A serene Buddha statue sits pretty at the entrance as I step into the sprawling Sazz Kitchen on a breezy evening. After a quick stroll of the outdoor space set amidst ample greenery complete with a giant TV screen playing an cricket match, I settle for indoor dining that has Bali-inspired décor, and tables filled with families and friends tucking into sushi rolls, ramen bowls, kebabs, and wood-fired pizzas.

Rithish Krishnaraj, managing director, who comes from a jewellery manufacturing background, envisioned Sazz as an experience-led, culinary-forward brand that brings global cuisine under one roof while creating an emotional connect with diners. “We wanted to curate an experience beyond food,” he says. “From a coffee experiential centre and retail spaces that sell coffee beans, sourdough loaves and merchandise, the idea is to create a lifestyle campus where people come together to celebrate, unwind and spend quality time over good food.”

I start my dinner with a hearty bowl of crab soup. “It’s a happy marriage of Chettinad style spices finished off with a dash of European ‘secret’ sauce,” says executive chef Naga Arjun as I contemplate the creamy spin to the delicious, fiery soup. Soon, the green kanthari chicken dumplings steal the show. The soft dumpling filled with minced chicken blends Kerala’s kanthari or bird’s-eye chillies with classic dim sum and packs a zesty flavour.

Naga Arjun brings over 13 years of experience, including a decade working with Michelin-starred chefs across Europe. His approach blends European techniques with Indian ingredients and Asian flavours, resulting in a menu that is expansive, experimental, and rooted in storytelling. “It took nearly five months to curate this menu,” says the chef. “We studied what would work for Coimbatore’s evolving palate while still staying true to the original flavours. We don’t overly tweak dishes for the local taste. The idea is to strike a balance.” The menu featuring over 140 items spans Japanese, Peruvian, Italian, Continental and South-East Asian influences like mee goreng, nasi goreng, Singaporean curry laksa, and tom yum soup from Thailand, to name a few.

The Peruvian tuna tartare, a vibrant fusion dish is a case in point. It combines sushi-grade tuna with distinct Peruvian ingredients like creamy avocado and mango. “The dish draws inspiration from Nikkei cuisine, the Japanese-Peruvian culinary tradition born out of Japanese migration to Peru,” explains Naga Arjun as I enjoy the natural umami of the fish that blends with buttery avocado.

The restaurant sources salmon and hamachi from Japan, exotic mushrooms and lotus stems are imported from Thailand, while tuna comes fresh from Chennai every week. Sauces are made in-house including sourdough starters, while several dishes follow elaborate slow-cooking methods.

Take the lamb nihari, simmered overnight for nearly 10 hours until the spices seep deep into the meat, or the katsu ramen broth, cooked patiently for over 20 hours. “Most of our dishes take time,” says the chef. “Slow cooking, fermentation, layering flavours, that’s where the magic happens.”

I tear a piece of tandoor naan, dip it in the nihari and enjoy the legendary pairing of smoky naan and the slow-cooked meat that falls off the bone. Vegetarian dishes receive equal attention. The crispy tempura eggplant, inspired by Japanese preparations pairs crisp, lightly battered aubergine with a savoury-sweet, umami-packed dipping sauce. There are wakame salads dressed in house-made vinaigrettes, compressed watermelon salads, truffle mushroom dim sums, lotus stem starters, and sushi rolls filled with mango and cream cheese.

Over plates of incredibly tender and aromatic mutton galouti, and tawa fish, Naga Arjun talks of the stunning blue mango sticky rice. As I enjoy the chewy, glutinous rice dyed in blue from butterfly pea flowers, along with slices of sweet, yellow mango, he describes the making of elaneer payasam, another in-house special, but with an Asian twist. I keep that for another day.

Located at 3/520/1A Ukkadam to Selvapuram Bypass Road( backside of HP Petrol Bunk). A meal for two costs ₹2500 approximately. Call 9585555456