Vineet Bhatia holds an impressive accolade. He is the only Indian chef in the world to have two Michelin Stars (there are none with just one), and the second chef based in the UK to have gained a Michelin Star for one of his restaurants abroad. Now Doha holds an impressive accolade, in that it now features a restaurant where Bhatia is consultant chef – the Saffron Lounge at the newly-built Cultural Village. Coupled with Gordon Ramsay’s new opening in the city, these are exciting times for Doha’s restaurant scene. ‘I plan to visit Doha three or four times a year,’ says Bhatia, in town on this occasion to ready the kitchens and prime staff for the big opening. ‘I consult on 12 restaurants globally, and I own two – there are four that I own a share in.’

Anyone who travels around the region may have heard Bhatia’s name before – he recently made appearances at the Gourmet Abu Dhabi and Taste of Dubai food festivals, and he is also consultant chef for Indego at Dubai’s Grosvenor House. But whereas that restaurant showcases Bhatia’s contemporary take on Indian cuisine, Saffron Lounge offers something more traditional.

‘I was first approached about Saffron Lounge three years back,’ he reveals. ‘It is part of the Cultural Village, so the idea was to create something that highlights the culture of India. The food leans towards the traditional, and the menu features dishes from the north, south, east and west – we actually devote a page to these four regions, each with four-five starters and four-five mains, plus a range of classic desserts. There are simple dishes – rogan josh, butter chicken, biryani, kebabs and so on. Classic flavours, but with our own modern style and presentation.’

When Time Out visited Saffron Lounge, we were given a tour of the building – a pleasant, airy indoor setting, with an outdoor and possibly even a rooftop eating area, offering fantastic views of the city’s skyline and overlooking the waters of the Gulf. Also impressive was the tea lounge – something not seen in Doha before – which will serve 11 different teas all day long, each with their own serving concept, as well as snacks and salads. The main restaurant is open for lunch and in the evenings.

Continuing to explain the concept behind the restaurant, Bhatia reveals how they decided on the name: ‘Saffron is something associated with India, also it works for the market here, as it is pronounced the same in Arabic, just with a different spelling. It is a classic Indian colour, and associated with luxury and wealth.’

Talking of luxury and wealth, not to mention that Michelin Star influence, does that mean the food will be expensive? ‘The food will look high end, but we’re expecting it to come in at around QR150 per person,’ Bhatia reveals. ‘It would probably be around QR250 for the same in a hotel. Making everything here accessible to everyone was one of the briefs of the Sheikh – that and no shisha or alcohol – and we want to respect that. We are price sensitive. People think that with my name attached, it will be expensive, but that is not the case.’

Bhatia is also confident that his food will stand up against what is already on offer in the city. ‘I ate at many restaurants here for research,’ he says. ‘A lot of dishes were very spicy, very punchy, very oily – that’s not the way they do it in India. You cut the fat and the spices down to let the flavours come through. All too often in restaurants, the lamb won’t taste of lamb. The food and sauces have to blend well. One of the reasons I love Japanese food is the simplicity and clean flavours, and that is one of the philosophies here.’ To push the authenticity of the food, Bhatia has employed a team of 11 chefs, handpicked by him from India. Some of them have worked with Bhatia in his other restaurants for many years. ‘Our spices come from India,’ Bhatia reveals. ‘The lamb is from India, and poultry from Saudi Arabia. The fish we use is local, such as hammour, kingfish and prawns. There is an abundance of fresh, quality food in this part of the world, it’s easy to get, so you should use it.’

The food Bhatia and his team prepare at Saffron Lounge is a lot simpler than that in some of his other restaurants, but that appears to be no bad thing, and Bhatia suggests that new items could be introduced to the menu here as the market becomes accustomed to his take on the food. But there are other matters to attend to first, such as new restaurants opening in Bombay this month and Libya in June. Another Bhatia restaurant opened in Mumbai in February and a recipe book was released in February. It appears that having Michelin Stars makes you a busy chef indeed – we’re just glad that he has finally made it to Doha.
Saffron Lounge, Cultural Village (325 8919). Tea lounge open daily 9am-midnight, restaurant open daily 12.30pm-3.30pm and 7.30pm-11.30pm. All major credit cards accepted