Gauri Khan’s restaurant Torii rebuts influencer’s claim of serving fake paneer

Mumbai: YouTuber Sarthak Sachdeva recently decided to visit celebrity-owned restaurants in Mumbai to test the authenticity of paneer served at these restaurants. 

The test on paneer using the viral iodine technique has been tried on several brands by various health experts to test if the product is authentic dairy or adulterated. Sachdeva too, jumped on the bandwagon to test the authenticity and visited Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune, Shilpa Shetty’s Bastian and Bobby Deol’s Someplace Else and tested the paneer served there. His recordings proved that the paneer didn’t change colour and thus, was authentic. 

However, that wasn’t the case with Torii, a restaurant co-owned by Gauri Khan. The paneer served there turned into black colour upon testing, which led Sachdeva to claim it was fake. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sarthak Sachdeva (@sarthaksachdevva)

Following this video going viral, Torii issued an official statement rebutting the claim and said, “We are utterly surprised at the news of ‘fake paneer’ being served at Torii. The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. For all dishes that contain soy-based ingredients (a staple in Asian food) this reaction is expected. From sourcing our produce to the food being served on the plate to our patrons, there are quality checks at every step of the way. Our commitment to excellence in the food we serve remains un-wavered.”

Replying to Torii’s comment, the 19 years old influencer wrote, “So am I banned now? BTW your food is amazing.”