This isn’t your typical shopping mall dining experience.
At San Ramon’s City Center Bishop Ranch, what was once Curry Up Now, a fast-casual Indian restaurant, has closed, remodeled, hired a Michelin-star chef, re-designed the menu, tried to upscale everything from food to service and re-opened this August as Khaki Bar and Indian Canteen, an unlikely fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a mall.
“We looked at the East Bay and said, ‘there aren’t any fine dining Indian situations available,’” said owner Akash Kapoor.
Meanwhile, across the Bay, chef brothers Pujan and Sujan Sarkar had just opened Tiya, a fine dining Indian restaurant in San Francisco that has acquired a tidy 4.7-star Google rating since it debuted in 2024.
The Michelin guide recently praised Tiya for its “California edge to an intriguing contemporary take on Indian cuisine.”
Kapoor started to dream of opening a similar restaurant in the East Bay.
“I met with Sujan a year ago,” he said. “It took a year to put the dream into reality.”
Sujan Sarkar, also known for his Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Indienne, and brother Pujan teamed up to put together a new menu at Khaki, where classic Indian dishes come with flair.
The Delhi classic butter chicken ($25) comes with tandoor-charred boneless chicken thighs in a creamy tomato and red pepper sauce because “we wanted to do a rustic butter chicken, not what you get within smooth Curry,” Kapoor said. “It’s rustic, classic, 1950s butter chicken when it was first introduced to the world.”
Backed by Michelin star recognized chefs Sujan and Pujan Sarkar, Khaki Bar and Indian Canteen is now open in San Ramon’s City Center Bishop Ranch (photo by Neetu Laddha).
The chefs traveled extensively through regional parts of India to learn from people cooking in small villages and outdoor fireplaces, then brought those ideas back to the Bay Area.
“The chefs are from Kolkata so they put in a lot of Bengali food,” Kapoor said. “The food re-imagines the Indian comfort food that we’ve identified with and lived through. But we do it through the lens of California global produce.”
Another popular dish in the first weeks of opening is the tuna bhel tostada ($20), the chef’s take on a pale curry from Mumbai that includes tuna and black puffed rice, red onion, green mango, radish, and cilantro and blue corn tortilla chips with creamy avocado pachadi.
“We’re doing a high-end dining experience but knowing we’re in a mall, it’s built for every day eating,” Kapoor said.
With the interior completely redecorated, the vibe is welcoming to all, from visitors in beachwear or relaxed summer clothing, to business professionals or families celebrating anniversaries and special occasions.
Details: Open 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, at 6000 Bollinger Canyon Rd. in San Ramon; wearekhaki.com.
Backed by Michelin star recognized chefs Sujan and Pujan Sarkar, Khaki Bar and Indian Canteen is now open in San Ramon’s City Center Bishop Ranch (photo by Neetu Laddha).