India’s top chefs team-up for a unique pop-up

In the burgeoning dining scene of these cities, pop-ups are a gateway to newer discoveries. They have gained more prominence with an increased curiosity around regional food. While Mehrotra is known for serving regional delicacies with a comforting and innovative spin, Sadhu is a flagbearer for dishes from the mountains. The menu spotlights these aspects of the chefs with dishes like hamachi paired with aam panna pakodi—Mehrotra loves aam panna; and Ladakhi sausages by Sadhu. The pop-up has been in the making for several months. “The idea was to get the flavours and food of NAAR to Mumbai and Delhi. We had to make sure the flavours are not repetitive but they are complementary and there is a certain flow to the multi-course meal," says Sadhu.

In the vegetarian menu, there is an appetiser course with arbi (taro root) sago, byadgi chilli and smoked papad. “Currently, these ingredients are available in Delhi and Mumbai. Byadgi chillies are not spicy, instead they have a slight sweet flavour which complement the earthy notes of arbi," explains Mehrotra. The smoked papad envelops this dish with a crunchy texture and umami hit. The dried carrots from NAAR will go into a course with preserved carrot curry. Sadhu’s spice box has Himalayan Sichuan pepper or timur to perk up a pork dish and paired with the Kashmiri bread bakarkhani. There’s also a chaat course with the crowd favourite Dilli papdi chaat paired with a dirty toast. What is a dirty toast? “You will have to eat with us to find out," says Sadhu.

The price for the 10-course pop-up menu is ₹9800 plus taxes.