This new restaurant in Bengaluru is playing with neo vegetarian cuisine

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With dishes such as palak bocconcini, hibiscus pani puri and jalapeno parmesan soup, The Silky Elephant in JP Nagar offers elevated vegetarian dining

Published - August 05, 2026 12:43 pm IST

The Silky Elephant has a global menu

Modern Indian cuisine is a concept that is usually met with apprehension. We are fiercely protective about our food. The Silky Elephant in Bengaluru is challenging this. The restaurant in JP Nagar has what it calls a ‘neo vegetarian’ menu. Here papdi chaat meets bruchetta, tempura meets thecha and the tomato shorba has kaffir lime. But do they work? We find out over lunch.

The Silky Elephant in JP Nagar

Styled with a modern look, the restaurant is brimming with guests even on a Monday afternoon. We take a seat by the window overlooking the street. The service is warm and helpful. We peruse the menu (QR code only unfortunately), and it is expansive, with Asian, Indian and global cuisines.

The hibiscus pani puri is colourful and eye-catching. The crispy puris are served with potato and a red hibiscus pani, which is floral and subtle. A fun spin on a crowd favourite. The charcoal dahi kebabs are a visual delight. Coated on the outside with activated charcoal, the kebabs are striking and taste balanced with tang and spice. From the Asian section, we enjoy the wild mushroom dim sum. The thin casing of these is tinged purple, and the mushroom stuffing is earthy and delicious. We pair these with a refreshing cranberry mocktail.

It’s A Date!! is a dessert where British sticky toffee pudding meets Medjool dates

For the main course, we stick to Indian, but the restaurant offers pasta, pizza and Chinese as well. From the ‘progressive’ section, we order dum aloo panch phoran with mascarpone, nadru rezala and bhatt ki dal.

The dum aloo is stuffed with mascarpone cheese, and served with a Bengali panch phoran-spiced gravy. A good mix of spicy and creamy. The nadru is the winning dish on the table. The Kashmiri-style dish is made with large pieces of steamed lotus stem in a white, yoghurt-based gravy. The gravy had a delicate flavour with green cardamom, mace, and kewra water. The Himachali dal is spicier than we imagine, with red chillies and wild herbs. We pair these with a delicious leavened Khamiri Naan, where the fermented flavour of the dough shines. The cheese chilly naan is spilling with gooey melted cheese, and almost feels like a pizza.

It’s A Date!! is one of our desserts. Described as British sticky toffee pudding meets Medjool dates, this has a cake topped with butterscotch toffee sauce and fresh cream. However, the sponge cake is a little dry in this one. The signature pistachio forest dessert comes highly recommended. Pistachio cream is filled in a chocolate log, atop chocolate soil. The presentation is gourmet, and the flavours on this are light.

The Silky Elephant is a solid choice for family dining in the JP Nagar area. The shareable innovative starters impress us and there is something for everyone.

₹1,800 for two. At JP Nagar, 8th phase, Bengaluru. For reservations, call 91872 06152

Published - August 05, 2026 12:43 pm IST

food / food and dining (general) / Bengaluru / The Hindu MetroPlus

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