Jamie Oliver's restaurants are coming to India, soon

After giving diners the world over a taste of authentic Italian cuisine, Jamie Oliver is set to make his India debut

Unpretentious flavours

Mention Jamie Oliver and the words “fresh”, “organic” and “healthy” come to mind. This celebrity chef and activist is known for his penchant for local, high-quality produce, to the point of being almost obsessive about it. Ingredients that don’t come with a provenance find themselves as outcasts at the 63 restaurants that he owns in 11 countries. It is this blend of quality ingredients and unpretentious flavours that Oliver will be serving at two of his restaurants to be launched in India soon.

While Jamie’s Pizzeria will make its debut in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, in September, Jamie’s Italian will open in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj in October. This is in a series of firsts for Oliver: not only is he venturing into the previously unchartered Indian market, this is also the first time that Oliver is opening a standalone pizzeria.

“Oliver is fascinated by India. It’s not a market he knows personally but enjoys Indian flavours,” says Jasper Reid, founder of the International Market Management, a London firm that specialises in setting up international consumer brands in Asia.

It has been two years since news of Oliver’s upcoming debut in India was first heard. So, what has taken it so long for the launch to finally take place? “We have invested time and money in finding good suppliers,” says Reid.

Sausage Pappadelle

  The menu, while not offering anything new for the Indian market, boasts of curated recipes from Oliver’s international restaurants. The Pizzeria promises a “cheerful and fun” menu of handcrafted pizzas made with artisanal dough, salads and bruschettas. Some of the signature pizzas likely to be on the menu include the Fiorentina with cheesy bechamel sauce, cheddar, spinach, parmesan and a free-range egg, and the Funghi Misti made with a creamy mushroom sauce, smoked mozzarella, thyme and wild mushrooms. The Italian restaurant will have a wider menu than the Pizzeria with more rustic offerings like the Lamb Chops Scottaditta or chops grilled under a brick and served with polenta chips, pickled red onion, smashed nuts, fresh mint and spicy yoghurt.

The decor for both has been based on Italian ethos while using local materials. “Jamie’s Italian is spread across 3,500 sq ft with an open kitchen, rustic oven, cold cuts display and can seat 120 people while the Pizzeria is smaller, with a seating capacity of 50,” says Reid. Both the eateries are envisioned to provide a fine dining experience at the fraction of the price. So, while you will need to cough up Rs 800 to Rs 900 a head at Jamie’s Italian, a meal at Pizzeria would cost you upwards of Rs 400. “The idea is to make quality democratic,” says Reid.

Foodies’ say

Jamie’s name stands for consistency,” says sommelier and food writer Magandeep Singh. He feels that the kind of backward integration that Oliver does is very rare. “For instance, he will be obsessed with the kind of cow’s milk used to make the mozzarella cheese for the pizza. Even the crockery and cutlery will come from sources that are verified.” Singh recalls the seafood specials he had at Jamie’s Italian in London. “What’s interesting is that his specials aren’t made with rejects from the previous day. Chefs call up suppliers every day to check if new fish has come in and create specials around it,” says Singh. It is this freshness of food and ideas that he expects from Oliver’s new restaurants in India as well.

Prawn Linguine

For others like Shuchir Suri, founder of Food Talk India, an exclusive social food forum and influencer in the digital food space, the new restaurants will offer relief from the cuisine passing off as Italian in Delhi. “Oliver will offer a fresher alternative to the heavy cream and cheese Italian available in India,” says Suri who can still recall the flavours that he sampled at Oliver’s restaurant in Stockholm. “I started my meal with a crab and avocado bruschetta, followed by a Swedish Blue Mussel Linguini and Lemon Meringue cake for dessert,” he reminisces.

Both Singh and Suri feel that the price point will make the restaurants popular. “There are restaurants like Diva [by Ritu Dalmia] that offer sincere Italian fare but a meal at Oliver’s is more affordable,” says Singh.

Some like fashion designer Pia Pauro are going to wait and watch if Oliver is able to extend his entire brand — cookbooks, condiments, kitchenware — to the restaurants. “When I dined at his restaurant in London, it was like diving into the world of Jamie Oliver. You eat, shop a little and then go home to recreate that experience with his products,” says Pauro, who loves to cook Italian and has a couple of Oliver’s cookbooks in her collection. The problem for her, so far, has been the lack of availability of fresh ingredients required in Mediterranean cooking. “If he can recreate the food journey, the way he did for me at his restaurant in London, then it will definitely be worth it,” she says.