Khaki Is A Culinary Love Letter To Post-Independence India

Khaki, a modern Indian bar and canteen located in City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, California, offers a contemporary interpretation of Indian comfort food. The restaurant, founded by Akash Kapoor and led by Head Chef Krishna Gupthan, aims to tell a cultural story of India through its menu, combining traditional flavors with California's fresh produce and a nostalgic nod to the 1950s and '60s. Chef Gupthan, with a global culinary background including a tenure at Gaggan, known as one of Asia's best restaurants, brings fine-dining precision, which is complemented by co-founder Sujan Sarkar's grounded approach. The menu features a variety of dishes that represent different regions and eras of India. A notable small plate is the ragda pani puri, semolina shells filled with spiced white peas, tamarind, green chutneys, and chilled mango water, offering a complex blend of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Another innovative starter is the edamame avocado bhel, a gluten-free adaptation of a Mumbai street-food classic, incorporating avocado, edamame, puffed black rice, green apple, mango, radish, and togarashi, catering to Californian tastes. Vegetarian options include the zucchini and ricotta kofta, delicate dumplings in a silky, spiced tomato-onion gravy, a dish that elevates traditional Mughal-era cuisine. For seafood enthusiasts, the meen pollichathu is a Kerala-style dish featuring a whole branzino marinated in fiery masala, wrapped in a banana leaf, grilled, and served with coconut rice, evoking the coastal flavors of South India. Representing colonial-era comfort food, the dak bungalow chicken is a rustic curry with deep garlic and spice flavors, traditionally improvised in British-era rest houses. This dish is served with aged basmati rice or house-made naan or roti. The restaurant's beverage program includes thoughtful cocktails with Indian gins, infused spirits, and spiced garnishes that align with the culinary theme. The interior design, a collaboration with Kolkata-based studio Curryfwd, reflects a minimalist yet textured aesthetic, blending nostalgia with a modern Indian canteen vibe. Khaki is presented as an immersive experience, offering diners in the Bay Area a chance to explore India's culinary heritage and future through its creative menu, craft cocktails, and modernist design. The restaurant operates from Tuesday to Sunday, with specific hours and a happy hour on the patio and at the bar. It is located at City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. #IndianCuisine #BayAreaDining #ModernIndianFood #ChefKrishnaGupthan #CulturalCuisine #CaliforniaFoodScene #FineDining #CulinaryExperience #IndianCuisine #BayAreaDining #ModernIndianFood #ChefKrishnaGupthan #CulturalCuisine #CaliforniaFoodScene #FineDining #CulinaryExperience