Masque

Text: Mohan Krishnan

Masque will soon be 10 years old, and you still have to hustle to get a table. I met Aditi Dugar at the Masque Lab. In the background, Chef Mythrayie the R&D Head with serious cheffy pedigree (head-chef at Farm Lore), was running trials.

Aditi Dugar strides in, glam jacket slung over gym gear. She was an i-banker, set to go to the London Business School, when life (babies) intervened. Her mother is a renowned hostess and ran cooking classes. Aditi joined, and in a very organic way, a high-end catering business was born. Sage and Saffron.

Sage and Saffron’s USP was snacky Thai food. Aditi became famous for her creative tablescapes. S&S also began to offer non-veg food. She grew the S&S business.

She found Chef Prateek Sadhu, CIA alum, who also staged at Noma, and The French Laundry. He was passionate about India’s rich produce, but was not keen on doing catering. They both thought, ‘Why not do a restaurant?’

They found a location inside a decrepit mill area, that still looks like a warzone. To this day, getting there is NOT half the fun.

Masque took off as the first fine-dining tasting menu restaurant. Recognition came soon, both for its food, and its unique Wabi Sabi décor. Masque’s reputation grew, for its innovative menus and the unique ingredients that Prateek foraged like the Ladakhi sea buckthorn.

Prateek decided to pursue his own journey in 2022. Varun Totlani eventually took over as Head Chef.

Chef Varun exudes energy and ambition. "Growing up, I was fond of eating, and knew I wanted to cook. I always dreamed of going to the CIA. Dad took me to see Alex Sanchez, who is an alum. He said – get trained in India, and then go for two years. I followed his advice."

"I came back and joined Masque, working under Prateek’s leadership. From him, I learned how to run a great team. Masque evolved; in the beginning, we were global, and slightly undefined cuisine. Prateek, and all of us in consensus, set the direction as modern Indian cuisine, celebrating Indian produce, the bounty of India."

"When Prateek left, the entire team came together. We had fire in our belly, and plenty to prove. We believed in ourselves. We love to cook, we did our best, and the awards came to us."

"The tasting menu allows us to deliver a full experience that is in our control. We have six veg, six non-veg, and five common dishes. We focus on 17 dishes, and we do them well."

"Each menu has a reason, and a season. We start with the “street”, and end with the “palace”, the courses feel like one unified experience. We innovate – the cooking technique might be from Rajasthan; the cuisine and flavours could be South Indian."

"Our customers are of three kinds – first, the aspirational Indian, who saves Masque for very special occasions; second, the tourists who have heard about us; and third, the regulars, who come often." At Rs.6500 per person, alcohol extra, it’s firmly in the Rs. 10,000 plus price range, along with its peers who offer tasting menus like Papa’s, Tresind, and Indian Accent.    

Ultimately, it’s all about, only about, the food. I have eaten at Masque from its early days. I have been an admirer and sceptic. I went with an open mind, to taste their latest menu.

In this menu, the chef takes you on a journey – an homage to Bombay, the maximum city. 11 courses – there is polished minimal storytelling as each course is presented. You only get the printed menu at the end.

Everything seemed elevated from the last time I had eaten there. I think back to this meal, and my taste memory is of high points, rather than by dish.

The flavour bombs. New-age pani puri, with a crunchy white chocolate orb, and passion fruit pani. A momo that squirts Trishna-style warm butter garlic crab, like a soup dumpling. The delish chutneys on the sandwich. Broths that linger on the palate. Sea buckthorn with the bitterness processed out, and that sweet whisper of orange. Bhutta jus, corn cream and a wafer with two types of corn. Broth made from sun-dried tomatoes, lobster shells and Goan masala. A Smoked Chicken chai – hearty, warming broth. Layers like a millefeuille. The crisp outer layer of the Arbi Tuk, and the mushy centre with Sindhi curry. Bhutta on the Beach with corn custard, robust tasting Himalayan trout roe, and a wafer with two types of corn. Goan vibe with buttery lobster, on a bed of choriz. Crisp dosa, and the Six Vati Thali, moreish pickled chilli, elegantly cooked mutton gassi, and tasty avial. The mulberry/Gondhoraj kala khatta was a sublime cleanser. The jalebi ice- cream, I would go back for.

So, was it all brilliant? No. The “Tandoori” Crab Claw looked authentic, I liked the crab, but I wasn’t delighted with the tart shell. The Cheese Dosa didn’t quite cut it. The Duck Seekh Kabab Sausage was a bit meh, the first time I had it. It was brilliant when I had it again, a few weeks later. Was I just having a bad day, or was it them? Go figure. The roomali and chutneys were gorgeous both times. Many hits, a few misses. Overall, a sense that I had eaten well and sumptuously.

Alex Sanchez told me: "A tasting menu is like a symphony. You can’t have all crescendos." He’s right. This symphony had a bounty of high points. They will linger with me, and take me back to Masque.

Jalebi	Bombay Sandwich	Thaali	Chef Varun Totlani

Unit G3, Shree Laxmi Woollen Mills, Shakti Mills Lane, Off Dr E Moses Road, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai 400018