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NDTV
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Review: KMC Bar & Bistro In Vikhroli Offers A Delicious Escape From City Bustle
KMC Bar & Bistro, helmed by celebrated Chef Niyati Rao, is a well-known establishment in Fort, Mumbai. It is housed in a historic building in the heart of South Mumbai, just a few hundred metres away from the iconic CSMT. KMC opened a second outlet recently, and the nature of its location is almost the opposite of the first. KMC Bar & Bistro, Pirojshanagar, is located within The Trees complex in Vikhroli. It is markedly far away from the hustle and bustle of not just the city centre, but also the extended suburbs. This is one of the first things that struck us when we visited it on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. We felt we had entered a zone unlike any other found in Mumbai. This was appealing because there was serenity and silence, which allowed us to slow down and simply appreciate our surroundings (and the food that would arrive soon). KMC Bar & Bistro, Pirojshanagar, is the newest venture of Chef Niyati Rao and the NISA Experience team (who are also behind Ekaa and Bombay Daak in Mumbai). Being situated within The Trees project by Godrej, it offers a unique kind of sanctuary to city foodies. When you enter the gates, you're also entering what's partly a hand-planted forest. A few turns inside, and you will reach the building that houses KMC. Inside, the bistro is polished and vibrant. Natural light flooded the space, since there were no tall buildings immediately nearby to obstruct the view. The ambience exudes refined relaxation - we felt like pausing, soaking in the beauty around us and also taking the time to savour our meal. As it was a rainy day, we chose indoor seating instead of the covered patio. There are plans to set up an open-air Art Terrace and sunken Amphitheatre al-fresco after the monsoon, we were told. We dived straight into the tapas section, starting with the Garlic Churros. Topped with aged Grana Padano, its cheesy garlic flavour was quite satisfying. But we would have loved a heavier consistency to soak up our cocktails. We liked the dip it was served with, which was a combo of smooth potato puree and smoked green chilli thecha. This side is a small example of the kind of experimentation Chef Niyati's creations are known for, and it lends the menu a distinctive edge. Next, we tried the Elote Corn. It arrived as a single long piece of deep-fried corn rib, topped with a sour cream rub and crushed spicy potato chips. The rib was slightly messy to handle, but we couldn't complain about the taste. The mixed crunch of both the corn and the chips was interesting. Among the non-veg tapas, we loved the Dakgangjeong Fried Chicken and would readily order it again. These were bite-sized treats of Korean-style fried chicken tossed with a sticky sauce. They retained their crispiness along with their sweet-and-spicy glaze, which was perfectly done. We enjoyed various drinks with these small plates. Our favourite was the Jasmine Ginger Mule, an icy vodka-based cocktail that managed to nail the balance between the delicate notes of jasmine with the strong flavours of ginger beer. It was served in a beautifully engraved metallic tumbler. We also tried the rum-based Pistachio Tai, which caught our attention with its name. While it was light and refreshing to sip on, it turned out too sweet for our taste. From the classics category, the French Martini was made well and suited the leisurely mood of a Sunday afternoon meal. Later on, we also had the chance to sample Mehfil-E-Sips, a selection of in-house liqueurs which are KMC's take on classics. They include the Orange Baileys, Irish Cream, Limoncello, Coffee Liqueur and Creme De Cacao. Sold in the form of 300 ml bottles, they can be savoured at the restaurant or purchased for later consumption. Among the pizzas, we decided to skip the tomato-based ones and taste the Zucchini Pesto Pizza. My dining companion and I are far from 'health-conscious' foodies, but we thoroughly enjoyed this "green" delight. If every green pizza were like this one, we would be ordering them more often. It was layered with pesto, parmesan garlic cream, zucchini strips and pine nuts. Dots of feta and drizzles of olive honey elevated it further. The bread base was marvellously soft yet chewy and had a hint of smokiness. From the large plates section, we went with one experimental and one classic dish. We tried Lentil Risotto made with creamy Indrayani rice, which was wholesome in the best way. Yes, there's no denying that it was quite close to khichdi - but that doesn't need to be a bad thing. The addition of butter garlic mushrooms gave it a yummy twist. We also relished the Kerala Fried Chicken Roll, which provided comfort of the other kind - thanks to its spicy, indulgent flavours. It was served with a delicious curry leaf aioli. Apart from such savouries, note that the food menu also features options for sandwiches, salads, pasta and all-day breakfast. We ended our meal with two desserts. The Pina Colada was a light, easygoing treat featuring vanilla sponge, coconut cream, and passionfruit & mango puree, topped with a few pieces of charred pineapple. The KMC tiramisu was a showstopper - decadent layers of chiffon sponge, mascarpone with beautifully bitter coffee liqueur and lots of single-origin cocoa powder. It ended up being somewhat of a choco-coffee cake rather than a typical tiramisu, but it was an amazing dessert nonetheless. Everything at KMC's Vikhroli branch charmed us: the flavourful food, the smart drinks, the warm service and the welcoming ambience. It made us want to return sooner rather than later.
