Cruising along the North India belt, where the rugged terrain of the Himalayas envelops the fertile plains of Punjab and the snow-capped peaks of Kashmir, there exists a culinary tradition as rich and diverse as the landscape itself. Woven together by the stories of bakarwal shepherds and the rhythms of age-old celebrations, this tradition now finds its vivid embodiment in Bengaluru at Loya, an Indian-concept restaurant that opened its doors earlier this month. Following a successful debut at The Taj Palace, New Delhi last year, this brand by Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) brings a part of the North to the city’s heritage hotel — Taj West End.
White-washed with a façade that blends in with the rest of the property, one is met with a splash of colour when they step into Loya. Indoors, Loya’s design philosophy revolves around the concept of Paanch, symbolising the five rivers of Punjab and the five elements that thrive in the universe. The walls also tell stories of Rajasthan with jharokhas, stone jalis and Mughal ornamentation in earthy sandstone textures. Seated beneath the striped tapestries hanging from the ceilings, surrounded by hand-carved vases, clay pigeons and ornate brass lanterns casting a warm glow, we were transported to the old bazaars of Delhi.
Unlike the Delhi outlet, Loya Bengaluru extends its presence to the outdoors encircled by a serene water body reminiscent of Himalayan springs, a distinctive courtyard bar sculpted from boulders and a Qissa Lounge for hosting eclectic storytelling events. The restaurant experience does not just end at the food but is enhanced with Loya’s 21-track music album curated by Shreyas Patkar, a melodic journey inspired by folk tunes, traditional rhythms and soul-stirring compositions, adding the final touch to the quintessence of North India.
Derived from the Pashto word for a joyous gathering to savour feast, ‘loya’ encapsulates the essence of camaraderie, food festivity and time-honoured cooking techniques like dhungar or smoking, the aromatics of baghar, dum or slow-cooking, sigdi stove and earthen pots. Loya is a place where stories come to life on your plate and just like that it was time for us to taste a few dishes from the Pella Swaad section of the menu. Keeping that in mind, we grabbed a piece of Loya Kachori Chaat, a tantalising appetiser that combines the crispy perfection of a kachori with the earthy flavours of dried green pea vatana, anardana and saunth chutney. We also tasted the Chapli Paratha (mutton kebab on the flaky paratha and cucumber-tomato slaw), which was a spicy marriage of robust flavours. After the first sets of appetisers, we flipped through the bar menu and were impressed with the way each drink was illustrated showcasing how it would be served. We called for the Mulethi Cocktail, a mulethi-infused gin potion blended with citrus, sugar and honeycomb tuile. We sipped on the concoction while we experienced the making of a Dal Ki Chaat live before it was served to us with chilli oil and garlic nibs.
For the mains, we sampled Kathal Baingan Bharta (smoked and spiced eggplant and jackfruit) and Dal Jhakiya (a comforting blend of moong and arhar dal with a Pahadi jhakiya seed tempering) from the veg section. We also opted for Kangra Khodiya Gosht (a Pahadi-special mutton curry, hand-ground and stained with charred walnut ink) and Dum Nalli (slow-cooked baby lamb shanks simmered in yoghurt and a fragrant spiced stock gravy) that transport you to the heart of the Himalayas as tender mutton melts in your mouth with each bite. We paired these curries with two unique and lesser-known breads — Gola Paratha and Amritsar Wadi Kulcha. The former is a layered lachcha paratha made with whole wheat flour and clarified butter while the latter is a lentil dumpling kulcha that boasts a soft interior and crispy exterior.
At the start of the meal, we had been asked to save some extra space for the desserts and boy, was it worth it. We began with Gud-Ke-Maan, which is the chef’s grandmother’s recipe that serves badam kheer as a jaggery coated snack. For those who don’t enjoy sugar, this is perfect. Next came the Badana Pearls, plated in a royal turquoise jewellery box with silver detailing, this dessert featured tri-colour boondi, rabri and saffron foam. The meal concluded with Delhi’s famous Doodh Jalebi, which we drank and chomped on to our hearts’ content.
INR 6,400 onwards. At Race Course Road.
srushti@newindianexpress.com