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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Take 5: The culinary hotspots of the month
Spanning Japanese, Italian, European, and fusion flavours, these newly opened restaurants deserve a spot on your must-try list. With a live kitchen and pasta bar seating, guests get a front-row view of the cooking Latango, Nehru Place Lead by Italian chefs, Latango brings authentic European flavours with a twist. Think omelet café de Paris, creamy stracciatella, scallop sashimi, and octopus salad—all made fresh in an open kitchen that keeps things interactive and fun. The cocktails here cross borders and blur boundaries, mixing East and West, memory and mixology. 'Latango brings the essence of Europe to the table — thoughtfully crafted, elegantly expressed 'says Sahil Sambhi, founder. Meal for two: Rs. 6,000 approx (with alcohol) KIOKI, 32nd Avenue, Gurugram This buzzing spot channels the spirit of a classic Izakaya: think warm lighting, wood-panelled charm and upbeat music. 'We've designed it for socialising, sharing, and soaking in good vibes,' says chef Vikram Khatri. The menu dives deep into Japanese staples: donburi bowls, sushi, sashimi, robata grills, ramen, soba and udon. No cocktails yet, but the food delivers. Meal for two: Rs. 1,800– Rs. 2,000 approx Naarma, Nehru Place A stylish blend of Japanese, Chinese, European and Italian influences, this place offers bold flavours and bold design. Must-tries: the buttery otoro aburi, Naarma roll with garlic truffle sauce and spicy spaghetti salsa vfcrossa with molten scamorza. The cocktails? World-class, thanks to international mixologists. 'The space tells a story—from hand-painted walls to floral installations,' says founder Akshay Anand. Meal for two: Rs. 4,000 approx CASA Pasta Bar, Hauz Khas At CASA, pasta takes centre stage. 'We celebrate pasta in its truest form,' says chef and founder Sambhavi Joshi. With a live kitchen and pasta bar seating, guests get a front-row view of the magic. Made daily using Indian semolina (no refined flour!), the menu stars dishes like arancini, goat cheese & zucchini bruschetta, mafaldine with truffle shavings and stuffed ravioli. Sip on a selection of wines, beers, and more. Meal for two: Rs. 2,500 approx (excluding alcohol) Masala Synergy, Sec-66, Gurugram Two kitchens, two vibes. 'Masala' is all about familiar North Indian comfort, while 'Synergy' experiments with global flavours — from Thai to Mexican. 'It's a modern-meets-traditional experience,' says co-founder Shreya Kapoor. On the menu: queso keema pav, avocado tokri chaat basque chhena poda cheesecake and Irani chai crème brûlée. The full bar adds extra flair. Meal for two: Rs. 1,800 approx (excluding alcohol)
Mint
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Weekend food plan: Buzz-worthy restaurants to try in your city
From Goa to Mumbai, Fireback has finally opened its doors to offer Mumbaikars a unique Thai food experience — one that packs a punch for sure. Bold, spicy and indulgent is what one can expect from a meal at the newest outpost by EHV International, the group behind Indian Accent, Comorin, HOSA and Chor Bizarre. The menu stands out, especially the curries — fiery yet addictive, unfamiliar yet distinctive. Go for the chicken golae, that are essentially grilled skewers coated with a sweet-savoury glaze, and served with a flavourful ajad, a relish of chillies, onions and cucumber. The lamb Massaman is flavourful and comes with potatoes. The mango sticky rice and Thai roti pancake with condensed milk and banana put a sweet end to a memorable meal. Where: Fireback, Nilaya Anthology, Peninsula Corporate Park, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai Cocktail at Latango. Latango is Delhi's newest hotspot for classic European fare. Conceptualised by Sahil Sambhi (of Japonico, Bawri, Berlin and Vietnom), the menu is helmed by Italian chefs Roberto Blondi and Joe Stanchi, who bring their vast knowledge and expertise of European cuisine for the first time in India. The food nods to the farm-to-table philosophy, and bears influences from the chefs' extensive travels across the region. There's fresh stracciatella cheese to savour, scallop sashimi reinterpreted through their memories, an Atlantic crab tagliolini from the coast of Italy, Parisian omelettes, Andalusian seabass ajo blanco, octopus salad, and of course, tiramisu. Where: Latango, 01 Epicuria, TDI South Bridge, Nehru Place, New Delhi Contact: +91-9289859289 A dish from Paashh. From the leafy lanes of Kalyani Nagar in Pune, to Bandra's quiet Portuguese neighbourhood, is Paashh — a restaurant that channels slow cooking and mindful eating. The brainchild of Vaishali Karde, the menu is vegetarian, and has a mix of vegan dishes thoughtfully curated by chef Vinod Warade, who takes special pride in cooking with seasonal, organic produce including heirloom grains sourced from farms around Pune. Expect multigrain thalipeeth, dal pakwan nachos, charred pumpkin kebabs, terrain salad of butternut squash and grilled brie, and a spicy kulith saar with crunchy kurdai, a type of string papad from Maharashtra. The space has been restored to preserve its original charm, and doubles up as a boutique store showcasing food, clothing and home decor products. Where: Paashh, Cecilia Shelter, off Carter Road, Shirley, Pali Hill, Bandra, Mumbai Contact: +91-9545810001