The Hindu
08-08-2025
- The Hindu
How Chettinad's cuisine holds the secrets of its mercantile people. We find out on a food trail
The sweet smell of marigolds mixed with the still humidity of a Tamil Nadu afternoon linger in the air. We are in a palatial Chettinad mansion, one of many that we will visit in the coming few days. The tiles are a work of beauty, the Burmese teak pillars stand imposingly tall, and the aromas from the kitchen beckon. I am in the historic region of Chettinad on a food trail called Suvai, organised by The Lotus Palace Chettinad. Over this weekend, I try all the food that the region has to offer and learn more about the Chettiar community. Last year, the Park hotels restored one of the oldest mansions in the region and launched the Lotus Palace Chettinad. Located near Karaikudi, the hotel joins hands with other properties in the area for Suvai, a three-day festival celebrating the cuisine of Chettinad. Iconic properties such as The Bangala, Visalam, Chidambara Vilas, and Chettinad Mansion, are also part of the festival. So, I pack my bags and catch a flight to Trichy, to immerse myself in the region's rich history. Who are the Chettiars? Day one of the festival kicks off with a welcome dinner at The Lotus Palace by Priya Paul, the chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd. I am staying at Visalam, an art-Deco style CGH Earth hotel, a few minutes away. The dinner is curated by chefs Niyati Rao from Ekaa, Mumbai, and Ashutosh Nerlekar from The Park, Chennai, and is a mix of traditional and modern. Think almond soup with gundu milagai chillies, and lamb brain venpongal. With my drink in my hand, I join Kathiravan Karunanithi, the hotel's manager, on a tour of the property and a riveting history lesson. 'Chetty' is derived from the Sanskrit word sreshta, the same root for words like seth. They are a wealthy merchant class from Tamil Nadu. Legends say they originally lived near the coast in Kaveri Poompatinam and a tsunami drove them inland. They settled in villages in the Pudukottai district. Since they were maritime traders from the eighth century, they travelled far and wide. Their homes and kitchens bear testament to that; enamel and lacquer ware, antique wooden furniture, dry preserved foods like vatthals and dried meat, and of course, the spices. They even brought back the 'forbidden' black rice from East Asia and use it to make payasam. Between wedding feasts and street snacks After a breakfast of steamed rice kozhukattai and dosa, we are off to explore the town. The first stop is Soundaram snacks. I feel like Charlie in the chocolate factory, except it is heaps of murukus instead of trees of candy. A family-run and women-led business, Soundaram makes authentic coconut oil and rice flour snacks. After the tour and watching the women hand-make the murukus and seedais, I buy a bagful to take it back to Bengaluru with me. Lunch is at The Bangala, a property run by the 92-year-old Meenakshi Meyyappan. After a cooking demonstration using local spices, we sit down for a wedding-style feast. Banana leaf prepped, I watch in awe as the servers pile on dish after dish. Chettinad food may have a reputation of being spicy, but here I find it balanced and ingredient-focussed. To name a few, I have — banana flower ketti kuzhambu, mutton uppi kari, chicken pepper masala, peanut capsicum mandi and badam halwa. To get our appetites ready for the evening, we take an afternoon walk in the antique market of Karaikudi. Here you can find cast iron vessels, enamelware crockery and kitchen tools, that was all collected as dowry for the women in the community. Before dinner we stop at Chettinadu Mansion for high tea. The hotel has snacks such as black rice upma, sweet and savoury kozhukattai, paniyaram, and even a spicy and garlicy rose petal chutney. Tales from the kitchen The evening begins with an illuminating session between historian V Sriram and author Meyyammai Murugappan. Meyyammai wrote The Chettinad Cookbook, with her sister Visalakshi Ramaswamy. In the conversation she shares anecdotes about