Gauri Khan’s Restaurant Torii Clears ‘Fake Paneer’ Allegations

Photo: Instagram

MUMBAI (ANI)- Gauri Khan’s upscale Mumbai restaurant, Torii, has refuted claims of serving adulterated paneer, attributing the allegations to a misinterpretation of food chemistry.

The controversy began when a YouTuber posted a video testing the quality of paneer at several celebrity-owned restaurants in Mumbai, including Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune, Shilpa Shetty’s Bastian, and Bobby Deol’s Someplace Else. The YouTuber applied iodine tincture to paneer samples, which typically causes a color change if starch is present.

While the other restaurants showed no reaction, a dish at Torii turned dark when exposed to iodine. In the video, the YouTuber claimed, “Shah Rukh Khan ke restaurant mein paneer nakli tha. Ye dekh ke mere toh hosh udd gaye the (Shah Rukh Khan’s restaurant is selling fake paneer.)!”

Torii responded with a statement explaining that the iodine reaction was due to soy-based ingredients in the dish, not the authenticity of the paneer. “The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. We stand by the purity of our paneer and the integrity of our ingredients at Torii,” the restaurant clarified in the comments section of the viral video.

In a playful follow-up, the YouTuber, Sarthak, responded, “So am I banned now? Btw your food is amazing.”

Torii, co-owned by interior designer Gauri Khan, is known for its chic ambiance and is a favorite among Bollywood celebrities.