Savouring success

Farm to fork
Kaboom
Yohaan Dattobhai, 35

Walk by Kaboom in Ballard Estate and the neon green shipping container will tell you what owner Yohaan Dattobhai had in mind-a food truck. Several city chefs and restaurateurs will relate to the entrepreneur's woes with red tape and licensing. Fortunately, the first-time restaurateur found a viable alternative and decided to give his restaurant a permanent residence, but a rotating menu.

Open only on weekdays, Kaboom has a menu that covers Southeast Asian, European Cheese Toasts, Italian, Middle Eastern, and American cuisines. "The concept is purely from the point of view of the consumer. I wanted to cater to the office crowd in the area, and I know how bored they get of the same old menu. Also, the music, mascot and other elements change according to the cuisine of the day. So it's Thai pop or Vietnamese rap on Monday and Italian jazz on Wednesday," says Dattobhai.

He traces the origins of Kaboom back to 2009, when he moved back to India with his wife Kunali. "I struggled with access to good quality food. In the US and Europe you can get great food in $10. The good food here is not as affordable," he says. After a year and a half of extensive research, they were able to put a supply chain for organic produce in place. "Finding the right team to pull this off was another challenge. Most chefs build their careers on a particular cuisine. We needed them to enjoy the freedom and flexibility they'd get here," admits Dattobhai. In February, they finally launched a full morning to evening menu. "And with the response we've received, I'm now convinced that Mumbai is ready for more Kabooms," he adds. At Near Grand Hotel and Britannia, Sprott Road, Ballard Estate, Fort.

Arabian Delights
ByBlos Kitchen and Bar
Nidhi Behl, 30 Vidhi Behl, 29

As children, sisters Nidhi and Vidhi Behl spent much of their time in the kitchens of the royals of Saudi Arabia. "Our mother was jeweller to the royal family and so we'd end up spending about 15 days every month in Saudi," reveals Nidhi, culinary director and chef at Byblos, which Nidhi set up in partnership with her younger sister Vidhi. The self-taught chef serves modern Mediterranean food. "It reflects the contemporary food of the region, which has been influenced by the cuisine of the Moors, Sudanese, Kenyans and most recently, Americans," explains Nidhi. While they try to keep it as authentic as possible, adaptation is crucial in several cases. "Let's take the Ramadan feast for example. Traditionally they'd serve a whole camel. Our interpretation involves a chicken grilled with African spices," she says.

Sibling Revelry "We're used to bouncing ideas off each other. At the end of the day, as they say in Arabia, I look after the shiny and she looks after the grimy-the kitchen-the catacombs of the restaurant," says Vidhi, with a laugh.

The sisters, who have now merged their company with Meru Kapital, are planning a large scale expansion across the city. "We are opening 18 different brands across Mumbai and we plan to cover as many cuisines as possible. Call it a food yatra of the world," exclaims Nidhi. From budget Thai food at a resurrected Thai Ban in Colaba, to a watering hole for office goers in Nariman Point, the sisters seem all set to take the city's culinary world by storm. AT High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel.

Signs For Service
Mirchi and mime
Prashant Issar, 40, Anuj Shah, 36

I know sign language. What is your superpower?" demand the servers' uniforms at Mirchi and Mime. Speech and hearing impaired, it is the waiting staff that bring the 'mime' element to Powai's latest concept restaurant.

"We started our company on the two core values we learnt about at Henley Business School, which we both attended at different stages in our lives. One was that integrity and commitment are more important than capability and skill, and the other was that we would generate wealth for society at large. This is what drove us to think of a concept where we'd hire those with speech and hearing disabilities," explains Prashant Issar, who hopes to set up a chain of mime restaurants across the country as well as overseas.

Many of the waiters here have never held a job before. "They've led a very sheltered life, so their specially designed training program included life sciences, job readiness, basic English language and then also how to hold a tray, serve water and so on. But in many ways their abilities exceed those without a disability. They smile consistently, their focus and intuition is outstanding. Pre-empting what the guest wants is probably one of the most important qualities in a server," adds Anuj Shah.

Food Is King Although first-time customers might visit for the concept, the partners knew it was only their food that would bring them back. Well travelled and having worked across the globe, they were keen to serve Indian food at their first restaurant. "For that we couldn't get anyone better than Chef Manoj Vasaikar," says Issar, who has known the chef since his days in London when they both worked for restaurateur Camellia Panjabi.

