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Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia is sprightly when we make a call to his Chelsea home in the UK, where he is based. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m usually in Mumbai every two or three months, but I don&rsquo;t always tell,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;
Bhatia, the consulting chef at Ziya, arrives in the city this week to launch a gourmand menu. &ldquo;I try to change the spread every one or two years. The menu is an effort to present international food trends.&rdquo;
<img title="The chaat platter at Ziya" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/nov/15ziya.jpg" alt="The chaat platter at Ziya" /> The chaat platter at Ziya
Able to keep a keen eye on how the evolution of food trends in India matches up to those in the West, Bhatia sees consumption heading toward smaller portions. &ldquo;It is taking on a haphazard look; clean lines are out, especially in Europe. There&rsquo;s a lot of deconstruction and organised messed, as I like to call it, playing out on plates.&rdquo;
Flowers and herbs are a hit, and chefs are preferring to stick to one bold flavour, he shares.
On his latest menu, a dish he&rsquo;d like to discuss is the curry leaf prawn. &ldquo;Curry leaves are banned in Europe. Did you know that? The pesticides used to store them are raising an alarm,&rdquo; he says, making us imagine the ruckus news of this sort would create in India.
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mid-day.com/articles/in-conversation-with-chef-vineet-bhatia/203598" target="_blank">In conversation with chef Vineet Bhatia</a>
Staying true to Mumbai&rsquo;s spirit, he is trying to capture the essence of street food. That brings Kolkata-born, Bangkok based star chef, Gaggan Anand to mind, although unlike him, Bhatia steers clear of molecular&nbsp;gastronomy.
&ldquo;I am also doing a bhekti with a crust of macademia nuts. Indian food should not end with kaju, pista and badam purees. This I will serve with green peas upma and beetroot and lentil sauce.&rdquo; Bhatia, whose culinary philosophy has been Indian at heart but modern in presentation, wants you to close your eyes when you take a bite. &ldquo;You should be reminded of your country,&rdquo; he hopes.
On the dessert front, too, he stays with that thought, bringing to the table a coffee-flavoured halwa and caramelised banana kulfi.
Culinary jugalbandi &ldquo;Designing a menu is like setting musical notes. There should be highs and lows, so that guests don&rsquo;t get bored.&rdquo; On one of the special service nights, that is November 19, the dinner menu sees three chefs from Oberoi &mdash; Chef Adriano Baldassare, Chef Ruben Santos and Bhatia &mdash; weave flavours of three distinct cuisines into one five-course meal. &ldquo;We figured that Indian, Italian and Japanese are loved by Indians, and they all have the umame flavour in common. The salty, meaty flavour in mushrooms, tomatoes and Asian miso.&rdquo;
<img title="Chef Vineet Bhatia" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/nov/15Chef-Vineet-Bhatia.jpg" alt="Chef Vineet Bhatia" /> Chef Vineet Bhatia
On the menu is sea bass too, with a tadka of burnt garlic and chillies. &ldquo;The burnt garlic adds a sweeter, nutty taste, and the chilli, a necessary kick. This, we will serve with a Japanese black bean sauce,&rdquo; he shares.
Bhatia speaks of rounding it off with rasmalai cheese cake that carries a Macha tea flavour, and the Italian panacota in coconut.
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Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia is back to offer afive-course jugalbandi meal, blending Italian, Indian and Japanese

Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia offers a 'jugalbandi' meal

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Home / Mumbai-guide / Mumbai Food / Article / Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia offers a 'jugalbandi' meal

Michelin-star chef Vineet Bhatia offers a 'jugalbandi' meal

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