An East Bay mall is about to be a hot spot for phenomenal, laid-back Indian food. The teams behind tremendously popular mini empire Curry Up Now and Michelin Guide-approved Tiya will open a new restaurant together at City Center Bishop Ranch. Khaki will debut for dinner on Thursday, July 31, at 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon, a former Curry Up Now location. This new restaurant will be much more upscale than the typical Indian burrito outlet, though, says Akash Kapoor, founder of Curry Up Now and co-owner at Khaki.
Chefs and brothers Sujan and Pujan Sarkar — the former of whom took Chicago’s Indienne to one-Michelin-star status — worked with Kapoor to get a comfort food menu with fine dining approaches ready, while Tiya’s Eater Award-winning bartender Izler Thomas came in for drinks. Broadly, the menu and approach reflect all three’s memories of eating and living in India. “The menu isn’t just food,” Kapoor says, “it’s a lived experience that I’ve been through and they’ve been through.”
The Bishop Ranch restaurant — referred to as an Indian bar and canteen by the team — will cover all of the regions of India in various ways. As the country is enormous, that survey will take time, convenient as the restaurant’s menu will rotate seasonally. A jackfruit cutlet on the debut menu is a play on the common Calcutta street food, Kapoor says, the home region to both Sujan and Pujan. A dry-aged beef dish nods to coastal Karnataka while a Champaran mutton, cooked in an Indian clay pot, showcases the Bihari region of Kapoor’s childhood. Bengali fish paturi stars, too, a lighter affair steamed in banana leaf with heavy mustard flavors. Chaat and all kinds of street snacks will dot the scene, too. Across the board, the idea is to plant a big flag for Indian cuisine; the name is a reclamation of the term given to British colonists and their infamous footmen, but khaki itself — a derivative of the Urdu word for soil — is a color brought to the world from India.
Therefore the menu and ambiance pay homage to the era in which India separated itself from colonial rule, the ’60s and ’70s. Bright, zany colors and tastes that took charge during that time are center stage. Drinks follow suit, showcased with pride at a 14-seater bar. There’ll be a Negroni incorporating truffle and goat cheese, which arrives with a cracker, perhaps topping Thomas’s Parmesan and sourdough-infused drink at Tiya. Bengal’s panch phoron spice, made for pickling, will star in a grapefruit tequila cocktail, riffing on a paloma. Another drink relies on clarified vanilla ice cream, basil, yuzu, and elderflower. Thomas’s brother, Roger Thomas, is joining the team here, while Kapoor pitched in thanks to his experience at Curry Up Now’s Mortar & Pestle cocktail curation.
Kapoor says this former Curry Up Now outpost did decent, but not the numbers he wanted to hit. COVID cratered Bishop Ranch, the workers in the area drying up. He and Sujan were already pals, and he broached the idea of collaborating in 2024. Indian design firm Curry Fwd, the same team behind Tiya’s build out, handled the aesthetic which includes three different kinds of hand-drawn wallpapers. They hope the restaurant will be a familiar member of the community, not a place just for anniversaries. Kapoor says while he loves many of the upscale Indian restaurants in town, his favorite San Francisco restaurant is Ernest. He feels it is a restaurant well worth the price, pointing to the reliable $95 tasting menu; Besharam and Heena Patel’s cooking shine as well-made and affordable, too.
“We are not in the education business. We’re not trying to educate people on how to eat Indian food,” Kapoor says. “But it’s very important to look back and say, ‘Okay, this is what we set out to do.’ The food’s not just for people who make $200,000. The food’s got to be honest, man.”
Khaki (6000 Bollinger Canyon Road)will open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with lunch hours to follow.
Governor Jishnu Dev Verma at the 55th convocation ceremony of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
In a bid to achieve self-sufficiency in food, cultivation of rice and wheat have always gained prominence in our country. As a result, the local food systems were ignored, which not only impacted people’s health, but that of the climate, soil and water and biodiversity. This was one of the topics discussed at the 55th convocation ceremony of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) in the city on Saturday.
