Masque

What can one say about Masque that hasn’t already been said? Perhaps the fact that the minimalist chic fine-dine, nestled in a quiet backlane of Bombay’s old mill area, is constantly evolving with the seasons, flavours, the times, and setting trends themselves rather than adapting to them. Entrepreneur, Aditi Dugar, knew what she had in mind when putting her wheels in motion back in 2016 to give the city its very first modern Indian, sustainable, ingredient-first restaurant. One that revisits age-old cooking practices with produce that comes from their own farms and through a network of local farmers and growers. What you see so attractively plated before you is as fresh as it gets.

We will never forget the taste of that sea buckthorn sorbet with the house-made salt of this precious Ladakh berry. Then was the exclusive meal at the culinary R&D space, otherwise known as Masque Lab, where the Japanese carbon-graphite cooker was unveiled for the first time in India, which fed us with the likes of BBQ Pork Belly on a bed of black sesame paste, Carrot Kanji with Bhetki and a Pumpkin Fudge & Kit Kat, and then some. Next up, you have the bar space called the Living Room – tucked away on the mezzanine floor of the restaurant – for developments in techniques and ingredients used to create an eclectic beverage menu. If you put all this aside, you have Masque’s forward-thinking 10-course menu, which has – along with its sustainable methods of cooking such as reusing all waste material in the kitchens – put it on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants List as Miele One to watch out for.

Watch out for their changing menus on Instagram @masquerestaurant and book your spot, gourmet diner. Now in the hands of the 30-something Chef Varun Totlani – who’s grown with the brand over time – Masque featured a new menu with dishes such as Murungakkai (drumstick) Marrow, Charred Corn, Ghevar with Achaar and Duck, BBQ Mushroom/Pork with Ambemohar and Rhubarb, Lamb with Sheermal on a bed of ‘all black everything’ and a Banana with Mulberry dessert along with the Cacao and Chocolate with Gondhoraj and the cutest Kaphal PB doughnuts. That’s bayberry from the state of Uttarakhand, on your plate.

Let’s leave you with the Living Room and its fuss-free cocktails by the young and cool mixologist, Ankush Gamre. There’s a luxurious concoction with a lot of precision and artistry infused which will have you sipping on the flavours of cape gooseberries, fernet-branca, gin, mezcal and compressed muskmelon. You will also find yourself imbibing the taste of gondhoraj leaf, Indian raspberry, mango ginger, peppercorn and yes, the sea buckthorn.

A 10-course meal at Masque is priced at Rs4150 + taxes