When I heard Poonum Ahluwalia raving about her new venture, the “Tantric Grill” I must admit I was skeptical. “What can be new about yet another Indian Restaurant?” I wondered. “You must come and see it – you will be surprised,” she said. Our visit to the restaurant proved her absolutely right.

"Tantra is a Sanskrit word. It derives from the root Tan-which means to expand. The Tantric philosophy therefore focuses on extending our actions more and more into inner awareness by indulging the five senses of smell, taste, sight, touch and sound," says manager, Anand Puri, who is a graduate of the school of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. As one enters the restaurant one is struck by the beautiful décor. Tantric’s interior has been designed by Kimberly Bee and Jasbier Gandhi to be a lively space with plenty of personality. Geometric figures and vibrant colors have been used to bring out the true ‘spirit’ of Tantra and create an ambience that is both unique and exciting.

The restaurant was the brain child of Mohinder Ahluwalia. “I felt a need for a place that serves variety of dishes from different parts of India that also has a good bar. Basically I wanted to create something that I personally would enjoy visiting”. “What we wanted to create was a place where people can come to spend an enjoyable evening rather than just coming to eat,” said Mary Sen who along with her husband Shubhro Sen is a partner in this venture.

The bar at Tantric plays an immense part in completing a guest’s experience at the restaurant. Headed by bar manager Justin Bisset, the bar features exotic cocktails and a well rounded and very international wine list. The 10 signature cocktails contain an eclectic mix of Indian spices, fresh herbs and fresh fruits. Some favorites include the basil-ginger gimlet and the mango-clove martini.

The Tantric kitchen headed by chef Amal Jana caters a diverse menu deriving not only from the popular northern cuisine of India, but also from the less explored, but equally exotic eastern, western and southern areas of India. Besides favorites such as palak paneer, dal makhani and chicken tikka masala, the kitchen also whips up some hard to find dishes like the delicate Bengali doi maach, and adraki lamb served with fig chutney

We tried a variety of dishes. The Baigan Pasanada, Gobi Manchurian and the Mirchil Lasuni Jhinga were excellent. For dessert the Kulfi and Malpuda were certainly the finest we have tasted.

“Tantric, the restaurant aims to provide an experience that indulges every sense one possesses. The restaurant’s stunning visual appeal sets the stage for a fantastical culinary journey encompassing the flavorful and aromatic best that Indian cuisine has to offer. The showpiece bar boasts top-shelf liquors and an eclectic cocktail list inspired by a combination of Indian ingredients and contemporary cocktailing wizardry. All this set to a seductive beat and a lively buzz, creates an atmosphere that is ripe with excitement, wonder and the promise of an experience that is truly Tantric!“ says Anand Puri. We were not disappointed with our visit. We urge you to try this place out for yourself.

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