What happens when two of India’s most trailblazing restaurateurs step onto the stage? Everyone takes notice. That’s precisely what happened on Day One of the NRAI Indian Restaurant Summit 2023, held on September 21 and 22 at JW Marriott Kolkata’s Sangam Ballroom.
The curtains rose for the Fireside Chat featuring Riyaaz Amlani, the founder and managing director of Impresario Entertainment, as the moderator, in conversation with Rohit Khattar.
Khattar operates two hospitality ventures: Old World Hospitality (OWH), overseeing Chor Bizarre in Delhi and The All American Diner in Lavasa, Maharashtra; and Ekatra Hospitality Ventures (EHV), responsible for Comorin in Delhi, Hosa in Goa, Koloman in New York, Indian Accent gourmet catering, and the Indian Accent restaurants in Delhi, New York, and Mumbai.
The topic of the discussion was Rohit Khattar’s journey and while we missed AD Singh, the managing director of the Olive Group of Restaurants, Amlani and Khattar effortlessly – and with quite a bit of humour! – covered the topic.
As moderator, Amlani introduced Khattar with flair: “It is my absolute privilege, an honour to introduce to you the greatest restaurateur that you have never heard of: Mr. Rohit Khattar.” With this introduction, he went on to unravel the enigmatic persona of Rohit Khattar and trace his journey.
Excerpts from the discussion…
From Kashmir to Chor Bizarre
Rohit Khattar shared his beginnings: I grew up in Kashmir, which has some of the best food in the world. My grandfather owned a hotel in Delhi called Broadway. When we moved there, I was trying to figure out what to do with my career. I had studied hotel and restaurant management, I went to the US and returned wanting to open something Western. But Hotel Broadway, which was on Asaf Ali Road, was on the wrong side of town, and Southgate Delhi had gained on us. So it had to be Indian. Someone suggested, ‘Why not think bizarre?’ and it lit a bulb in my head. I was only 22 and I turned it into a pun and named it Chor Bizarre, a decision I sometimes regret. But it worked out because Asaf Ali Road had become an unfashionable part of town, and we introduced a theme restaurant where no two plates were the same.
Crafting modern Indian dining with Indian Accent
A candid Khattar recalled the conception of Indian Accent: “It stemmed from a sense of jealousy because I was watching all these fancy five-star, Michelin-star restaurants with their beautiful presentations and precise portions! While discussing it with my chefs, I said that I had found this bungalow in the heart of Delhi with a lawn. It was begging for a European restaurant, but maybe we could do an Indian version called Indian Accent? I wasn’t quite sure and that’s when chef Manish Mehrotra said, “Give it to me.” It was a gamble, and when we opened, not everyone understood it. Maybe it was before its time. For almost a year-and-a-half we were losing money and then, suddenly, through word of mouth, it took off. This was perhaps at the dawn of India’s changing culinary scene, where more people were travelling and young diners were seeking this kind of cuisine.
Blue Cheese Naan and Kadhai Chicken from a tasting menu at Indian Accent in New Delhi Karo Christine Kumar
Comorin, a more accessible take on Indian Accent
Comorin was our attempt at offering regional Indian comfort food at a third of the price. But then, the decor and all was industrial with open ceilings. There were community tables, to which people said, “Who is going to sit Wagamama-style and eat?” But it worked for us. Then, post Covid-19, we got into introspection. Over the last decade, I had gotten into seven different companies, put restaurants on the back burner and was doing many other “passion” things. I realised I wanted to be a restaurateur again. So we didn’t renew contracts at India Habitat Centre, closed some other ventures, and now, we’re opening a new restaurant every two months.
Venturing into New York with Koloman and Goa with Hosa
Khattar shared exciting developments: We got this iconic space in New York, which had the same landlord as Indian Accent, but it was not the right fit for Comorin. Here, the space came first and the concept later. We found a brilliant chef [Marcus Glocker], and together, we created a 140-seater French-Austrian restaurant and called it Koloman. We kept it casual but still $120 a head.
Simultaneously, I was working on Hosa. We had taken a place in Cyber Hub (Gurgaon) but realised Hosa needed to be slightly more premium so we took it to Goa. Again, we found a brilliant young chef [Suresh DC]. He did a lot of north Indian food for me but his south Indian food was excellent, a concept I’ve always wanted to explore.
Nalli Chicken Curry with Veechu Parotta, and Curry Leaf Cured Snapper in a pool of kokum and coconut curry leaf oil rassa at Hosa in Goa’s Siolim Karo Christine Kumar
Towards the future: New horizons and responsibilities
Khattar hinted at new ventures: Creating new brands has been a lot of fun, and now we’re gearing up for a new Thai concept. I’ve just come from Bangkok. Our chef is already in training, and it will debut in Goa before expanding to other cities. We’re rolling out Hosa, the diner, Chor Bizarre and Comorin. And Indian Accent we are taking overseas. While Delhi and Mumbai are the big two Indian cities for Indian Accent, we’re not sure if we can do Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata yet.