This weekend, from January 16 to 18, Mumbai’s storied Mukesh Mills hosts The Gathering, a tightly curated cultural festival spotlighting collaborations between chefs and artists. The event is anchored by five chef-artist pop-ups that are intimate dining experiences for just 20 guests per seating, each shaped as a distinct culinary manifesto by 13 chefs and creatives from across India. In Bengaluru, The Hood shows how tired visual expectations are being challenged, with AD Singh replacing graffiti clichés with exposed brick balanced by red velvet curtains, jewel-toned booths, and Indi-chic art that feels more cabaret than street.
This shift sits alongside Mumbai’s OG inhabitants, where the food of the Kolis, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, and Iranis is finally finding proper restaurant representation, something that has only happened in the last five years. And in Delhi, Manish Mehrotra’s move from Indian Accent to Nisaba continues this recalibration, stepping away from ‘progressive’ labels, skipping tasting menus, and grounding the food in stories from street vendors and dhabas. Read more below.
