The Leela Opens Jamavar London with Top Chef from Michelin-Starred Trishna

IN A major casting coup, The Leela Group’s co-chairman and managing director, Dinesh Nair, has hired Rohit Ghai, group executive chef of JKS Restaurants, which runs London's much-feted Michelin-starred newbie, Gymkhana, and Trishna, another popular restaurant with the coveted star, for the first international foray of the luxury hotel chain's Jamavar restaurant.

Jamavar London will reflect the essence of its siblings and take a holistic approach to Indian cuisine from across the majestic sub-continent. On the menu are dishes that showcase the varied flavours of the Royal Kitchens of the North along with succulent options from the rivers and shores of the South. Behind every dish is a team of highly experienced chefs, each a culinary master of a distinct regional cuisine.

Named after the intricate and vibrant 16th century shawls of Kashmir, Jamavar first opened at The Leela Palace in Bengaluru in 2001, and has rapidly expanded to other Leela properties across India, including, New Delhi, Chennai, Goa and Mumbai. The restaurant also has a longstanding partnership with Lufthansa Airlines which exclusively offers a taste of Jamavar dishes travellers in First and Business Class on the Germany to India routes.

Known for its conventionally plated yet well-cooked pan-Indian menu, the classics being the Lobster Neeruli, Sindhi Gosht and Coconut Payasam, Jamavar operates in five of the group's luxury hotels. Its London address, Mount Street in Mayfair, is upmarket and strategically located between the Grosvenor House and The Connaught hotels.

At the helm is Ghai, an IHM-Gwalior graduate, who had worked up the ranks at the Taj and Oberoi hotels, before moving to Britain in 2008. There, he first worked at celebrity chef Atul Kochhar's second restaurant in his adopted country, Vatika, at Wickham, Hampshire, and then at Benaras, Kochhar's Michelin-starred flagship. It was from Benaras that Ghai moved to JKS and under his charge, Gymkhana was rated Britain's No. 1 by Restaurant magazine, whose World's 50 Best has become the benchmark ranking for the dining business.

Unsurprisingly, Jamavar London will have sharing plates, and Ghai also plans to travel across India to dig deeper into the country's culinary wealth and create a menu that will appeal to the palate of the evolved diners of one of the leading world capitals of fine dining. For The Leela, it will be a massive leap of faith, because it has so far been known to tie up with international restaurant brands, notably Le Cirque and Megu, and run their outlets in its hotels.

Set across two high-ceilinged floors, and designed by Fabled Studio, London, Jamavar's decor takes its inspiration from the old Viceroy’s House (the present Rashtrapati Bhawan) in New Delhi. With dining tables designed like chaturanga (ancient Indian chess) boards, the restaurant flaunts the vibrant colours of Jamavar shawls, rainforest emperador marbles, dark timber panelling and a mirror-embellished bar in celebration of the country's textile techniques.
Like everything with The Leela touch, Jamavar London promises to symbolise pomp and grandeur. With Ghai's touch, how soon can we expect the restaurant to win its first Michelin star?