Mumbai: Gauri Khan’s plush Pan-Asian restaurant Torii, located in the upscale Pali Hill area of Bandra, has found itself at the centre of controversy. Known for its luxe interiors, high-profile clientele, and celebrity backing, Torii was launched by interior designer and Shah Rukh Khan’s wife, Gauri Khan, in February 2024. But now, it’s in the spotlight for an unexpected reason.
Popular YouTuber and influencer Sarthak Sachdeva, who has been running a content series testing food at celebrity-owned restaurants, uploaded a video that quickly went viral. In the video, Sarthak visits Torii and performs an iodine tincture test on the paneer served to him.
The test, which is widely believed to detect starch adulteration, turned the paneer blackish-blue, prompting Sarthak to exclaim, “Shah Rukh Khan ke restaurant mein paneer nakli tha. Ye dekh ke mere toh hosh udd gaye the.”
In comparison, Sarthak performed the same test at other celeb-favorite spots like Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune, Shilpa Shetty’s Bastian, and Bobby Deol’s Someplace Else, all of which, he claimed, passed the test without issue.
Gauri Khan’s restaurant reacts
The management of Torii was quick to respond in the comments section of Sarthak’s post. Clarifying the situation, they wrote, “The iodine test shows the presence of starch, not whether the paneer is real or fake. Since the dish contains soy-based ingredients, this result was bound to come. We stand by the purity of our paneer and the integrity of Torii.”
Sarthak, sticking to his signature cheeky tone, replied, “So am I banned now? btw ur food is amazing.”
As of now, Gauri Khan has not commented publicly on the matter.