The menu is a wonderful representation of 'evolved' Indian cuisine. The idea was to return to the roots, bringing back the foods we might be at the risk of forgetting, but serving it in a modern manner. With signs co-relating to each of the items on the menu, placing your order becomes all part of the experience. "In case you have any trouble, there is always a manager on the floor who can help you," says Issar.

They also have sign names for each other. "Ranjan, our manager, is identified by his bracelet, Anuj by his hairstyle and mine is my bald head," Issar reveals with a laugh. At Transocean House, Lake Boulevard, Hiranandani Business Park, Powai

Music On The Menu
Playlist Pizzeria
Nikhil Sachdev, 34, Raj Barai, 34

Aikhil Sachdev and Raj Barai, who have been friends for almost two decades, have three things in common- their love for music, food and entrepreneurship. So it isn't hard to imagine how the concept of Playlist Pizzeria was born.

When they first met, in the late nineties, house and electronic music had just arrived on the scene. The sets they'd create together gained such popularity that they got the chance to jam across the world. But music was always a part-time thing.

A little over a year ago, the DJing duo partnered with Chef Rakesh Talwar to set up Atlas Hospitality. Kickstarting the business with Asian quick service restaurant, Wok This Way and a pizzeria seemed the obvious next step given Talwar's passion for the pie.

Virtual Jukebox At the Bandra pizzeria, you can create your own pizza, selecting the base, sauce and toppings of your choice, or pick from the pre-designed pizzas, all of which are given musically-appropriate names. Ordering the 'Belieber,' an extra cheesy pizza, means you're helping them donate to the Delhi organisation Music Basti, which introduces music to underprivileged children in the Capital. You also have the choice to pick the score you want playing in the background. Focussing on indie music, Barai and Sachdev have created a playlist on the free app Play My Song. Shop 1, Gloria Apartments, St. Baptist Road, Near Mt. Mary Steps, Reclamation, Bandra West

Passion For Food
Tilt All Day
Siddharth Bhatia, 26

"Am I the youngest restaurateur in the city?" asks Siddharth Bhatia. Considering he set up Tilt All Day when he was 24 years old, it is a valid question. "I have been passionate about hospitality since I was 14. I remember wanting to bring Hard Rock Caf to Mumbai," he recalls. But it was only after he had studied private banking in England, returned to Mumbai to manage the family business of manufacturing capacitors that he allowed himself to pursue his dream and set up Tilt All Day.

What's on the Menu? "It had to be comfort food, which for me is European food," says the self-proclaimed foodie. A big fan of steaks and burgers, some of Bhatia's favourites from his days as a student in the UK and his travels over Europe have made it to the menu. If you enjoy the Chicken Burger with cranberry sauce and camembert, or the Tilted Burger, you have Bhatia to thank for incorporating them in the menu.

For the first year and a half, he could be found standing by the bar or the open kitchen. "I would handle operations. But now the restaurant is on autopilot," he says. A second restaurant isn't on the horizon as yet. "But now that I know how to run a kitchen and bar, my next venture will be out of the box," he promises." At Trade View, Oasis Complex, Kamala Mills Compound, PB Marg, Lower Parel

Nostalgia On a Platter
Bombay Canteen
Sameer Seth, 33, Yash Bhanage, 28

In the five months since the launch of Bombay Canteen, the restaurant has become the talk of the town. While the food they serve is from across the country, the ambience is Bombay-centric. Ironic, considering neither Seth nor Bhanage grew up here. "I grew up in Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata, while Yash lived in Pune. But we'd come here often on vacations. It was our collective ideas and memories that have manifested themselves here," says Seth.

The duo, met for the first time five years ago at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. "At a party, we were the last two left standing at the bar," recalls Bhanage.

Celebrating Indian food "One day we started talking about gymkhanas and their role in our childhoods," says Seth. That conversation served as the initial inspiration for Bombay Canteen. This is evident in the Eggs Kejriwal, which is said to have been created at the Willingdon Club in Tardeo.

Creating a menu with a social and cultural context was paramount to the restaurateurs, who found great support in New York-based Chef Floyd Cardoz and Chef Thomas Zakarias.

Next up at the all-day restaurant is a bakery a la Yazdani or A-One. "There will be mawa cakes and lots more," says Bhanage with a smile. At Unit-1, Process House, Kamala Mills, Near Radio Mirchi Office, S.B. Road, Lower Parel