If you’re looking for delicious Indian food cooked with careful, thoughtful and inspired use of spices, that leave a lingering flavour on your palate, then SALT is the place that will satiate all this and more. After a successful running at three locations in Bangalore, SALT, pan-Indian restaurant, bar and grill recently opened its fourth outlet at UB City.
The talented trio – Bala Balachander, Goutham Balasubramanian and Sudagar Rajendran have ensured that there’s oomph in every bite of this haute Indian cuisine that is already being loved by every food aficionado in Bengaluru and Chennai.
Interiors: The design inspiration for SALT has been taken from Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan style of art. Pieter was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being one of the pioneers of the 20th century abstract art and his artistic vocabulary is reminiscent of simple geometric elements.
Food: The chefs believe that cooking food with love and passion brings out so much flavour and character to the dish, even with simple ingredients. At SALT, they religiously follow this principle and always cook with honesty and understanding of the right use of spices and ingredients to bring out the best. Most Indian recipes reflect the real taste and soul of Indian food where food lovers can relax and eat with their fingers if they wish. No wonder then that every diner here gets an aromatic, visual and a flavourul dining experience. The menu spans the breadth and depth of India reflecting the real taste and soul of Indian food.
Must-try: Some of the must-have signature dishes include Subzi Quinoa Tikki, Mutton Sukka Uthappam, Zaitooni Paneer Malai tikka, Pardha Jhinga, Rasbhari Kofta Curry, Alleppey Fish Curry, Atta Chicken and Pardha Mutton Biryani. Try the desserts that are innovative and unique like Jamun Tiramisu, Filter Coffee Brulee and Tender Coconut Popsicles.
Drinks: The drinks menu here is also clearly crafted with passion as it offers an enchanting and vibrant range of Salt’s Signature Cocktails, loaded with ingredients, spices and herbs sourced from different regions of India.
The team: Bala Balachander started his culinary journey as a chef with Southern Spice at Taj Chennai. He then moved on to London as the executive chef at Benaras, a Michelin star Indian restaurant. Bala took an opportunity to learn something new and then joined The Meat & Wine Co in 2005 as Executive Chef. He opened the award-winning restaurant Chaiwalla, Honkong based on an authentic Indian menu. He always knew he would return to his Indian roots and soon he came back to India to start SALT, an Indian restaurant.
Goutham Balasubramanian, a young and raring to go chef is someone who enjoys pushing his own limits. Challenging the odds is what he does and he always does it best. A self-made entrepreneur with strong basics who climbed the ladder of success slowly and steadily knowing what goes into every rung. He believes in giving his team the freedom to innovate and create, delivering memorable experiences. He began his culinary career with a reputed five-star hotel in Chennai. Working his ranks up, he won not just accolades and awards, but also the hearts of his colleagues and guests at every step. He was associated with other reputed hospitality brands before turning and entrepreneur and launching Toscano in Bangalore. After a decade of building Toscano as the quintessential Italian restaurant and lounge in Bangalore, Chennai was the obvious choice to pay homage to the city that laid the foundation for his culinary journey. An eye for detail and an insatiable desire for learning, set him apart from the other chefpreneurs.
Sudagar Rajendra comes across as the chief trouble-shooter. He wears many hats and tries to keep the customer experience as the core value in delivering quality food on every table. He also runs a restaurant and two food courts at the IT major Infosys campus in Mysore. He has earlier worked as the executive chef at Novotel, Cardiff and has an extensive experience in the cruise F&B business.
Where: SALT is located at VR Bengaluru, Forum Koramangala, Forum Shantiniketan, UB City in Bengaluru and at Vijaya Mall in Chennai.
– By Namita Gupta