w hen you eat at Michelin-starred Indian chef Rohit Ghai’s new restaurant Vatavaran in Knightsbridge, you can expect an “immersive” fine dining experience like no other.
It’s no coincidence that the name means “atmosphere” in Sanskrit – each of the restaurant’s four levels represents a distinct aspect of the Himalayan landscape, taking you on a journey that culminates at the “summit”. This multi-sensory experience, blending the natural world with the culinary odyssey, starts as soon as you enter the ground floor bar, with its calming palette of blue tones, floral wallpaper and artwork symbolising valley streams. The bright and airy mezzanine space is filled with natural light and the buzz of chefs at work in the open kitchen. As you ascend to the elegant first floor dining room, you find yourself surrounded by green and earthy tones, reminiscent of the forests found higher up the mountains. At the “peak” is an intimate lounge and cocktail bar, with deep red hues, velvet textures and a reflective ceiling mimicking the snow-capped Himalayas. For Rohit, who made his name with Kutir in Chelsea and the iconic Manthan in Mayfair, Vatavaran’s connection with the Himalayas is deeply personal. He and his long-term business partner Abhi Sangwan worked closely with Collective Design in Newcastle to bring their interiors vision to life. “The Himalayas have always been a source of inspiration,” says the chef who won a Michelin star in 2017 when he was executive chef at Mayfair’s Jamavar. “I have visited many times, and the tranquillity, the breathtaking landscapes and the culture all left a deep impression on me. We wanted to bring that serenity to Vatavaran.”
It comes as no surprise that the seasonal menu is also inspired by the mountains. Renowned for his modern take on traditional Indian flavours, Rohit has curated a culinary journey that captures the essence of the Himalayas through innovative techniques and seasonal ingredients. Identifying some of the rare and indigenous ingredients sourced from the region is like going on a treasure hunt. Himalayan juniper berries are used in marinades and cocktails for their earthy, citrusy aroma, fiddlehead ferns provide a slightly nutty flavour to dishes while the intensely aromatic mountain garlic adds depth. Then there’s buckwheat, a staple grain of the area, which is used in rotis and desserts, and Timur pepper, a rare Nepali pepper with a citrusy heat, perfect for enhancing savoury dishes.
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