This new diner in Gurugram puts a contemporary spin on Indian cuisine

Chef Vineet Bhatia lends his signature twist to Indian cuisine at Ziya, his new restaurant in The Oberoi in Gurgaon

While the cosmopolitan metropolis Gurugram has a brimming café and bar culture, it hardly comes close to Delhi as far as fine dining is concerned. But that is gradually changing, with celebrated chefs like Vineet Bhatia stepping into the city’s culinary space.

After regaling diners with his last outing, Dhilli (in The Oberoi New Delhi), Vineet is now testing the waters in the Millennium City that boasts a relatively younger and more experimental population with his new restaurant Ziya. Cocooned within The Oberoi Gurgaon, it brings forth the splendour of Indian cuisine, albeit with contemporary flair.

They say, God is in the details. The team at Ziya seems to have followed it through and through. The 56-cover space’s blue-and-silver toned nested arched pods captivate your attention. The communal table also makes a statement but it is the hand-painted brass platters and cutlery that take personalisation to a whole new level.

Everything at Ziya seems Instagrammable. Was that a conscious decision? Vineet does not shy away from admitting to this strategy. However, he believes the food should always be the hero, or the hype will die down.

At first, Ziya appears quite similar to Dhilli with elevated Indian food being the centrepiece. Gradually, you realise that the common thread is the sheer disinterest in gimmicks. None of the dishes served at Ziya are a mish-mash of ingredients; rather, it is a classic Indian fare taken a notch higher with tweaks.

“My dishes are always inspired by the land we are in. For instance, Ziya in Mumbai is influenced by the ocean. Gurgaon is landlocked and very different in terms of sensibilities. Here, it is not about the mithas (sweetness) of the coconut but chaat masala, ajwain or hing,” shares Vineet.

For instance, there is the Goan balchao prawn toast that offers the familiarity of the Goan staple with added texture and flavour. The aloo toffee with Kashmiri chilli grabs your attention with its toffee-like shape but it will instantly remind you of the quintessential aloo samosa with a twist. There are chicken bonda lollipops too, coated with boondi for extra crunch, and paired with roasted bell pepper chutney. The only challenge was to eat it, given the flimsy stick on which it was mounted.