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'Junoon' means passion. For chef Vikas Khanna, the sincere connection with his roots and endless love for food led him somewhere he couldn't have imagined: he became the man behind the creation of one of New York’s most popular fine-dining icons at 19 West 24th Street, New York in 2009, along with restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj.
At Junoon, the one-track aim is to share the stories, experiences and memories that are associated with the taste of Indian food eaten back in his town. Of course, what makes Junoon so special is the fact that Indian food takes on a very new form. In many interviews, Vikas Khanna shares his take on Indian cuisine, how it’s envisioned by him and other chefs in the team and what the restaurant plans to do in the future. The team wanted a place where people come for all purposes, from all walks of life - whether it be a corporate meeting, a gathering or simply a casual meet-up. And there is something for everyone. Junoon ended up winning a Michelin-Star for eight consecutive years for the sincerity, hard work and persistence shown toward bringing Indian cuisine on a world platform. With his team, chef Vikas Khanna established Junoon as one of the hottest Indian restaurants in New York.
Needless to say, the restaurant met with several challenges before it found success. Initially, not many people wanted to eat dishes other than tikka masala and naan. In the west, it seems like the perception of Indian cuisine is limited to these generic dishes. They are an apt choice of food at family get-togethers. Yes, tikka masala can be wonderful, cool and interesting for parties and gatherings, or takeaways. One cannot deny that everyone loves curries and naans; a favourite among New York’s elite too. But the problem is that tikka masala is the first choice only because no one believes that there is other Indian food to eat. At the time the restaurant was launched, this was the main challenge. People just love the flavours of onion-tomato gravy so it has stuck with them. But Chef Vikas Khanna was among the first Indian chefs whose purpose of establishing the high-end Indian restaurant ‘Junoon’ in New York was to elevate Indian cuisine. At Junoon, Indian food metamorphosed into something new before any of the fancy Indian places began to arrive on the dining scene.
Yes, Junoon is at your beck and call if you want an evening of chaat and tandoori tikkas over a corporate lunch or a conference. Further on, it is also serving truffle and mushroom khichdi, chettinaad lobster rasam, cricket, zaffrani zucchini pulao and so on. You cannot call their menu traditional in any sense. Whatever you decide to gorge on, this restaurant is the home of inventive, modern Indian food and you won't be disappointed.
Thanks to the inception of restaurants like Junoon, many other Indian chefs have dared to deliver a taste of home in the most authentic way in overseas restaurants. Today, when we talk of people's perception of Indian food in the west, Junoon is mentioned quite a bit. As much as we want to put Indian food in the comfort food category, Junoon shows us that it has to evolve and become something entirely new today, or at least safe to say the evolution has just begun!
