Metro Roundup: World chef brings unique Indian concept to 280

After opening successful restaurants across the world, chef Pritam Zarapkar has settled down in the Birmingham area to introduce a brand new Indian restaurant concept.

In May, Zarapkar and his team of local investors purchased Bay Leaf Authentic Indian Cuisine, which is a restaurant that opened a U.S. 280 location in 2014 and opened a Five Points South location in 2019. The team plans to build on the restaurant brand’s success and reputation but will give the brand a modern twist, Zarapkar said.

“Birmingham currently lacks modern Indian dishes, and we hope to fill this void with the new menu offerings at both Bay Leaf locations,” he said. “There isn’t anything like this in the state, and we believe Birmingham is ready for it.”

The rebranded restaurant received a new name, Bay Leaf Modern Indian Cuisine & Bar. The menu also received a makeover. One option is the Desi Burger and Fries, which is an Indian take on an American burger. Zarapkar uses lamb and vegetables to create a burger patty, and then he uses Indian naan bread for the bun.

“You have to taste it to believe it,” said a representative of Bay Leaf. “It’s amazing.”

The Masala Quesadilla is another popular dish on the new menu, giving an Indian twist to a Mexican staple. Using Indian spices, Zarapkar recreates the dish, and customers can choose between veggie, chicken or lamb quesadillas.

The appetizers menu also includes fun Indian creations including Crab Lollipops are snow crab claw clusters that are battered, flash-fried and served with a special sauce.

“Most of the Indian restaurants, first of all, don’t serve any crab,” the representative said. “He uses Alaskan crabs to create lollipops, basically, which is dipped in a strawberry sauce. And it’s amazing.”

The rebranded restaurant has a casual yet upscale atmosphere.

Although the greater Birmingham area is already home to some traditional Indian restaurants, Bay Leaf provides a modern twist on Indian cuisine.

“The concept, modern Indian cuisine, doesn’t exist in Alabama,” the representative said. “We’ve traveled all over the world and all over the U.S., and Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Nashville have this modern Indian cuisine concept. ... But we’ve never had a culinary expert in Birmingham who was able to do it.”

The chef received his education from Switzerland and is an expert in Indian, French and American cuisines. With over 15 years of experience as an executive chef, he has launched more than 12 restaurants across Europe and the United States.

He came to the area in January with hopes to start a white tablecloth, international restaurant concept called The Spice Library. But because of the outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe, Zarapkar and his team have had to delay the concept, and the team began working on the Bay Leaf concept instead.

Some of the Bay Leaf team members are physicians and helped come up with a coronavirus safety plan, ensuring that the dining room is safe for customers. There is an in-house sanitation protocol that takes place three times a day. Employees are provided with personal protective equipment and wear it at all times. Reservations are highly encouraged.

One of Bay Leaf’s novel ideas is the use of QR code menus. Instead of placing a menu at every seat, the customers can use their mobile phones to scan a QR code, which then opens up the online restaurant menu. This eliminates the possibility of cross-contamination from sharing reusable menus. If the customer prefers a physical menu, there will also be disposable paper menus available.

Kiran Chavan, a former Bay Leaf owner, is staying on board as the general manager to operate both locations and has over 15 years of experience in running restaurants.

“This is an exciting transition for Bay Leaf,” said Chavan, “and we look forward to serving our past customers and attracting new ones with our improved food offerings, drinks, service and brand.”

Both locations are now open for dine-in seating. The 280 location also has outdoor seating.

For more information, visit bayleafbham.com.