“To keep us healthy, we must bring back our local food systems,” said Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director-General Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Mangi Lal Jat.
While delivering his address, he called upon graduates to make a commitment to embrace agriculture not as a career choice, but as a mission to uplift farmers’ livelihoods, conserve agricultural heritage and secure India’s healthy local food systems.
He said that India, this year, has become the world’s largest producer of rice, besides horticulture, and is number two in wheat production. Doling out more numbers of annual grain production and achievements, Mr. Jat said that three factors contributed to the 11-year rapid growth: science, policy, and farmers.
“But the country’s goal must be to transform the agrifood systems from commodity-centric to systems-centric. From research prioritisation to data-driven systems and data inter-operability, to technology delivery system and institutional reforms, this can be achieved,” he said.
Gender and social inclusivity in agriculture research, system-focused research such as a combined approach of biophysical and socio-economic, and increased investment in agriculture research and development in the country, which is just 0.43% of the agri GDP now, must grow to at least 1%, compared to many countries with 2%, can make India a systems-centric agrifood system, he explained.
Digital agriculture
Governor and PJTAU Chancellor Jishnu Dev Varma said that the varsity, over the decades, has built a legacy of excellence through innovation, inclusivity and resilience, from rural argriculture experience programme conceived in 1979, which became a standard across the universities in the country, to the first in the country to establish a centre for digital agriculture, and Ag-Hub, an agri and food ecosystem and incubation centre now.
The university is in a transformative stage and is aspiring to secure a position in the top 10 agriculture universities in India, he added.
Vice-Chancellor Aldas Janaiah presented the report for 2021-22 convocation year, and said that 691 students did UG, and 153 got PG degrees and Ph.Ds.
The university currently has nine constituent colleges, 10 agri-polytechnic centres, 15 agri-research stations, 20 extension platforms and 29 ICAR network projects.
The report period is also a memorable one, Mr. Janaiah said, as the university facilitated the GI tag achievement for Tandur Redgram, besides producing 21 improved crop varieties and hybrids, 23 agro technologies, and two patents.
During the period, PJTAU signed 34 MoUs with technology and knowledge partners in India, and 19 MoUs with international universities, he said. 30 students got gold medals.
The name Azad has held great significance on the culinary map of Thiruvananthapuram for over eight decades. From a makeshift outlet located at Vallakkadavu named Azadinte Kada (Azad’s shop) to a diverse gastronomic portfolio consisting of restaurants, fine dining eateries, bakeries and kiosks, Azad has constantly evolved while staying true to its Travancore roots.
The latest addition to this list is a slow food restaurant with a Quick Service Restaurant model named 1940 India, located at Vazhuthacaud.
1940 India by Azad restaurant in Vazhuthacaud
| Photo Credit:
NIRMAL HARINDRAN
What is slow food?
The slow food movement, combating international fast-food chains and homogenisation of food, began in the ‘80s in Italy. The moniker is attributed to its anti-fast-food ideology and has no relation to cooking time. The campaign, founded by Italian activist Carlo Petrini against the opening of a McDonald’s outlet in Rome, is characterised by a core philosophy, “Good, clean and fair” food, covering quality of ingredients, sustainable production methods and a fair price for producers. There is also an emphasis on supporting local businesses and seasonality.
“During the opening of an international fast-food franchise outlet nearby, we discussed how almost everything, apart from a few of their employees, is imported. This income benefits only the foreign company,” says Ozman Azad, a third generation member of the family.
“We have specific local vendors for each of our shops, which expand depending on seasons. Everyone who is part of that local network benefits from this. We need to replicate this framework everywhere with the ethnic foods of that location,” says Ozman. He runs the business with his brothers, Wazim Azad and Mahin Azad. Their father, Abdul Nazar Azad, son of MP Azad, who founded their first restaurant in 1940, is the chairman of Azad Corporate.
(From left) Wazim Azad, Mahin Azad, Ozman Azad and Abdul Nazar Azad (sitting)
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Since inception, Azad’s restaurant at Overbridge known for the iconic Azad Pakka Travancore Biriyani, their fine dining restaurant Star, and their bakery and confectionary store Bread Factory, are household names in the State capital.
