Jaipur, Oct 6: An evening full of poetry and conversation with legendary duo Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi marked the Jaipur debut of Chor Bizzare, the much-loved Delhi restaurant, at InterContinental hotel here.
Known for its distinctive regional Indian cuisine and eclectic thieves market-inspired design theme, the celebrated outlet had its opening on Sunday.
In 1990, Rohit and Rashmi Khattar opened their first restaurant Chor Bizarre at Hotel Broadway in Delhi. Picking up old furniture and bric-a-brac from all over India, they named it after chor bazaar, the thieves market which captures the spirit of India in all its irreverence.
Chor Bizarre became India’s first themed restaurant and the first to take Kashmiri cuisine outside the valley. With the family owned Hotel Broadway as its home at the crossroads of old and New Delhi, it assembled a collection of interesting recipes, and unique objects, in an imaginative, eccentric setting, where nothing matches but everything gels.
It was the first restaurant from India to open its branch in London (from 1997 to 2019) and now, 36 years later, has opened another in Jaipur.
“As our very first restaurant, Chor Bizarre holds a special place in my heart, and the emotional connect for all of us is immense. Our joy is further enhanced since our lucky mascots for 3 decades – Shabana & Javed Saab are here to launch the restaurant.
“We are delighted that the DS Group and the Intercontinental Jaipur invited us to bring Chor Bizarre to the Pink City, which we hope embraces us as warmly as Delhi has for the last 36 years. We have further plans to take it to multiple cities,” said Rohit Khattar, Founder Chairman, Old World Hospitality & EHV International.
Stephen Dsouza, Area General Manager, IHG South West Asia, said, “We, at InterContinental Hotel Group, and especially at our Jaipur property, wanted a restaurant that would draw the locals, as well as appeal to our residents. The legacy, quality of food, and ambience of Chor Bizarre was just the perfect fit as a specialty restaurant.”
“To be around for 36 years and win an award this year too for Best North Indian Restaurant of the Year (NDTV Awards) is a great achievement, and we are delighted to showcase this restaurant at our property,” he added.
The menu at Chor Bizarre, Jaipur, brings together the country’s diverse regional flavours while giving pride of place to the rich culinary traditions of Kashmir. Chor Bizarre was the first to take the legendary wazwan (dish) as well as the home cooking of Kashmiri Pandits out of the valley, and eventually around the country and abroad on pop-ups.
The other Kashmiri dishes on the menu are tabak maaz (crisp-fried lamb ribs), goshtaba, dum aloo, haaq and others. The menu also represents dishes from across the country including salli zardaloor murgi, junglee maas, jackfruit moilee, jhakiya aloo, Himachali lakhori khumb , slow-cooked martaban ke chhole, a keema ghotala and the original Chor Bizarre sharabi kababi tikka masala, biryanis. A long vegetarian list, and plenty of chaats, which is another signature of Chor Bizarre, round up the full menu.
The 55-seat Chor Bizarre’s decor features antique furniture, vintage memorabilia, retro Bollywood posters, handcrafted details and unexpected curios. A four-poster bed and a Singer sewing machine are reborn as dining tables.
Above the glazed windows, the walls carry the story further with traditional objects, found pieces, textiles and bric-a-brac.
In the dedicated Kashmiri private dining room, guests are seated Wazwan-style around richly carved chinar-wood tables, with the feast centred on the tarami, the large shared copper platter at the heart of a Kashmiri meal. (PTI)
