About

The kitchen is helmed by the talented Fernandes, cocktails have been developed by bar consultant Pankaj Balachandran and the space reflects the spirit of Amlani, who knows how to throw a good party. The menu encompasses facets that have shaped Fernandes’ culinary style: love for his grandmother’s food; education in the French approach to cooking at Mumbai’s Rizvi College of Hotel Management, upskilling at Noma in Copenhagen, and an abiding interest in Asian ingredients and Japanese craftsmanship. After over two decades in professional kitchens, he now just wants to have fun.

Consider the dish Beets Meat. The menu simply says seasonal greens and crispy chilli oil. When the dish arrives, the meaty roasted beets are placed on fermented cream flavoured with lime, topped with apple slices, flecked with oxalis leaves and dotted with chilli oil. It is made up of layers of flavours and textures. The dish has a connect with his childhood. Growing up, he used to play football in Bandra and oxalis would grow wild in the football field. He recalls munching on it. But it was only at Noma that he learnt it could be used to cook. “We used to eat it then but we became chefs and forgot about it,” he says, explaining why Bandra Born is about returning to his roots.