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In the world of Indian hospitality, there is one brand name that has time and again proven its stronghold on all things luxury—The Oberoi Group. Now, keeping up with the times, it is one of the very few homegrown hospitality brands that is venturing out into the stand-alone restaurant business. Cou Cou by Oberoi, in Mumbai, was their first foray into the space in 2021.
Now, The Oberoi Group has opened doors to Amadeo at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), BKC, Mumbai. The café-style eatery, Amadeo by Oberoi, spreads across 14,600 sq ft and can seat up to 140 diners at a time. What is particularly unique is that in an era when most restaurants are going the route of specialised cuisine, Amadeo aims to please all kinds of palates. This may turn out to be a smart decision, considering its neighbour is the Mumbai outpost of the iconic Indian Accent.
Four distinct cuisines served Oberoi-style
I arrived late, on a rainy August day, for a media preview at Amadeo by Oberoi. Seated amongst peers and discussing what the Oberoi patriarch, Mr PRS Oberoi, would have to say about this step towards the future of the family business and what his keen perfectionist eyes would want to fix, we tasted the bestsellers from the Amadeo menu. The menu at Amadeo by Oberoi specialises in four cuisines—Indian, Chinese, Italian and Japanese.
As you step into the restaurant, you are greeted by a classic bar and wine cellar that leads the way to the main dining area. Pick a seat next to the windows to enjoy the dancing fountains, Fountain of Joy, in the NMACC courtyard. The interiors have been designed by Singapore-based EDG Design—the focus has been to keep the restaurant space contemporary allowing it to transform from capacious to intimate as the day progresses. The open kitchens further add to the openness as well as allowing diners to engage with the chefs.
Executive Chef Kayzad Sadri and his expert culinary team run a tight ship at Amadeo by Oberoi. While mastering and serving four cuisines may sound cumbersome, each of the dishes I tried at the preview ensures a great dining experience with the renowned Oberoi touch of elegance and personalised attention.
Art-inspired cocktails
The cocktail menu is inspired by an art form from the four countries. The Japanese signature cocktails find inspiration in sculpture and architecture. Similarly, the Italian cocktails are inspired by cinema and dance, paintings form the inspiration for the Indian cocktails and Chinese cocktails are inspired by theatre.
I was impressed by the balance of the Chinese signature cocktail, Wuxiang, made using five spice-infused tequila, lime, bitters and sparkling wine that is served in a traditional teapot. The Japanese Fuji San finds inspiration in the mighty active volcano of Mount Fuji. The drink has a bright lava-coloured hue but the use of umeshu and grapefruit makes the drink anything but volatile. Tequila and agave play a key role in the cocktail menu; they are the spirit du jour.
Favourites from the preview meal
Despite catering to multiple cuisines, Amadeo by Oberoi has aced the balance of offering multiple cuisines without making a confused mish-mash. The preview meal was a showcase of the Counter Collection concept at Amadeo by Oberoi. It is an interactive dining experience that empowers guests to curate their culinary journey according to their individual preferences and the four cuisines. The highlight for me was the freshly baked, pillowy soft pesto-slathered focaccia and the pizza with the freshest tomato sauce.
Always a fan of a well-cooked pork belly, Amadeo’s Chinese kitchen dished out pork belly with superior soy ginger and hot bean sauce—best eaten freshly cooked. The Sichuan potato salad was a sheer revelation—reminiscent of Thai raw papaya salad, it was hard to believe that the starchy tuber could play a non-traditional role on the dinner table and with such flair. Slivers of blanched-to-parboiled potato, dressed in a soy, vinegar and pepper dressing tingled and delighted the palate.
From the Japanese kitchen, the very pretty and delicate yasai maki sushi left all of us on the table amazed at the chef’s skills on how to incorporate okra in sushi and devise such an intricate pattern—rest assured the yasai maki tastes equally good.
The kale avocado chaat was a crowd-pleasing appetizer from Amadeo’s Indian kitchen, but for me, it was the duck seekh kebab that stole the show. The masterful execution of the seekh that amplified the gamey profile of the fowl in a quintessential Indian context is proof of how versatile and accommodating Indian cuisines can be.
Desserts with hero ingredients
For a sweet ending of dessert, there were three on the table, each named after the key ingredient the dessert wanted to highlight. For example, Milk, which was a milk sponge cake topped with vanilla creameaux and tropical fruits and dressed with a Malibu sauce. This was a summery take on Mediterranean milk cakes. However, there is something about a well-set chilled kulfi that hits the spot just right, hence my preferred dessert was Saffron, made using a chunky medallion of kesar kulfi coated in a pistachio rocher and served with lashings of rabri.
To say that the food at Amadeo by Oberoi was great is stating the obvious. Each dish that comes to the table has passed every meticulous Oberoi test and the restaurant staff’s service is exemplary. What is most exciting about Amadeo by Oberoi opening is that the next time I am at NMACC, either for a performance or an exhibit, I can plan at leisure knowing that my belly will be full of good food at Amadeo.
Photo: The Oberoi Group