After Variety India’s Landmark Evening, Vikas Khanna Indulged In A Royal Patiala Feast At Silver Train

There are evenings that quietly announce a shift, and this was one of them. When Vikas Khanna walked into the Variety event in India yesterday, it wasn’t just a celebrity sighting. It felt like a long-delayed acknowledgement. Variety, a global barometer of culture and creativity, has hosted conversations around the world, but its presence in India at this scale carried a particular weight. But that was not all, the royal train hit a buffer at the Silver Train Restaurant in Mumbai, where the chef relished a royal feast.

Vikas Khanna At Variety India: A Moment Beyond Celebrity

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vikas Khanna (@vikaskhannagroup)

Vikas Khanna, whose career has always moved between kitchens and causes, global platforms and deeply personal memory, fits seamlessly into the Variety moment. Later that night, he chose to end the evening not with spectacle, but with story, over dinner at the Silver Train Restaurant. What followed was not a routine fine-dining experience, but something closer to a ceremonial meal.

Silver Train does not hide its lineage, it wears it like a badge of honour. The restaurant draws directly from the kitchens of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, a ruler remembered as much for his appetite for grandeur as for his instinct for indulgence. The menu reads like a preserved court record. As mentioned verbatim in their menu: “The Maharaja of Patiala, famed for his lavish feast, once returned from hunt, desiring something extraordinary with little at hand, the khan sama glazed chicken in cloves, cardamom, and honey until it gleamed like a jewel. The Maharaja enchanted and made it a banquet staple.”

Also Read: This Hyderabad Mutton Soup Is A Royal Winter Delight With Tender Meat & Silky Nutty Broth

Vikas Khanna Visits Silver Train Restaurant: Royalty Meets Royalty

The sentence from their menu sets the tone, everything that follows feels ordained rather than curated. Gilafi kebab and kesar ko badi kebab arrive not as starters, but as declarations. Patiala cooker long ilaichi carries the weight of slow fire and patience. The mutton selection, with Maharaja Bubbles shami kebab, Mysore mutton roast, Maas ke Sule, moves confidently across regions, never apologising for its richness.

Fish travels just as deliberately: Puddakotai fish fry, Machhli Jali kebab, Odisha Chingri, each anchored in geography, each refusing to be softened for modern palates. The chicken repertoire deepens that narrative with Chettinad black pepper chicken and Dogra chicken kofta, dishes that privilege spice architecture and royalty.

Even the bread behaves differently here. Naan Badam is indulgent without excess, Niwala feels ceremonial, and Ghura naan arrives with a sense of purpose. Jodha Bai’s dahi kebab closes the loop, balancing decadence with history.

Also Read: From 16 Inches Bahubali Thali To 3 Course Royal Thali In Bengaluru with Disha Madan

Vikas Khanna later described the food as “the most brilliant,” but what lingered was his appreciation of intent. Silver Train isn’t recreating royalty for nostalgia’s sake, it’s reviving etiquette, memory, and confidence, qualities royal Indian cuisine never lost, but modern dining often forgets. Vikas Khanna loved that, and so do we! 

Cover Image Courtesy: vikaskhannagroup/instagram