“We have been doing the slow food concept for 85 years. And it has always been hyper local-centric in terms of sourcing the ingredients and the staff. But 1940 India is the only place where there is an additional emphasis to serve it fast,” says Ozman.
A key difference between fast food and slow food outlets is the presence of a chef. “They play a significant role in the kitchen. Fast food is about assembling, while slow food involves preparing the components from scratch and staying away from frozen products,” says Ozman.
1940 India by Azad restaurant
| Photo Credit:
NIRMAL HARINDRAN
He adds that the smooth operation of the outlet depends on “the hub”, located at Eanchakkal, established six months before the restaurant’s opening. This facility, with 25 staff, is responsible for research, development, and operations. The restaurant has a total workforce of 23 people.
The menu
The menu of 1940 India caters to the youth, who consume fast food the most. “If slow food aims to combat fast food, then it should target the younger generation. We have sandwiches, rolls, mac ‘n’ cheese, which might draw in the younger crowd. But at the same time we serve idiyappam, chicken curry, mutton curry and so on,” says Ozman.
“We also discovered that the younger generation prefers smaller individual portions over ordering multiple dishes across the table. They have only short breaks during their work hours, so we have to serve fresh food quickly too,” he adds.
The menu is divided into five sub-groups. The I Am Young And Happy menu features sandwiches, rolls, loaded fries and mac ‘n’ cheese. My Travancore, My Love has kothu porotta, traditional crispy chicken, chicken peralan, mutton curry roast, baby Kerala porotta, noolappam and dum biriyani. Indian curries, tikkas, kebabs, bread, and rice dishes are featured in the I Am India section. I Love Asia menu has Cantonese chicken and nutty cauliflower, along with fried rice and Hakka noodles. Custard brownies, gulab jamun and soft serve comprise the dessert menu. Rajasthani thandai, a fragrant sweet drink with a spicy kick, and Punjabi lassi are also available.
My Travancore, My Love menu would differ according to the location, featuring dishes indigenous to that area, says Ozman.
1940 India by Azad restaurant
| Photo Credit:
NIRMAL HARINDRAN
“Our next step here would be to create personalised menu classifications, looking at different generations and dividing their time slots into six, serving what they would like to eat at each of these slots,” Ozman says. The peak hours are after 8pm and during the hours following the usual lunch breaks.
The slow food chain is expanding to Bengaluru next year and will establish a hub in the lead-up to that. “We are targeting areas where you can find fast-food chains; therefore, we are not limited to just metropolitan areas.”
I’ve eaten at some very nice Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants over the years, taking in the different tastes, textures, flavours and smells and enjoying the masterpieces created by the chefs: rich and creamy sauces, properly cooked meat with onions, peppers and chillies and complemented by soft naans, rotis and fluffy rice.
From the different places I’ve been to, I’ve been able to say which places are better than others in terms of the welcome from staff, the ambience and atmosphere of the restaurant and, most importantly, the quality of the food.
Penn Tandoori is a restaurant with pedigree and taste
From the far north of Scotland to the south west of England, there are plenty of places that I’ve visited, but one of the best ones, one which always provides a top quality meal, is one about a 10 minute walk from my house in Penn in Wolverhampton.
Penn Tandoori has been a regular haunt for myself and my family for years, located on Penn Road near the Mount Tavern pub and set inside a very heavily populated area.
It’s an award-winning restaurant, with the most recent award being named Best Indian Takeaway Restaurant in the Midlands by Euro Asia Curry Awards in 2024, while it was also named the Express & Star’s Indian Restaurant of the Year in 2017.
It’s a cosy and warming place which is very popular
However, it has become a restaurant which is very popular at the end of the week and throughout the weekend, but which has found itself struggling for customers at the start of the week.
In a bid to attract more people into the restaurant at the start of the week, it has introduced a traditional combination meal popular across south Asia on what it is calling Thali Nights.
The thali in question is a traditional Indian meal, served as a selection of complementary dishes on a single platter, often featuring a variety of curries, rice, bread, yogurt, and pickles, designed to offer a taste of different flavours and textures.
