“Never be afraid to try new flavours. There is so much more in your meal when you cook with an open heart.” These words are one of the first things you may notice when you walk into Mumbai’s The Bombay Canteen (TBC) in Lower Parel. Painted in gold onto an old door that has been retained after a renovation, the words of late chef Floyd Cardoz, one of the founding partners of restaurant group Hunger Inc, who tragically passed in 2020, serve both as a reminder and a North Star.
It’s no secret that Cardoz remains an inspiration not just to partners Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage, but also the rest of the team. For those who had the pleasure of meeting the multi-talented and mischievous Cardoz, lovingly called Papaji by his team, it was clear from the get-go that for him food was not simply flavour and balance. It was also love and joy. Now, a decade on, it’s these emotions that the group has become most synonymous with as it has grown from one India-inspired restaurant to a family of brands—O Pedro, Bombay Sweet Shop, Veronica’s, and Papa’s—that are uniquely distinct and yet share the same soul.
Founded in 2015 by Seth and Bhanage, Hunger Inc started with the aim to celebrate Indian food. “The version of modern Indian cuisine that was floating around when we were conceptualising TBC was all smoke and mirrors: in the name of molecular gastronomy, there was a tonne of liquid nitrogen being thrown around for no reason,” explains Seth. “India is known for its exceptional hospitality, and we wanted to build on that idea to create a new age of Indian hospitality.” Over brainstorming sessions and cooking trials, Seth, Bhanage, and Cardoz realised they all had a similar purpose: to bring joy to people’s lives through food.