growing up near her grandmother's house, which was just across the lane, and how her grandmother cooked for her. After she got married, Meyyammai went to Malaysia and slowly learnt to cook there. Through the talk I learn how frugal, yet hospitable the community is. While the men travelled, the women ran the house. Saving and storing food is a large part of their culture; it would be trumpeted today as sustainability. We round off the day with a tiffin style dinner at Chidambara Vilas, an 118-year-old home that is now a luxury hotel. I go to bed thinking to myself there is no such thing as too much kozhukattai. From Burma with love The farewell lunch takes place the next day at Visalam. The house was built a century ago by KVAL Ramanathan Chettiar for his eldest daughter, Visalakshi. This lunch is inspired by Burmese flavours, reflecting the Chettiars' frequent travels to the region. We have a mildly spiced khao sway, bein mont (a sweet Burmese pancake) and peru soru, also called King's one pot mutton meal. Chettinad is its own pocket of culture, history and heritage in the middle of an arid landscape. Its stories, architecture, cuisine food, and enterprising people make it unique and a must-visit for lovers of history and food. The writer was in Chettinad at the invitation of The Lotus Palace Chettinad
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Indian Chef makes a mark at Tasmania's Winter Feast
Amid the chaos of Mumbai, Niyati Rao first learned the language of flavour — not as a technique, but as a form of listening to her surroundings, to memory, and the hush of ingredients coming to life. Growing up in a city alive with sound, scent, and stories, Niyati's journey started well before she wore a chef's coat. She had found her rhythm between the sizzle of street food and the slow stews of the home kitchen. Trained at the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, and shaped by time in some of the exploratory kitchens, such as The Zodiac Grill, Wasabi by Morimoto, The Chambers, and Goa's A Reverie, it was a stint at Copenhagen's Noma where 28-year-old Niyati sharpened her technique and perspective. That clarity found its expression in Ekaa, the ingredient‑first, cuisine‑agnostic restaurant she co-founded in December 2021. In just three years, Ekaa became a place where traditions met invention, where each dish carried a trace of her memories, the kitchens she had been part of, and her many travels. 'Much of my menu is inspired by nostalgia,' she says, 'but just as much comes from the road, from the people and places that reshape how I see food.' One such place, far from the noise of Mumbai, was Tasmania. As the first Indian guest chef invited to Tasmania's Dark Mofo Festival, Niyati arrived not just to cook, but to discover new flavours and stories. Held in June, under a sky lit by crimson bulbs and veiled in fog — the 11-day festival is a celebration of fire, mystery, and the elemental. 'It reminded me of Stranger Things,' she laughs. 'It's dark, but there's joy in it. And cooking in that cold, it felt like every food stall was an oasis in a Siberian winter.' At the Winter Feast — the festival's culinary centrepiece held over eight nights — chefs from around the world cooked amid flames and music, serving thousands. The event featured more than 70 stallholders, including food vendors, chefs, and bars, selected through an application process. Niyati was one of the invited chefs, curated to collaborate with local culinary voices. She teamed up with Australia's Craig Will, Bianca Welsh, and James Welsh of Stillwater, a Launceston-based restaurant. 'There's nothing quite like it,' Niyati says. 'It's not just about food. It's where art, music, ritual, and cuisine are woven together.' Even while working, music lingered around her, sometimes faint, sometimes striking, changing her rhythm, infusing her cooking with pace and pulse. 'For a chef, it's vital. It shapes how you move, how you feel. And that ends up on the plate.' That rhythm found its way into her creation at the event: long-spined Tasmanian sea urchin served in a spice broth, a mix of Tasmanian produce with Indian technique. 