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When Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia launched Rasoi restaurant at The Gulf Hotel Bahrain earlier this year, he brought with him the spice of life, taking diners on a culinary journey of India and its array of popular street food.
His aim was to fuse all the traditional tastes of Indian cuisine in a contemporary twist to create memorable meals and experiences for diners all over the world. He obviously has the recipe for success as the kingdom’s food lovers have been flocking to the five-star hotel to savour the multi-award winning chef’s modern take on authentic Asian fare.
Rasoi by Vineet restaurant manager, Godwin Prabhakaran, who has been working with the chef for 10 years, said: “Since the opening, the restaurant has been well received by locals and expats alike as they love Vineet’s twist on biriyanis, kababs and samosas. The response has been overwhelming and we are usually full during the week over lunch, on the weekends and holidays.”
Perhaps the reason the restaurant is so popular is due to Chef Vineet’s continuous support and trips to the island to ensure that every flavour is on point and that there is always something new on the menu.
It also helps that he left Rasoi, which means kitchen in Hindi, in the hands of head chef Sahil Khullar, who has been cooking with him for five years. Sahil and his dedicated team of cooks that hail from different parts of India were all trained by the spice maverick himself.
Godwin added: “We like to talk to our guests to see what dishes they enjoy and what they would like to see more of or try. They have either heard about these meals from friends that have travelled to India or seen it on television and in magazines. We want to give them that first-hand experience at our restaurant so we work with our professional kitchen team to make their wishes come true.”
The elegant eatery, which can seat a minimum of 130 diners, is offering sizzling new starters and mains to enjoy and my husband Sam and I were more than happy to put the modernised street food to the test.
Before stepping into Chef Vineet’s kitchen, we walked through a lounge featuring comfy couches, colourful Rasoi merchandise and memorabilia. Sounds of soulful Indian music filled the brightly-lit restaurant which was a sight to behold. It was stunning and according to a friendly hostess the largest venue at the hotel.
The interior was warm and inviting with plush pillows, lanterns and crisp white linen. There are a number of private rooms for large groups to feast in, including the chef’s table. This special room allows 12 diners to watch Sahil and his team in action from a show kitchen window.
Mandala patterns, which signify that life is never ending, are featured throughout the black, gold and beige themed restaurant. I was captivated by the grand handmade copper and silver chandelier-shaped bells boasting mandala designs. They also replicated a mini statue from Rasoi London to be featured in Bahrain’s venue. As the hostess escorted us to the best table in the house, boasting views of the hotel entrance and Adliya, I was mesmerised by the delicate wooden details and art work.
The table featured a minimalistic setting with only a lotus flower candle holder and gold rimmed plates, leaving the spotlight on the food. And rightly so as the presentation of each platter was like a work of art.
Noticing that Sam and I had a pesky cold, our caring server Chetan brought over lemon, ginger and honey-infused tea to soothe our senses and put us in a relaxed state.
We sipped our tea and nibbled on pappadums dipped in beet root, mango or mint coriander chutney. That minty green chutney would have made our beloved coriander monster and former colleague Nawaar Farooq proud.
Next up was the amuse-bouche which featured a shot of lentil soup with a side of potato, corn and pea fritter on tomato chutney.
The bite-sized fritter was delicious and complemented the robust dhal soup. When the appetisers arrived we each got a Rasoi platter that included tandoori prawn marinated with yoghurt, turmeric and carom seeds, tempura kadak seekh kabab stuffed with cheddar and mozzarella cheese on tomato chutney and mint corriander chutney chicken tikka. That didn’t take us long to devour.
We then bit into a scrumptious almond tikki which was one of my favourites. It included a crispy almond crusted green pea and punjabi chickpeas smothered in sweetened yoghurt and topped with a tamarind chutney sorbet. I liked the hot and cold sensations and the sweetness of the tamarind. Sam couldn’t get enough of the iconic Mumbai street food called vada pav, which looked like potato fritter sliders in coconut garlic chutney with a side salad and molecular gastronomic green chilli caviar.
Thinking that was the main, I finished off the almond tikki and sat back with more tea. After a couple of minutes, the server informed us that our mains will be ready shortly. The chef was also going to send us a sorbet to cleanse our palate but our considerate server advised him against it as, apparently, it would not go over well with our cold.
We were served Chef Vineet’s special grilled chilli garlic hammour recipe in pearl mango-almond couscous with kaffir lime-coconut sauce and topped off with a crispy plantain, which was divine. The Malabari potli is what stole the show featuring tender lamb baked in a banana leaf wrap with pomegranate raita, jelly and banana chips.
I loved the traditional slow-cooked black lentils and the vegetarian Uttapam Lasagne which consists of rice pancake layered with aubergines, chutney and a crisp Iddiyappam (a light Sri Lankan rice flour pancake). Sam savoured the spicy murg khurchan which is chargrilled shredded chicken tossed in bell peppers, spring onion, ginger and lime juice. We ate the saucy dishes with olives and sundried tomato naan and butter garlic naan.
Just when we thought we couldn’t eat any more, the chef brings over two gorgeous desserts that we couldn’t resist.
The Gulab Jamun-rose cheese cake with rose petal-vanilla bean kulfi, rose caviar and chocolate buttons was out of this world, while the Rasoi Chocolate-chikki delice plate was a sweet escape on its own. Although it’s meant for two, I could have finished it off on my own.
It included a chocolate hazelnut mocha, a sinful chocolate cumin fondant, creamy peanut butter fudge with cocoa soil, a sweet white chocolate kheer and Chef Vineet’s iconic ‘chocomosa’ full of dark or white chocolate.
After three-hours of non-stop deliciousness, Sam and I called it quits and left blissfully happy and full.
For reservations, contact 17746461 or 35614437.
