Sid Sahrawat Moves Cassia Restaurant From SkyCity To Grey Lynn’s Ozone Coffee
Cassia restaurant is on the move. Kim Knight finds out where you’ll need to go for your next Mughlai lamb chop fix.
Sid Sahrawat is taking his tandoor oven to the suburbs.
Cassia – the restaurant that introduced modern Indian dining to Auckland – is shifting from SkyCity to a temporary home in Grey Lynn.
Sahrawat will run the restaurant as a Wednesday to Saturday night residency at Ozone Coffee from June 17, until a move back into the city later this year, in a new site currently under development on the corner of Albert and Wyndham streets.
The chef, who owns Cassia and The French Cafe with his wife, Chand, is embracing his stint in the suburbs – and the highly visible central cooking station that is a feature of the Ozone layout.
“This kitchen is probably the most open we’ve ever worked in,” Sahrawat told Viva.
“We’re really embracing it. We’re installing a traditional tandoor oven into the space ... guests will be able to see the team working the tandoor, finishing dishes over grills and plating in real time. There’s a real sense of theatre to it.
“Indian cooking is incredibly sensory, and we think the smell of spices, smoke and the tandoor will instantly create an atmosphere that draws people in.”
Sahrawat says the Grey Lynn space is large enough to accommodate the scale of Cassia, and the open-plan layout lends itself to the style of food and service he wants to deliver.
“The residency at Ozone gives us the opportunity to keep creating and stay connected with diners while we build towards our forever home in the city.
“We’re excited to bring Cassia into a neighbourhood setting, and become part of the local rhythm for the area, even if only for a short time.”
Cassia regulars won’t notice menu changes (the lamb chops and mushroom stir fry remain), but two crossover dishes have been created – a daytime kebab featuring Cassia naan and tandoor chicken and Ozone’s preserved lemon coconut dressing, and a house-made feta using milk that would otherwise go to waste. From 5pm, when Cassia takes over, there will be a chocolate kulfi dessert incorporating an Ozone Coffee ganache.
Sahrawat says there are some “lovely existing connections” between the cafe and restaurant – Ozone’s head chef Karol Troncoso and chef de partie Vai Kapoa have previously worked with the Cassia team.
Cassia opened in a basement space in Fort Lane in 2014, relocating to SkyCity after the 2023 Auckland Anniversary weekend floods.
A spokesperson for SkyCity said there were no confirmed plans for the space Cassia would vacate after its final Federal St service on June 5. Last month it was reported that the building housing the restaurant – and the 312-room The Grand by SkyCity hotel – was for sale.
Meanwhile, Sahrawat promises the new, purpose-built Albert St restaurant, due to open later this year, will be Cassia’s “most ambitious chapter to date”.
More Auckland food and drink
Where to eat, what to drink and how to take the perfect picture of it.
How To Make Great Mocktails, According To Four Outstanding Auckland Bartenders. And their own personal favourites.
Hugo Baird’s Grey Lynn Hospo Legacy. Aucklanders are fickle diners. How do you build something they’ll queue for?
Auckland’s Best Restaurant & Cafe Openings So Far This Year. Because the food scene in Tāmaki Makaurau is constantly changing
How To Take Better Food Photographs. Pro tips from the woman who photographed 100 Iconic Eats.