Celebrated Kiwi-Indian restaurateur and acclaimed chef Sid Sahrawat is on cloud nine as his restaurant Cassia is set to reopen at Auckland's SkyCity.
The eatery would be the first Indian restaurant to open in SkyCity since the iconic complex opened in the city’s business district 27 years ago.
Operating out of Fort Street since 2014, the modern Indian restaurant run by Sid and his wife Chand was forced to close after it was flooded following the weather events of January 27, 2023. The couple kept the brand going by operating temporarily as a Cassia Kitchen pop-up out of a private dining room at another of their restaurants, Sid at the French Café in Symonds St. The Sahrawats also own and operate KOL in Ponsonby.
Cassia is scheduled to open in May 2023 and will occupy the site formerly housed by The Grill. Talking to The Indian Weekender, the 43-year-old says, “ I have a lot going on my plate in terms of preparing Cassia for its opening in the iconic SkyCity Federal Street. While we want to recreate the old Cassia's look, feel and warmth, we will be adding a few new features to mark our new beginning. It's great to join SkyCity, which has the right ambience and infrastructure to provide our customers with the Cassia experience. At Cassia, we marry creative culinary skills with the traditional dishes I have grown up with in India. We want to provide a similar vibe and innovative Indian dishes to our customers in a different setting.”
Sid, who has been consistently recognised with numerous awards and accolades over the years, says it is a fascinating yet challenging time for him and his team. He explains in detail, "Since we are opening in SkyCity, we expect to hit the ground running, and that's what we are preparing ourselves for. We have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders, but with our passion, we will hopefully live up to expectations. It is a matter of great honour that Cassia will be the first Indian restaurant in SkyCity. We are working on details about how much workforce we need and our logistics to ensure we are ready to welcome our guests in May. My wife Chand, who looks after the operations of our restaurants, is working on that"
Chandigarh-born Sahrawat started studying hospitality in Chennai at the age of 14. He has also worked in Oman, where his family lived, before he moved to New Zealand in 2000. He worked at several top restaurants before he opened his first restaurant, Sidart, in 2009, which he sold to chef Lesley Chandra in 2021. He launched Cassia in 2014 and acquired the iconic fine diner, The French Café, in 2018. In late 2022, he opened bar and eatery KOL in Ponsonby
Sid believes it is a very exciting time for modern Indian cuisine globally. “Indian cuisine is very intense, and Indian food is very complex in its flavours. There is no denying that getting good Indian food abroad is not easy. Globally it is a fascinating time for Indian cuisine, and it is a matter of time that Indian food reaches higher milestones."
In late 2020, the Sahrawats launched a range of ‘at home’ simmer curry sauces called Cassia at Home. It began as a side business during the Covid-19 lockdown and later became viable, with products now stocked in many supermarkets and speciality food stores throughout the country and also available online.
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