19 hours Ago By Richard Guzman
After making a name for themselves in the Bay Area for their fine dining modern take on Indian cuisine, New Delhi-born restaurateurs Anu and Vikram Bhambri have headed south to Santa Monica and are mixing tradition with a few twists and an open flame at their new restaurant. Fitoor, which translates to “passion” in Hindi, opened in early December at 1755 Ocean Ave., near the Viceroy Santa Monica.
It’s housed in a modern 200-seat space that includes wood flooring and sealings, gold tones, an emerald green private dining room and a luxurious bar. The menu is anchored by wood-fired and grilled Indian dishes inspired by the seaside setting and the owner’s goal of changing people’s perceptions of traditional Indian cuisine. “Our food is more about what current India is about.
It’s food presented well while still keeping the tradition,” Anu Bhambri said. Modern Indian restaurant Fitoor opened in early Dec. at 1755 Ocean Ave.
, near the Viceroy Santa Monica. It’s housed in a modern 200-seat space that includes wood flooring and sealings, gold tones, an emerald green private dining room and a luxurious bar. (Photo by Ryan Tanaka) Modern Indian restaurant Fitoor opened in early Dec.
at 1755 Ocean Ave., near the Viceroy Santa Monica. It’s housed in a modern 200-seat space that includes wood flooring and sealings, gold tones, an emerald green private dining room and a luxurious bar.
(Photo by Ryan Tanaka) Modern Indian restaurant Fitoor opened in early Dec. at 1755 Ocean Ave., near the Viceroy Santa Monica.
It’s housed in a modern 200-seat space that includes wood flooring and sealings, gold tones, an emerald green private dining room and a luxurious bar. (Photo by Ryan Tanaka) Modern Indian restaurant Fitoor opened in early Dec. at 1755 Ocean Ave.
, near the Viceroy Santa Monica. It’s housed in a modern 200-seat space that includes wood flooring and sealings, gold tones, an emerald green private dining room and a luxurious bar. (Photo by Ryan Tanaka) Modern Indian restaurant Fitoor opened in early Dec.
at 1755 Ocean Ave., near the Viceroy Santa Monica. It’s housed in a modern 200-seat space that includes wood flooring and sealings, gold tones, an emerald green private dining room and a luxurious bar.
(Photo by Ryan Tanaka) The couple’s rising restaurant empire includes Bay Area spots like the Michelin-recognized ROOH Progressive Indian restaurant, Mediterranean spot Alora, modern Indian place Pippal and the original Fitoor location in San Jose. “When we started our vision was pretty simple, which was to change the perception of Indian food in America,” Vikram said. “When people think about Indian food the perception is generally buffets, curry, heavy spicy foods.
And our goal is to change that and showcase what true Indian cuisine is,” he added. Dishes at Fitoor that highlight that goal include the hefty Lamb Shank Rogan Josh, made with pickled onions, greens and served in its red broth. It’s a traditional dish from Kashmir.
“The shank is very tender, it looks really spicy but it’s not very spicy,” Vikram Bhambri said. “You are basically tasting a piece of Kashmir when you bite into this dish. It’s got warmth, it’s very flavorful with the combination of the lamb meat and sauce.
The first impression is just an explosion of flavors in your mouth,” he added. They also take inspiration from Indian street food with dishes like the Bombay Papdi Bhel. “Street side vendors take puffed rice and add some spices and it’s served in basically a paper bag.
It’s a very common street food,” he said. At Pitoor it’s elevated with puffed rice, mint and date chutney. “It’s just basically a very refreshing, very light dish,” he said.
And with tourist-heavy Santa Monica in mind they also created a quick bite meal in the form of the Chicken Tikka and Jalapeño Pizza. “We wanted to create a pizza that will showcase Indian flavors but also be something that anyone would want to try,” he said. The restaurant also has a heavy focus on its cocktail menu with drinks like the creamy Sakura, a brandy-based drink with maraschino, guava, bitters and egg white.
“We focus a lot on our cocktail and wine program. People associate Indian food with spices so they say beer goes well with it, but our food is not very spicy, it’s all about flavors,” Anu said. Fitoor is at 1755 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica.
For more information go to eatdrinkfitoor.com . Related Articles.
