Sunday, December 9, 2012

Best Modern Indian: Amaranta, Oberoi Gurgaon

The Oberoi group has no reputation for Indian cuisine. The old Mughal Rooms were Kwalityclones and the Kandahar menu consisted of dishes stolen from ITC. So it made sense for the chain to rethink its approach to Indian food and to refuse to open new Indian restaurants at some properties (the Delhi Oberoi, for instance). Instead, the Oberois are now experimenting with modern Indian, partnering with the likes of Vineet Bhatia in Bombay.
But the best Indian restaurant in the Oberoi group is easily Amaranta at the Gurgaon property. It has not had the success it deserves because a) 361, the hotel’s main restaurant is such a hit and b) because Gurgaon is not exactly the capital of nouvelle Indian cuisine.
But the food can be exceptional. The restaurant is proudest of its fish, freshly flown in from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and the quality of its presentation. For me, however, its real success lies in the updating of South Indian flavours (especially the Syrian Christian food).

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