Chef Prateek Sadhu and Chef Manish Mehrotra Shine at Indian Accent Pop-Up

I had long yearned to savor Chef Prateek Sadhu's cuisine, which I had heard so much about. However, during my brief visit to Mumbai, I only had time for lunch, and his ingredient-driven restaurant, 'Masque,' was only open for dinner. Later, I learned about his new restaurant, 'Naar'-meaning fire in Kashmiri-near Kasauli, where all dishes are cooked over a wood fire, symbolising the passion of the entire team to deliver something extraordinary.

Chef Manish Mehrotra, a household name, has given India a strong contender in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants with Indian Accent. So, when Rohit Khattar, the media-shy promoter of Indian Accent and other popular restaurants, invited me to a unique pop-up at Indian Accent featuring both Chef Prateek and Chef Manish, I immediately said yes with great excitement.

The event was graced by many luminaries from the culinary world, including Vir Sanghvi, Rocky Mohan, Rocky Singh, and Sourish da, with whom I had the pleasure of sharing a table and discussing each dish as it arrived.

While I could detail the 12 exquisite courses we enjoyed, I'll focus on a few standout dishes:

Dirty Toast by Chef Sadhu: This fluffy fermented wheat bread topped with trout, flavoured with Kashundi and perhaps a hint of ketchup, was both comforting and gourmet.

Ghee Lamb by Chef Mehrotra: This dish exemplified the principle that less is more. The best meat from the shank was cooked with just four ingredients-ghee, salt, red chili, and garlic. The result was a flavour explosion, and I guarantee you won't find better meat.

Lemon Crab by Chef Mehrotra: Cooked with Karnataka's byadgi chili, it boasted vibrant color and flavour without being overly spicy, and was served with dried shrimp poppadom for an added crunch.

Pahadi Pork by Chef Sadhu: This dish, served with bakharkhani, white butter, and fermented bamboo shoot pickle, featured a perfect fat-meat ratio and was my overall favourite. The handmade noodles called sundar-kala were also delightful.

Each course was expertly paired with wine, and the desserts, such as the classic Kashmiri shufta served like a pinwheel paneer, were equally delicious.

Unfortunately, the pop-up is already over. It was priced at Rs. 9800 per person for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings. The food was so exceptional that I am already planning a visit to Naar to enjoy a meal in its serene environment.

Pawan Soni, Food critic and founder of the Big F Awards