Orange County's Star Indian Chef Opens His First Restaurant in Los Angeles

Brick Lane opens in the Arts District on May 22 as chef Sanjay Rawat’s first independent restaurant. Rawat previously led kitchens at Kahani and Clay Oven, building a strong reputation in Orange County and Los Angeles County’s large Indian communities. His experience includes high demand for weddings, Diwali celebrations, and other festivals at Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, which hosts a significant share of regional Indian wedding ceremonies. Brick Lane is named after East London’s curry and art street and is co-founded by Rishma Shariff and Sachin Nayyar. The menu uses a charcoal grill and wood-fired tandoor, combining California ingredients with traditional regional Indian flavors, including smoked butter chicken and a kulcha with brie and gooseberry chutney.

"Brick Lane, the first independent restaurant by chef Sanjay Rawat, formerly of Kahani at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, a landmark wedding destination in the South Asian diasporic community. Rawat's modern Indian restaurant debuts in the Arts District on Friday, May 22, as Southern California's latest compelling entrant for reimagined regional Indian fare."

"Rawat became a dominant presence at Kahani and at Irvine's celebrated Indian restaurant Clay Oven. Orange County and Los Angeles County remain home to two of California's largest Indian communities, with more than 160,000 people between them. Rawat's reputation in Orange County picked up tremendously after landing at the Ritz-Carlton in 2022, where he became an in-demand chef for weddings, Diwali celebrations, and other Indian events and festivals. The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel property hosts between 30 and 40 percent of Indian wedding ceremonies in the region."

"At Brick Lane (named after East London's iconic street known for its art and curry houses), Rawat partnered with couple and first-time restaurateurs Rishma Shariff and Sachin Nayyar, an immigration attorney and the chief executive officer of tech company Saviynt, respectively. Rawat had room to approach opening a restaurant with an expansive vision, using a charcoal grill, wood-fired tandoor oven, and blending California ingredients with traditional and regional Indian cuisine. "I am big on adapting things," says Rawat."

""Being an immigrant from India, then Malaysia, then Bermuda for work. In California, it's been a lot of adapting culture, people, and flavor profiles wherever I go." Brick Lane's business approach has familiar dishes, but unexpected arcs appear throughout. A departure from classic preparations, Brick Lane's butter chicken gets delicately smoked with applewood. A kulcha flatbread arrives with soft brie and gooseberry chutney."

Read at Eater LA