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Bas ‘ishaara’ hi kaafi hai!

Aptly named, contemporary fine dine space Ishaara employs speech and hearing-impaired service staff

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Interiors of the restaurant
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It’s been a while that I got reprimanded, even lovingly, for letting my food turn cold because I was busy chatting with my friend. But at Ishaara, the newly-launched fine-dine restaurant at Palladium, Priya, my server, was quick to do that when she saw my Calicut Crab Bisque growing colder by the minute. A slight disapproving look on her face and a quick gesture of the hands — she is one of the 28 speech and hearing impaired service staff members — and I turned my attention back to the beautiful dish in front of me. I’m glad I did, else I wouldn’t have been able to fully enjoy the comfortable warmth of the flavoursome bisque.

The idea

Right from big windows flooding in natural light into the spacious orange, green and white interiors, to the pretty planters hanging from the ceiling, and the gracious smiles of the staff, I felt welcomed. And that’s precisely what the co-founders Prashant Issar and Anuj Shah of Stratix Hospitality set out to do. The former owners of Powai’s Mirchi & Mime, have now teamed up with Riyaaz Amlani of Impresario Handmade Restaurants to take their vision pan-India and even to international shores.

With a shared idea about their vision and values, Prashant and Anuj have managed to create a space which is driven by good food and good service and being consistent about it. Working with speech and hearing-impaired people, a concept they took forward from Mirchi & Mime, is an empowering one. “We’d define Ishaara as a cutting-edge contemporary dining space that has Indian food, which happens to be served by people with speech and hearing impairment,” said Prashant.


Prashant Issar and Anuj Shah; Pic: Ashwini Sawant (DNA)

Sign of good times

Two gentlemen, who walked in not knowing about the concept, seemed surprised about ordering via signs. “Within a few minutes, they were seamlessly doing it. They thought it was so engaging,” Anuj smiled. The simple illustrations on the menu made it easy for me when I tried to place an order. I formed a ‘C’ with my hand and followed it with a corresponding number sign for the Dilli Aloo Tikki I wanted and it was done. All with a smile. “They are focussed, intuitive and always smiling. If there’s one big challenge for any restaurant manager, it is to ensure that their staff smiles. That happens by default with our boys and girls here,” Prashant said.

Food for thought

There’s much to admire about the expansive menu here. There was nothing pretentious about the Dilli Aloo Tikki (Rs 220) — the soft green peas and potato patty was crisp on the outside and served on a bed of spicy chickpeas. The Solkadi (Rs 80) had a zesty cumin flavour adding to the tang of the kokum. The Calicut Crab Bisque (Rs 220), got my vote for being one of the most heart-warming soups I’ve had with its fresh crab and fennel flavour. In between all the ordering and eating, the ever-attentive staff was quick to ask me if I needed more water or if I needed a change of plate, with simple hand gestures.


The service staff at Ishaara (left); Sweet Potato Brulee; Pic: Ashwini Sawant (DNA)

The seekh lover in me sought out the Fish and Prawn Seekh (Rs 380), a unique dish with flaky bits of fish and prawn. Another must-try turned out to be the Sago Tikku (Rs 280) which had red cabbage and potato in it — the taste uplifted with the unusual colour of the filling. For the mains, we tried Mango Pineapple Curry (Rs 340), which was equally sweet and tart and Dal Haveli (Rs 220), a delicious Black Urad preparation. The Sufiyani Chicken Biryani (Rs 320) prepared with almond milk was almost like a pulao, mildly flavoured with pepper and nuts. There was a variety of desserts on the menu but I went for the Flourless Chocolate Brownie (Rs 280) — a light and sweet ending to the meal. I left the restaurant with a bellyful of good food and a smile on my face. Mission accomplished for Ishaara.

At: Third floor, Palladium Mall, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel

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