Like any good story, the tale of SAGA has taken its own time to unfold, finally leading to a satiating conclusion, and a new beginning. The progressive Indian restaurant, with its inspiration taken from the cuisines, cultures, and histories of the subcontinent, is the lovechild of restaurateur Vishal Anand’s vision paired with Michelinstarred chef Atul Kochhar. After a long, tumultuous delay thanks to Covid-19, it finally opened its doors to the public this month.
“We want to redefine the dining and drinking experience for guests in the NCR belt. We wanted to offer our patrons a brandnew spot to relax, unwind, and party,” says Kochhar of the 190- seater restaurant, split over two floors and an al fresco dining space in Gurugram. “SAGA serves a spread of progressive Indian cuisine by amalgamating the global techniques and ingredients with the flavours and traditions of India.” The food menu itself is a sleek document: a carefully curated compendium of cuisines, nonetheless bursting with the taste and accents of the regions of its items.
The menu, as with all of Kochhar’s, will “evolve over time, adding more stories and dishes, and shine a spotlight on the myriad of seasons, regions, and peoples of India.” The dishes are sourced everywhere: from the mountains of Afghanistan to the plains of Bihar, from the shores of Kerala to the tea gardens of Darjeeling, with plenty of pit stops in between, all recreated with the chef ’s contemporaneous style and historical sensibilities. “It’s an unfortunate thing, and without trying to sound classist, but the old, storied recipes of our country come from the royal kitchens in palaces and forts and the capitals of long-gone empires and kingdoms.
For the majority of our history, the majority of our people have relied on simple sustenance using only a few basic crops and ingredients in meals, apart from festivals and special days,” explains Kochhar, on how he formed the menu from reading old histories and dusty tomes, as well as frequent travel across India in the years preceding the pandemic. Kochhar, the first Indian chef in the UK to garner the coveted Michelin star for his restaurant Benares way back in 2001 (followed by a second star in 2007), now operates five restaurants across the island, where he says the restaurant industry has seen as much a seismic shift as has been experienced in Indian restaurants, and their accountants.
“Even though we are fine-dining restaurants, we have had to learn to shift to delivery and take-away, which has been helping us sustain business in these past months,” shares the chef, over the phone from London. Anand is also keen to open a second SAGA in the British capital, which will be, at least, a reflection of its sister restaurant in Delhi-NCR, if not its mirror image, with plans for the British invasion going full steam ahead.
Of the SAGA over here, Anand says, “This first weekend will be our first real test, but given that we have already gotten bookings for a few private events, and many more for individual tables, we are hoping this to be a successful start, given that we are following health and safety protocols to the T. Atul’s food is of course the highlight. We have tried to complement the Indian ethos of his menu in our interiors and exteriors, though in a classy contemporary setting.
Since the restaurant is split over several levels, we can also cater to different clienteles depending what they are in the mood for,” notes Anand, concluding. “We have a large stage which we plan to use as a gig venue as well as ramp for fashion shows, apart from showcasing other performance arts.” Essentially, come for dinner and a show, and leave with new tales of old cuisines. We’ ll see you there.
Celebrity chef
Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef in the UK to garner the coveted Michelin star for his restaurant Benares way back in 2001 (followed by a second star in 2007), now operates five restaurants across the island, where he says the restaurant industry has seen as much a seismic shift as has been experienced in Indian restaurants, and their accountants.