Hymn and heir, hit and myths, prawns and peacocks at Palladium's brand new Indian restaurant.

Jig Veda

Jigs Kalra and his gang over at Punjab Grill have a new invader on their turf, and this promises to be a tough battle. Located at the Palladium and handsomely armoured in garnet and gold, leather and velvet, Veda is namesake and offspring of the renowned Delhi restaurant, serving up the same “New Indian” cuisine and plush décor.

Hymn and Heir

Walk in and you feel like you’ve stumbled across an exotic garden in the gloaming, dim, deep, and decadent with peacocks shimmering over turquoise walls, majestically plumed chandeliers and a long bar draped with gold leaves (they don’t serve alcohol yet, but plan to start in the next couple of weeks). Despite the hyper-Indian motifs, the interiors feel urbane and trendy, with every detail mapped out carefully – this could very well be a swish restaurant in New York’s Meat Packing District.

Veda’s pitch-perfect design sensibility comes as no surprise when you consider that the restaurant is couturier Rohit Bal’s baby, who may very well have extended the embroidery on his favorite zari sari onto the walls and upholstered the cushions with brocade from a sherwani.

Hit or Myth?

In settings like these, the most banal meal can seem special. But if the limited menu they offered us on Saturday night is any indication, the food at Veda is much better than ordinary.

We began with crunchy leaves of fresh, slightly bitter fried spinach; perfectly grilled (though a little under-spiced for some tastes on our table) paneer tikka; disappointingly soggy Manchurian cauliflower; and terrible Bharma Potatoes – leathery potato baskets filled with overtly-sweet raisins and chalky dried fruit. Our favorite appetizer, however, was Tandoori Chicken, four pieces of succulent, beautifully charred meat served with onions garnished three ways.

Mains included lamb shank, which our waiter described as “the best dish on the menu”, a thick strip of prime meat marinated and then deep fried. We also loved the two huge Tandoori prawns, pink-tinged and streaked with black, juicy and tasting of the sea.

Vegetarians should get the Paneer Kundan Kaliya, where cottage cheese is battered, fried and coated in rich red gravy, a new spin on the regular Paneer Makhanwala. Also excellent are the spice-soaked, piquant marinated mushrooms and black daal (or Daal Veda) which is thick and just buttery enough; mop this up with cheesy squares of onion Parmesan kulcha.

Follow the Scripture

A meal this decadent demands a sweet ending, but alas, dessert at Veda is currently restricted to firni and kheer. We skipped these and walked over to Indigo Deli for the peanut butter jelly sandwich instead. Losing our religion? Maybe. But we’ll definitely be back at Veda to re-interpret the scriptures a second time around.

Getting there: Veda, Palladium, Phoenix Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Rs 1000 per head without alcohol.

At Brown Paper Bag, we conduct reviews anonymously and pay for our own meals.