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- The Hindu
Latango in Delhi blends rustic European flavours with whimsy
'After Japonico, our contemporary Japanese bar in Gurgaon, I knew I wanted to create a European space next — one that is layered with stories and experiences,' says Sahil Sambhi, founder of Delhi's newest culinary hotspot, Latango. The 165-cover space, spread across two floors and a large alfresco area bears the signature flamboyance of Sahil's restaurants — a sculptural bar, double height ceiling, Instagrammable washrooms and arguably India's only two-storey show kitchen. And, like his other restaurants, the focus equally extends to the food and beverage programme. A European diner with a Japanese accent (as the team likes to call it), Latango brings home two European chefs. Chef Roberto Blondi, who hails from Parma in Italy and has worked in kitchens like Eleven Madison Park, is the current head chef at Japonico. Chef Joe Stanchi, who trained at Naples' legendary Starita a Materdei, is known to be among the finest pizzaiolos in the world. The bar programme is headed by Vikram Achanta and his team at Tulleeho. 'At Latango, our recipes are drawn directly from my mother's recipe books, passed down through generations. Every dish reflects the tradition, warmth, and rustic technique that defines true Italian home cooking — no shortcuts, just honest, hand-crafted pasta,' explains Joe. We are served a house bread and butter combo upon settling on a table at the cusp of the indoor and outdoor spaces. Pristine table covers, etched porcelain plates, and delicate crystal glassware lend an unmissable European vibe even as lush plants and soft waterfalls let in cool breeze. The bread, soft and warm, is comforting; the butter is unusually — and pleasantly — tart. We later learn that it is made by whisking a house-made onion and white wine compote with salted butter and served topped with Italian lemon zest and fresh roe. Next, we sample salads. While I am excited to try the spinach and parmesan, a safe choice, I am unsure about the octopus. It however surprises me. There is no smell or chewyness, two things I have always experienced with octopus. The octopus, Joe tells us, is sourced from Japan and the salad is put together to suit the city's palate — cooked with lemon and herbs, trimmed and arranged in a roulade and sliced just before dressing. The result is a beautifully delicate flavour and comfortable texture. The sliced tenderloin is great quality but feels drier than I like my salads to be. Besides the melange of Japanese and European, the menu also presents a good mix of novel flavours and comfort staples. So, on one hand we see octopus, tenderloin and scallops, on the other are grilled brie, patatas bravas and gambas al ajillo. The idea, says Joe, is to offer something for everyone. 'We work with trusted international vendors and source our seafood from Japan, Australia, Canada, and Denmark,' he says. After tasting mostly Japanese inspired small plates — scallop sashimi with smoked ponzu that is balanced and delicious, Chilean seabass yakitori with ryotei miso that stands out for the quality of fish, and prawn takosu that is crispy, umami and very hearty — we move on to the mains. Given how rare it is to find lobster in landlocked Delhi, we zero in on the homestyle lobster linguine, which is perfectly al-dente, with enough sauce to be mopped with bread. I also order the king mushroom, but it has too much dill which takes away all the flavours from the mushroom. The bar programme shines not just in its offerings but also in the design. Titled 'Letters From Two Worlds' and conceived as a series of letters between artists of the West and East, it depicts them on picture postcards bound in the form of a book. 'For me, designing cocktails has always been about breaking them down into their core flavour components — alcohol, bitterness, sweetness, acidity — and then finding ways to elevate each one without disturbing the natural balance,' says Abhishek Banerjee from Tulleeho. We taste the Cubist Negroni, a letter from Piccasso to Amrita Shergill. A take on the classic with a twist (a compari pop), it is nice and smooth and the taste keeps changing as the pop melts. The Nudist Picante — a letter from Donald Judd to Raza Abidi — is a refreshing change from the overtly spiced picantes that have become the norm. The Dali Bloom, a take on the Paloma with blue-pea-tea, looks beautiful but lacks depth. 'The Nudist Picante meanwhile is an exercise in restraint; we wanted to see how far we could go with minimalism — to deliver the full taste experience of a spicy Picante, but without the visual cues. It's made with tequila, kaffir lime, apple, and a house-made spice tincture, and it appears completely clear — almost like a glass of water,' explains Abhishek. With desserts becoming an integral part of all menus, Latango's dessert section does not disappoint. Our pick is the tableside chocolate mousse and tiramisu with chocolate caviar. 'We wanted to offer a sense of surprise to our guests — so we reimagined tiramisu to look like a caviar tin,' says Joe, as he walks us through the making of the coffee caviar that sits over the tiramisu. 'It's an illusionist dessert — familiar in flavor, but completely unexpected in presentation.' Delicious if a bit disillusioning, the final course truly embodies the ethos of Latango.
