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Former Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli is not only one of the most accomplished and popular cricketers of India, but also a successful entrepreneur. He has a restaurant chain One8 Commune, which already has 10 outlets across India. Both Mumbai and Delhi have multiple outlets, but the first one in the financial capital of the nation has a film connection.
The One8 Commune outlet located in Juhu, which was inaugurated in 2022, has been repurposed from late legendary singer Kishore Kumar’s bungalow. In a video on the YouTube channel of his restaurant, Kohli confessed he’s always had a soft corner for Kishore Kumar. “His songs have really, really touched me emotionally. When I was asked which person I’d have liked to met if they were alive, I’d always say Kishore da because he had such a charismatic personality,” said the cricketer.
The One8 Commune team has retained the homely appeal of Kishore Kumar’s bungalow for their Juhu outlet. “I’ve never liked visiting structured places. I like restaurants where you can go anytime. The kitchen opens in the morning and is open through the day. We also have events happening here. The interiors are also raw and casual. You won’t feel like coming here in a shirt. You can come in in a T-shirt and shorts, chill, and have coffee here. The vibe was always meant to be chilled out,” pointed out Virat Kohli.
The name of his restaurant chain has a special connection to Kohli’s cricket identity since 18 is the number stamped on his jersey. So, naturally, his jersey finds a prominent place on a wall of the One8 Commune outlet. There’s also ample sunlight as the roof is made of glass panels, allowing natural light to brighten up the ambience through the day.
Virat Kohli also insists that while ambience is crucial, customers won’t visit the restaurant again unless it serves great food quality. “You invest as much hard work in putting together the menu as you do in designing the place,” said Kohli, adding, “The idea is to involve everybody. Inclusivity is in not only the design, but also the menu. The chef has made sure everything is available here, from plant-based, meat to sea food.”
A page in the menu is dedicated to “Virat’s favourites,” which include tofu steak and mushroom dumplings made with truffle oil. There’s also a superfood in the form of a salad since Kohli turned vegetarian a few years ago. “Since I was a meat-eater all my life, I had to make sure I didn’t become a vegetarian drastically. I had to also take care of the nutritional value in my diet,” said Kohli on Curly Tales back in 2020.
As per the menu of the Juhu outlet, a bowl of steamed rice costs as much as Rs 318. A serving of salted fries is priced at Rs 348. A tandoori roti would cost you Rs 118 while a “baby” naan is priced at Rs 118 as well. In the desserts, the mascarpone cheesecake is priced at Rs 748. Even a serving of pet food ranges from Rs 518 to Rs 818.
Also Read: Charged over Rs 500 for ‘bhutta’ at Virat Kohli’s restaurant, woman takes to X
Virat Kohli’s maiden One8 Commune restaurant was opened in his hometown of New Delhi in Aerocity. There are two more outlets in the Delhi-NCR region, in Punjabi Bagh and Gurgaon. Mumbai has another outlet in Lower Parel. The one in Bengaluru is befittingly right next to M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Both those cities also hold great significance for Kohli as his wife and actor Anushka Sharma grew up in Bengaluru and worked in Bollywood. There are four other outlets in Kolkata, Pune, Indore, and Jaipur.
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