' he says. Now 25 years into his career, Hari has come full circle and no longer believes Indian food needs to be adapted, modernised or messed around with. 'As I've matured as a chef, I've realised Indian cooking does not need reinvention. Of course, when you present traditional food, you want to give something different, but I think that can be done without diluting the essence and the Indian-ness of the recipe,' he says. Over the course of his career, Hari has opened a string of restaurants all over the world, including Sona in New York, which was a huge hit when it launched a few years back, in collaboration with Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra and her husband Nick Jonas. The eatery has since shuttered. The restaurant combines elegance with a casual charm. — Jhol KL His most recent restaurant is Jhol in Kuala Lumpur – a beautiful space that is sophisticated and yet very, very charming. The restaurant – which opened in partnership with Clifftop Group Asia – is a representation of the original Jhol outlet, which opened in Bangkok, Thailand in 2020 and has been hugely popular since. At Jhol KL, you can expect to feast on coastal Indian cuisine from Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashta, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal and Goa. Coastal Indian cuisine is typified by spices like mustard seeds and fenugreek; the liberal use of coconut; a focus on seafood; rice as a binding agent; and the use of ingredients such as mangoes, kokum and curry leaves. The menu at Jhol has traditional roots but isn't entirely traditional. In fact, you will find thoughtful, calibrated touches that add uniqueness and a point of differentiation to a meal here. At the moment, the a la carte menu hasn't rolled out yet, so Malaysian diners will only be able to sample The Culinary Journey tasting menu, priced at RM310+ per person. The trio of snacks that prologue the meal offer texture, flavour and contrast in one fell swoop. — Photos: Jhol KL Highlights from the menu include the trio of snacks that form the prologue of the meal, like the Calicut Pepper Crab. Framed as crab on toast with a garlic-yoghurt infused pachadi to break through the barriers, this is a peppery, aquatic flavour bomb that forms the basis for instant addiction. One of the signature items at Jhol is the Masala Muska Bun (add RM45+). The buns are fashioned after Bangalore's famed Iyengar Bakery's potato masala buns. The masala muska bun is a thing of beauty that forms a successful union with the curry leaf butter provided on the side. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star In Jhol's iteration, a potato bun is stuffed with a masala-decked interior, with pav bhaji butter and curry leaf butter served alongside. The bread is a golden goddess that is meant to be pulled apart. This doughy delight is incredibly fluffy and soft as a cloud, with the masala gilding its inner core like a fiery, spirited vixen. Of the butters on offer, the curry leaf butter is sensationally good, yielding herbaceous, oleaginous roots that have sprouted and flowered into the flavours so familiar in the Indian sub- continent, yet couched in an entirely original configuration. Perhaps one of the most memorable offerings on the menu is BFC or Berhampur fried chicken with Jhol hot sauce. Crunchy, crackly and insanely juicy, this is the fried chicken of your dreams. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star The chicken wings here are deboned, cooked and piped in again, then coated in a spice-riddled tempura batter and double-fried and served alongside a chutney. The result is chicken that is oh-so satisfyingly crackly and crispy to the touch, eliciting crunch with every morsel and yielding to juicy, tender meat within. It's the sort of fried chicken befitting emperors and kings. The Surti Anda Ghotala is essentially chilli cheese toast with shaved truffle. The dish hails from Gujarat, where it is a popular street food essential. In this variation of the dish, toast is added to the egg-and-cheese mixture and truffles are heaped atop for added opulence. Created in tribute to a Gujarati street food staple, the chilli cheese toast with truffles cleverly fuses tradition with innovation. The eggs are creamy and jiggly while the masala in the mixture offers spicy nuances to what would otherwise simply be eggs on toast. It's an unpretentious homage to tradition that kicks things up a notch with the evergreen allure of truffles. The next series of dishes are served sharing-style, replicating the comforts of a traditional Indian meal. Of what's on offer, the Kundapura Ghee Roast Chicken served with a cone-shaped dosa and coconut chutney is an immediate scene-stealer. The chicken is slow cooked with red chilli and ghee and is a spicy, masala-riddled offering. Mop up the goodness of the chicken with the dosa, which is firm yet succumbs to a yeasty interior that is instantly alluring. End the savoury part of your meal with the Alleppey Fish Curry, served with kappa (a traditional Kerala-style tapioca dish) and matta rice (a popular Indian rice known for its health benefits). The Alleppey fish curry features fish and green mangoes swimming in a rich, creamy gravy. — Jhol KL The fish curry is cooked with green mango, which is what gives it a slight tanginess amidst its creamy richness. The kappa is also very, very good - starchy, sticky and flavourful while the rice is the perfect receptacle to soak up all these diverse flavours. Dessert takes the form of the Tender Coconut Payasam with jaggery sesame snap and mango sorbet. Here, coconut, jaggery and mango form the cornerstones of this sweet seductress, which is soothing and yet somehow euphoric all at once. Ultimately, Hari says he hopes Jhol KL will be a landmark restaurant for refined Indian flavours that are familiar and yet take diners on a journey through brand new terrain. 'I always believe that I want to create dishes that my family would enjoy. And if I see myself eating here twice a month myself, then I feel like that's the kind of restaurant menu I want to create,' he says. Address: The Met Corporate Tower, Jalan Dutamas 2, Kompleks Kerajaan, 50480 Kuala Lumpur Open daily: noon to 2.30pm; 6pm to 10.30pm

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store