Where Does Your Food Come From?

TODAY, CUSTOMERS want to know more about the food they eat. What's good for them and what should they be eating. More often, we are thinking about the ethics of food production and are on a quest to surprise our palate with unique gastronomic innovations. Masque the newest addition to Mumbai's exciting culinary world has the answers

The brainchild of Aditi Dugar, founder of the successful catering company sage and saffron started in the business of finance. Despite no prior experience in hospitality, Aditi always had a passion for good food. Known to dine at the best of restaurants from Noma to French Laundry, Aditi secretly harboured a dream of starting a farm to fine restaurant in her home town. And so she began her journey traversing the length and breadth of India for the finest produce and the most unusual ingredients. Along the way she met Chef Prateek Sadhu who shared her culinary enthusiasm and the dream started to take shape.

18 months later, Aditi's and Chef Prateek's labour of love, Masque is now ready to change the gastronomic dynamics of the country. Introducing Botanical Bistronomy to Bombay, Masque is a culinary theatrical experience. Masque offers no a la carte menus and showcases to diners seasonal chef choice menus in 3, 6 and 10 courses at the affordable prices of INR 2,200, 3,200 and 4,500 respectively. The launch menu begins with a fresh tomato tart with a burst of flavours. This dish exemplifies their food philosophy with tomatoes homegrown at Aditi's farm on the outskirts of Pune, perfected with nutty green pesto and flavoursome mascarpone in a balsamic vinaigette. The other stand out dishes include Lobster from the pristine waters of the Andamans, Farm chicken paired with Kashmiri morels and the floral Rhododendron and Begonia sorbet. A special mention must be made to their signature Rye Bread served with the 8 day fermented peach butter. The meal ended with Pondicherry Chocolate mousse paired with homemade salted caramel ice-cream on a bed of buckwheat from the Himalayas. Chef Prateek's deconstructed donut filled with coffee is the perfect end to a meal of decadent indulgence.

Deep thought has also gone into the decor, designed by celebrity architect - Ashiesh Shah. The restaurant echoes the philosophy of Wabi Sabi in that true beauty is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. A beauty of things modest and humble. A beauty of things unconventional. From the bold brass cocktail kitchen to the solid marble community table, from the Rathin Burman installation responding to the lifespan of construction from mills to modern buildings to the Chandigarh chairs or even the hand-blown chandeliers each element in the restaurant has a story to tell.

Tucked away in the yet to be discovered Laxmi Mills, Masque showcases the best of India on a plate.

Not surprisingly the restaurant opens to a full house on 20th September 2016 and if Aditi and Chef Prateek continue the journey of foraging the freshest of farm grown produce to serve the finest, we just might have witnessed the start of a new culinary era.