Intimate dining over niche, regional cuisines in Mumbai

Updated On: 31 July, 2024 10:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Ainie Rizvi

Delving deeper into cozy culinary setups, Midday caught up with home chefs, serving piping hot broths made right in their kitchens

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Rupa Shah`s home diner in Chembur. Pic/Ainie Rizvi

Mumbai, renowned for its myriad diners, restaurants and cafes, also boasts a vibrant home dining scene – featuring niche cuisines from Maharashtra like Bohri, Pathare Prabhu, Kutchi Memoni, Goan, Konkani, Malvan, Koli and more.

As opposed to the impersonal aura that commercial eateries have to offer, these dwellings bind diners with their food on a deeper, more intimate level. Allowing an exchange of food stories, patrons trace the evolution of dishes – as they journey to one’s plate. Delving deeper into this emerging culinary trend, Midday caught up with home chefs, serving piping hot broths made right in their kitchens.

Dining narratives
One such intimate space is Rupa Shah’s home in Chembur which goes beyond mere substance. Bringing back a generational knowledge of cooking Pathare Prabhu as well as Goan cuisines, this septuagenarian takes diners on a seafood adventure, reinventing classic Marathi and Gujarati dishes. When asked about what makes her food unique, she chuckles, and shares, “It’s the Parabi masala which is used by the Pathares only. We make it at home with secret ingredients."

While the menu is loaded with regional delicacies, the full menu remains a surprise until one visits. The writer was welcomed with a Pathare Prabhu vegetarian meal, starting with a refreshing aam panna, shortly followed by a textured dish of ratalyacha kees. Next up on the main course was aluwadi, thecha, Ananasache Sambhare (exclusively made by Pathares), shengdana amti, ghavan topped with Fodnichi kakdi, summing up with the dessert, saagu.

For a Northerner, discovering this hyper-local cuisine was a revelation. Rupa, with her diverse heritage—Goan mother, Gujarati father and Gujarati husband, all while living in Mumbai—offers a one-of-a-kind blend of flavours. Having hosted 100+ guests at `Gossip & Garnish,` she indulges guests with unique and authentic delicacies, leaving one with a memorable trail of spices.

However, Rupa isn’t working solo; her daughter-in-law, Bistriti Poddar, assists her with tastings and hosting guests every week. Instantly putting guests at ease, she has designed the décor with a semi-casual ambiance, infused with natural light and inspired by natural elements. It sets forth an ideal setting for stories, uncovering recipe secrets and engaging in friendly banter.

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