Aloo tuk bravas and butter chicken romesco at Vicky Ratnani's new restaurant
Summary
From his mother's Sindhi specials with global twists to Filipino chicken adobo and Roman-style pizzas, Omny Kitchen is an ode to the chef's travels and his childhood
Chef Vicky Ratnani’s new Gurugram restaurant Omny Kitchen and Bar is an amalgamation of his love for food and travel. With a career boasting of popular TV shows such asVicky Goes Veg, Cook, Eat, and Party, andVicky Goes Desi, apart from stints at cruise liners and running a gourmet burger brand, he is upbeat about showcasing the flavours he picked from his travels across the world through quirky Indian twists.
The multi-cuisine restaurant, which will initially be open only for dinner, has over 70-plus dishes on the menu. These range from avocado chaat puri to ceviche, carpaccio, and Roman-style pizzas, burgers to even a full-fledged coffee, dessert, and cocktail programme. Ratnani especially takes pride in the Sindhi delicacies including a butternut squash sai bhaji, tidali daal served with pakwan, chutneys, and papads, which have been inspired by his mother’s recipes. Sample aloo tuk bravas, a take on the Sindhi staple that is sprinkled with chaat masala, and served with a garlic aioli and bravas sauce. Or, an inspiration drawn from Jammu where Ratnani tried kalari kulcha. The chef interprets it as Jammu Tawi, a burger with a rajma patty and fresh kalari cheese.
The dishes are also an introduction to some of his favourite cooking techniques such as charcoal grilling, fermentation, brining, pickling, braising among others. These are evident in some of the delicious dishes such as Caesar Salad on Fire with charred leaves, Butter Chicken Romesco, Filipino Chicken Adobo, and Gambas Al Ajillo.
Chef Vicky Ratnani chats with Mint Lounge, and tells us what diners can expect at Omny Kitchen.
Also read: Home chefs bring global cuisines inspired by their international travels
How would you describe Omny Kitchen?
It’s a global brasserie, and is a tribute to my travels all over the world, which include Bora Bora, Fiji Islands, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, UAE, besides Europe and the US. The name’s born from the word ‘omnipresent’, and I thought of it in the context of how while I was travelling, food remained a constant, and it was distinctive to various cultures. The kitchen evokes a sense of modernity, versatility, and global flair, where different culinary flavours come together. We have a rotating menu with seasonal specials from different countries. We have taken a conscious approach to source our ingredients locally, and that can be seen in many of our sauces, dips, and dishes.
You’re a Mumbaikar, but what made you open a restaurant in Delhi NCR?
Well, the investors were keen to open here. The Delhi diner has deep pockets for sure. The purchasing power here (in Delhi NCR) is great. Mumbai diners are more experimental when it comes to food. I had been busy, so when I got the opportunity to open a restaurant, I wanted to look beyond Mumbai.
How do you think the food landscape has changed over the years?
The awareness of various kinds of cuisines has grown. Everybody is conscious of what they are eating. There’s also a shift in how we cook in the kitchen. Look at how Goa has exploded in terms of food. What’s also reassuring is how regional cuisines are seeing a growth as is overall Indian cuisine restaurants finding mention in international lists.
How and when did you conceptualise Omny Kitchen?
As much as I was enjoying my travels, interacting with people, and visiting kitchens of families, I missed cooking. I also wanted to share my culinary experiences with people at large, which meant I needed to be in the kitchen. Every family I visited on my travels has inspired me. I was keen to show the confluence of various places and the food from my experiences. We were supposed to launch in January, but since it’s summer now, we decided to keep some of the heavier dishes for a later date. After Gurugram, we will take Omny Kitchen to other cities.
Can you share the thought process behind some of the dishes from the menu?
So, a simple aloo tamatar dish is translated to gnocchi in a pasta sauce, which you eat with podi. Or, for that matter, I combine black wheat noodles with vegetable Rangoon curry to create a dish that does not belong to any specific place. There’s another dish where the curry is inspired from my trips to Bora Bora where I met Indians. That said, our food menu will change every quarter.
In a fast-evolving culinary landscape, what makes Omny Kitchen stand out?
The food is an eclectic mix of everything, but it’s not a hodgepodge. I also feel this restaurant will allow diners to get to know a side of me that hasn't been seen before. I also feel that Omny Kitchen has the capacity to go into different verticals. For instance, given the premium burgers and Roman-style pizzas that we serve, we are sure to get a good response on food delivery platforms.
After a hard day's work, what is Vicky Ratnani's 'go-to' food?
Well, simple Korean noodles with freshly-chopped veggies and eggs is comforting. So is a good burger, or old-school lasagna. Being a Sindhi, of course, sindhi kadhi and chawal is very comforting.
Also read: How to add flavour and probiotics with kimchi
Abhilasha Ojha is a Delhi-based writer.
