Hey, I gotta tell you about this super cool guy, Sarthak Sachdeva, who’s only 19 and already making waves on the internet! He’s an Instagram influencer with over 500,000 followers, and he did something totally wild—he tested paneer at fancy celebrity restaurants to see if it’s real or fake. His Sarthak Sachdeva’s fake paneer test at Gauri Khan’s restaurant, Torii, in Mumbai got everyone talking, and I’m so excited to share his story!
Sarthak decided to check out some of Mumbai’s coolest restaurants owned by big stars like Virat Kohli, Shilpa Shetty, Bobby Deol, and Gauri Khan, who’s married to Shah Rukh Khan. He went to each place with a tiny bottle of iodine tincture, which is like a science experiment thing that turns paneer dark if it has starch in it. Starch can mean the paneer isn’t pure, maybe mixed with stuff to make it heavier or cheaper. At Virat’s One8 Commune, Shilpa’s Bastian, and Bobby’s Someplace Else, the paneer stayed normal when he put iodine on it. But at Torii, the paneer turned blue-black! Sarthak was shocked and said in his video, “Shah Rukh Khan ke restaurant mein paneer nakli tha!” That means “the paneer at Shah Rukh Khan’s restaurant was fake,” and it blew his mind!
The video went super viral, like millions of people saw it on Instagram. But then Torii’s team commented on his post, saying the test wasn’t fair because their dish had soy ingredients, which can make the iodine turn dark too. They said their paneer is real and they check everything super carefully. Some experts, like Dr. Kiran Soni from Yatharth Hospital, backed them up. She told Hindustan Times that the iodine test shows starch, but it doesn’t always mean the paneer is fake. Sometimes, restaurants add starch to make paneer feel better or use batter that has starch. So, it’s not a perfect test, but Sarthak’s video got everyone thinking about what’s in their food.
What’s so awesome about Sarthak Sachdeva’s fake paneer test is how brave he was. He’s just a teenager, but he went to these big, fancy places and called them out. That takes guts! People on X were going crazy about it. Some thought he was a hero for checking food quality, while others said he shouldn’t blame Torii without a lab test. One X post even called him a “food scientist,” which is kinda funny. But Sarthak didn’t back down. He even replied to Torii’s comment with a joke, saying, “So am I banned now? Btw your food is amazing!” That’s so chill!
This whole thing made me think about how hard it must be for Sarthak to do this. Being an influencer sounds fun, but he’s gotta deal with tons of people watching him, and some might get mad when he points out stuff like this. Plus, he’s only 19, so he’s probably still figuring things out, just like me when I mess up my science projects. But he kept going, visiting all these restaurants, making videos, and trying to show people the truth. That’s why his Sarthak Sachdeva’s fake paneer test story is so cool—it’s about a young guy trying to make a difference.
Chef Vikas Khanna got involved too. He said Sarthak’s test wasn’t totally right because iodine can react with lots of things, like potatoes or bread, not just fake paneer. He called it “terrible misinformation,” which sounds harsh, but I think he just wants people to be careful about what they believe. Still, Sarthak’s video started a big conversation about food safety, and that’s a win, right? Now people are talking about how restaurants should be super honest about what they serve.
I think Sarthak’s story is inspiring because he’s not much older than me, but he’s out there doing big things. His Sarthak Sachdeva’s fake paneer test might not have proved Torii was serving fake paneer, but it got us all thinking about what we eat. Maybe next time I have paneer tikka, I’ll wonder if it’s real! If a kid like Sarthak can make millions of people notice, then maybe I can do something awesome too when I grow up. For now, I’m just cheering for him to keep being brave and making those cool videos!