Chef Thomas Mahara on balancing classics and change in a new menu

Soft lighting pools over sleek seating, while subtle Asian design elements quietly frame the room as you step into Lotus at The Park. We’re welcomed with a lychee-based drink, light, floral, and gently sweet, before settling down with Chef Thomas Mahara, who walks us through the thinking behind the new menu that reflects his journey across Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines, balancing long-standing favourites, some over two decades old, with a new line-up of signatures. “These days, most people want to try new things, whatever is trending in the current culinary scene. So, I removed a few dishes from the previous menu and added some new ones.”

We begin with the Japanese kanikama poke taco, a one-bite appetiser that disappears faster than expected. Crisp rice crackers hold a fresh mix of crab, cucumber, and carrot, tied together with a slightly spicy dynamite sauce. There’s crunch, creaminess, and a sublte heat that keeps you reaching for more.

The Sambal corn bites follow, golden fritters tossed in a ginger-forward sambal that hits sharp and savoury notes. Then comes the Crispy lamb, shredded meat coated with corn flour and finished with sesame and sweet chilli sauce.

From the dim sum section, the Shanghai chicken stands out—juicy, glossy in its wrapper, while the edamame mushroom truffle offers a quieter but equally compelling vegetarian counterpoint, its creaminess layered with the depth of truffle oil.

Mains arrive as hearty, self-contained plates. The Tom yum fried rice bowl is comforting and bold, tangy, slightly mellowed with coconut, and paired with crisp spring rolls and pickled vegetables. “It’s like a complete meal. You don’t need any gravy,” he says, and he’s right.

The Bangkok bass with massaman curry and nam jim slaw leans into Thai flavours, grilled fish resting in a rich massaman curry, offset by a bright nam jim slaw that cuts through with citrusy freshness. Meanwhile, the Wok-tossed chicken in black bean coriander sauce reveals a quieter complexity. The sauce, made in-house, takes hours. “We have to slow cook it. If we cook on high flame, it burns,” he explains, underlining the patience behind the plate.

Dessert goes gentle on us. Water chestnut rubies in pandan-infused coconut milk offer a cooling finish, while Black sticky rice with lychees leans into sweetness with a comforting familiarity.

Through it all, Chef Thomas returns to one idea. “A chef is always a student,” he says. “The day you stop learning, you start falling behind.” It’s not just something he says, you can feel it in the food. And if this is where he’s at right now, we’re curious, and a little excited, to see what more he learns and cooks up next at Lotus.

Meal for two: Rs 2,500 ++. From 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm, and 7 pm to 11.30 pm. At Lotus, The Park, Nungambakkam.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya

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