Regionally-inspired Indian flavors: Masque, Mumbai’s avant-garde tasting menu pioneer
In 2016, harbored within Mumbai’s disused textile mill, Masque inaugurated its business as India's first tasting menu-only restaurant. Founded by Aditi Dugar, this theatre-like restaurant sets out to explore innovative Indian flavors in persistent attempts to showcase indigenous goods and maximize the essence of the abundant Indian produce. The restaurant's head chef, Varun Totlani, has uncovered a wealth of native cuisine after exploring several Indian terroirs and inundating himself with the differences between regional cuisines and traditions which have been melded into stylish entrees.
CR : Masque
The restaurant's 10-course chef's tasting menu is jam-packed with history and innovation; providing a window into the diversity and sheer complexity of the various culinary practices prevalent within the country. The menus are based on products from the restaurant's farm and foraging excursions as they change with the seasons. Maintaining its regionally-inspired philosophy, guests can enjoy dishes such as an adaptation of “Khud khargosh” which is a dish indigenous to royal families in Rajasthan, and Murungakkai Marrow - a delicacy prepared with drumstick marrow that was adapted from Murungakkai Kuzhambu inspired by Tanjore cuisine from Tamil Nadu. Another honorable dish is the Lamb Bhutwa, a culinary technique from Uttarakhand, made from parts of mutton topped with pahadi aloo foam, hemp seeds, and jakhiya.
CR : Masque
During the middle of the tasting course, the curtain that separates the restaurant will lift to unveil a magnificent kitchen that allows guests to enter and take a walk around. As the name implies, MASQUE alludes to the word 'masquerade'. Almost like artists appearing from behind the curtain, the course continues inside the kitchen while the chef interacts with guests. “It is essential for the customer to have fun while enjoying the food,” said Totlani. The exclusive voyage around the restaurant beautifully concludes with “Summer in Maharashtra on a plate” a dessert dish made with Alphonso aam papad and fresh mangoes served with a wine sorbet from Vallonne vineyard in Nashik. With the sole usage of local farmers and producers as part of a genuine commitment to sustainability, Masque continues to leave a lasting legacy for the nation's food, while paving its way through India’s culinary scene as one of Asia’s top restaurants.