Loya - Taj West End, Bengaluru — Restaurant in Bengaluru

The Taj describes LOYA as a grand feast, which leads you on an immersive journey across the vivid north.

From the foothills of the Himalayas to the flat terrain of Punjab, to snow-laden Kashmir, Loya is a confluence of flavour, passion and influence, all culminating exquisitely on your plate.

But only if you are above 8 years of age :)

Loya is among the many new eateries springing up in the city. Maybe a couple of months old, it replaces the Masala Library at Taj Westend.

Loya has 3 seating options. Cocktail area by the waterside, semi-alfresco ( by the bar ), and one inside. We chose to be seated inside. The decor is warm and widely spaced out. Seating is quite comfortable, but we had an issue with a lot of mosquitoes ( even inside ) which the staff promptly took care of.

The restaurant’s design philosophy is centered around the idea of Paanch (five). The concept is drawn from the five rivers that irrigate Punjab.

There are various patterns featured on the walls which bring together the areas being represented by its food. The seating should have been the 4 pai / khatiya to go with the theme, but its possible the director's chairs were chosen for comfort. The entire place is lit up by brass lanterns, pretty intricately carved.

The cooking techniques at Loya also continue with the same theme and include “dungaar” “dum” ; “baghar”; “sigdi .

While there are 2 options of set menu's - we chose to go in with the ala carte knowing fully well that the spread was a challenge to finish for 1 person

Our first course was

Loya kachori chaat Chapli paratha Ghost chilli murg tikka Chole Kulche

The kachori chat was sev puri - nothing more. Chapli paratha was coming together of chapli kebab across the border and galuti . The paratha could have been flakier. The best dish of the first course was the ghost chilli tikka. Everything about it was top notch - spice, juice , portions .

For our next course, we ordered

Singhada mirch kakdi Bhee saag Loya murg pyaza

The wait staff asked us to not order the mirch kakdi as he said it was not the best dish of the place and not many liked it . He recommended we go with Bhee Saag and Loya murg pyaza. Bhee saag was not something ide order, felt different in a good way . Loya murg pyaza was like any other , albiet with a generous amount of almond shavings to make it premium.

The gola paratha was like instant karma - a pretty messy affair and what we had was a tad bit soggy in a lot of places. The Wadi kulcha was nice - something of a novelty. Couldn't figure out which lentil was used though.

Gola paratha Amritsari wadi kulcha

For desserts we had

Falooda with almond kulfi and rooz afza rabri, rather rooh afza shake. Loya khel - Chikcoo mousse and biscuit cake served on coconut grass Loya gudbud - date , nolen gur and saffron.

The desserts were ok - in copious quantity though, but decent at best. They perhaps need to work on their presentation and quality to make it worth the ambiance and the hype of the place.

Loya has a vibe, but the strange rule of kids 8 may down the shutters on many families wanting to dine here with their kids in tow. With so many options in the city and new ones coming up faster than one can understand, Loya is something one should consider experiencing...

Went for lunch last month to Loya to celebrate my mother's 86th birthday. This time, a newly renovated restaurant, another new chef and a some contemporary Uttarakhandi dishes, among a larger "north Indian" menu. We ordered vegetarian food, starting with Wadi ark (a mild, almost flavorful soup of drumstick and mung dal poured over, contemporary style, a methi sprig leaf and drumstick seeds set in a black clay bowl). Next was Paneer Zaatar (I thought zaatar was middle eastern but even after this cultural appropriation, the dish left a lot to be desired with no taste of zaatar nuttiness at all in the paneer which was overwhelmingly spicy making us feel that they had wrongly served us paneer teen mirch), Multani gobhi (apparently baked inside a layer of clay according to the menu description but actually was some atta like substance which puffed up like a puri to cover the gobhi but added nothing to the taste of the preparation.Top marks for idea and presentation). Anyway, the gobhi had way too much mustard which over rode the taste of the cauliflower itself. We also had palak meethdi which promised us soaked dates and roasted walnut kernels but didn't deliver, dal jakhiya (with a live seasoning of wild mustard which didn't add anything distinctive to the dal), amritsari wadi kulcha and some rotis. There was one outstanding dish which was Kathal Baingan Bhartha - an unusual combination of raw jackfruit and brinjal, prepared bhartha style with the flavour of the coal infused into the dish. If the chef gets his seasonings right, this restaurant will be worth a visit for genuinely different north Indian food, some of it Pahadi style, which would indeed make a nice change from the dal makhani and paneer butter masala that currently reigns. Plus points for excellent old style Taj service in the form of Surinder, none for ambience as the renovation made me feel I was sitting in an unfinished construction site. Overall, I would say, give a few months for the chef to settle down and hope his dishes mature. PS: It was always nice to get a small complimentary cake for an 86 year old bday girl who came again across the city for a sentimental bash at the Taj but even that...

Well, the ambience is very Good. The Cocktails are amazing. Coming to Food

Wadi Ark: This Drumstick & Lentil Soup was nice & comforting. But there is nothing extraordinary about the dish. In the sense, its not something very unique.

Dal Ki Chat: The Chat was Good but not served Piping Hot.

Gucchhi Akhrot: This Walnut stuffed Grilled Morel tasted Excellent but it was not served Hot .

Water Chestnut & Yogurt Kebab: This recommended Dish was ok ok. Not something that anyone would instantly like. its just Dahe ke Kebab infused with Water Chestnuts.

Kathal Baigan Bhartha: We liked this smokey Dish but I felt that it has too much of Jackfruit & very little Baigan [Egg Plant]. It would be more interesting if its the other way around with more Baigan & less Kathal. It went well with the flaky Lachcha Paratha

Dal Panchratan: This Five Lentil Preparation was way too salty & it lacked the punch & also was not very aromatic.

Cocktails & Mocktails: We ordered one Mango based Mocktail which was Very Good. The Cocktail named Whiz Gal was out of the world. I just loved it.. I tried one more Cocktail named Woody Manhattan. It was a little too strong for my palate.

Gucchi Pulav: This Rice cooked with Morel Prepartion was ok. But I did not like the Black chana that was added along with morels.. The Greenish masala used to cook the rice was also quite mediocre .

For Dessert we had the Dood Jalebi which was Good. nothing Excepional.

Overall Experience was ok. We had more expectations as the previous restaurant here named Masala Klub offered a much better Dining experience. I also felt that the Veg menu curated is very ordinary and doesn't include many unique preparations. Can Give it a Try once . Its a north Indian cuisine with focus on Pahadi fare using traditional cooking methods. I am aware that its a 5 Star Restaurant but I still feel that the pricing is way beyond what one gets...