'We were nervous mixing spices from India with something so local, but the result was seamless, even better on the plate than in our heads,' Niyati says. But what struck her even more was Tasmania's reverence for its land. From Aboriginal traditions to European techniques, the island is a blend of influences, held together by respect. 'It's a melting pot,' she says, 'but every ingredient still has its voice.' 'As a chef, you're always excited and inspired,' she says. 'Because something like this opens up a new doorway.' In Tasmania, that doorway led her beyond the kitchen. She walked bush trails, tasted sea succulents, and watched as the land revealed itself in layers — through herbs once foraged by Aboriginal communities, oysters shucked by the sea, and stories rooted in place and practice. Niyati also encountered ingredients she hoped to carry into the future. Pepperberries that echo the zing of spices from India's northeast, a soft, fragrant boysenberry jam, native cheeses infused with bush spices, and a triple cream she cannot stop thinking about. She is already imagining how Tasmanian whisky might find its way into Indian desserts — not as a gimmick, but as an evolving thread in a larger conversation. As she packs her bags to return, there are more than just ingredients in her suitcase. 'We came with empty bags on purpose,' she grins. 'We're going back heavy — with ingredients, ideas, and inspiration.' Her haul includes 'pepperberries that hum with umami, a jar of soft berry jam, bush cheeses and a luscious triple cream, strawberry gum, native dried kunzea herbs and Tasmanian whisky,' she says adding 'just as importantly, the way people cook, listen, and care. All of it comes home with me.'
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Explore the culinary heritage of the Chettinad region with The Suvai festival by The Lotus Palace Chettinad
The Lotus Palace Chettinad, by the Park Hotels, is a heritage property housed in a restored mansion that dates back to the 17th Century. Located in Kanadukathan, near Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, the hotel is joining hands with other heritage properties in the area for Suvai — a three-day festival celebrating the cuisine of Chettinad. Iconic properties such as The Bangala, Visalam, Chidambara Vilas, and Chettinad Mansion, are also part of the festival that begins on the evening of July 18. On the first day, guests can indulge in Chettinad-inspired small plates and a seven-course progressive dinner at The Lotus Palace Chettinad, by Chef Niyati Rao of Ekaa Mumbai. On the second day, they can explore the region with visits to an 80-year-old nannari sherbet shop, traditional pickle and vatthal makers, snack making artisanal shop and have a wedding-style banana leaf feast at The Bangala. The day ends with dinner at Chidambara Vilas. On the last day, guests will stroll through the local market. And the festival will end with a Burmese-inspired farewell lunch at Visalam, as an ode to the trade and historic ties between the two regions. The region also holds the Chettinad Heritage Festival annually, but Suvai is distinct. Priya Paul, the chairperson of the Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, who is spearheading the project, says, 'Suvai is our way of celebrating Chettinad's rich culinary heritage through an intimate, immersive journey. The Chettinad Heritage Festival is a broader cultural showcase while Suvai, also a collaboration with hotels across the region, stays entirely food-focussed: a layered, curated culinary exploration of heirloom recipes, traditional techniques, and local flavours that go beyond the palate. Suvai isn't just a festival — it's a living narrative of Chettinad told on a plate'. The Lotus Palace says they want to make the Suvai festival an annual event. ₹59,999 upwards for the two nights and three days (includes accommodation and curated experiences). At The Lotus Palace, Chettinad, Karaikudi. For more details, call: 9884750601