Thali Nights is the new concept by the restaurant to bring in people on Mondays and Tuesdays
Speaking to manager Rahan Hussain, I learned more about the traditions of the thali and how it is seen as a balanced meal, with smaller portions of rice and curries, in katuras, or pots, as well as something that is enjoyed by people from the poorest families right up to the wealthy classes.
He said that it was something very common in Bangladesh, where he came from, with it being a tradition when a guest comes over to offer them a thali, which is the large plate that the different pots come in.
The restaurant has created the set menu for Thali nights, which will run on Mondays and Tuesdays and have six option available, all costing £14.95 and themed around either traditional tastes or a theme for a certain area.
The artwork is part of the charm of the restaurant
The Penn Thali has a selection of chicken tikka, sheek kebab, lamb bhuna, chicken tikka masala, sag aloo, pilau rice and a garlic naan, as well as a choice of either chips, masala chips, raitha (a type of yogurt) or salad.
The four choices are also included with four of the other five dishes, with the Wolves Thali being a combination of chicken pakora, sheek kebab, chicken balti, chicken tikka masala, bombay aloo, pilau rice and a plain naan and, according to Mr Hussain, being based on what locals would often order.
The countries of India and Bangladesh are also represented, with the Delhi Thalli a combination of chicken tikka, vegetable samosa, chicken jalfrezi, naga chicken, tarka dhall, pilau rice and coriander nan, while the Deshi Thali has sheek kebab, onion bhajee, chicken balti, Bangladeshi lamb, tarka dhall, pilau rice and garlic nan.
The thali is presented as a big dish with smaller dishes inside
Finally, the Veggie Thali is a mix of vegetable samosa, onion bhaji, vegetable korahi, vegetable balti, tarka dhall, plain rice and plain naan and the Vegan Thali is full of aloo pakora, garlic mushrooms, vegetable bhuna, vegetable pathia, chana bhuna, plain rice and a chapati, as well as not having the raitha available.
For the indecisive or the person who wants to create their own, there is also the option to create your own thali with any of the options on the other dishes, although the cost will increase depending on choice of dishes.
It all seemed really good and, being a bit of a spice-head, I chose the Delhi Thali due to the presence of jalfrezi and naga spices, with a side of masala chips to go with it.
The traditional way to eat a thali: all in and dig in
Sitting with some poppodoms and a range of sauces, I was able to take in the cosy surroundings of Penn Tandoori as I hadn’t been there for a while. It still felt warm and cosy, with a nice backdrop of Indian music and a lighting scheme which made you feel comfortable.
My reverie was interrupted by the arrival of my thali, a large silver flat bowl filled with six smaller bowls and a sizeable portion of coriander naan bread and which smelled amazing, full of spice and flavour.
I was also given some advice by Mr Hussain on what is considered the traditional way to eat a thali where, rather that just picking at each bowl, you pour everything into the thali for its purpose as a bowl and then eat the meal as it’s combined together.
The biggest complement you can pay a restaurant, an empty bowl
While it’s not compulsory, it’s certainly worth trying and so I poured the different contents into the thali, mixing the spice of the naga and jalfrezi with the cooling edge of the tarka dhall and the lovely crunch of the samosa, and then set to eating my Delhi Thali.
I would heartily recommend eating this way as you get the nice experience of all the different dishes coming together to create a range of flavours that give your taste buds something to think about, complemented by the fluffy and soft naan, which helped me mop everything up.
It didn’t seem a lot, but I was nicely full at the end, and if you look at the concept, it’s a really good way to try different dishes if you’re not sure about a full curry and form an opinion from there.
Also, for £14.95, it’s a cost-effective way of eating out as a normal curry at Penn Tandoori would cost between £10.95 and £14.95, so a thali and a few drinks would not exactly break the bank.
Penn Tandoori is an excellent restaurant which keeps a high standard for its food and its service. This new concept is another way of looking at its presentation and ensuring the ongoing success of the restaurant, so get yourself down there and give the thali a try.
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