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Photo: Papa’s
The mouth-puckering dish of rice-crusted halibut on watermelon curry holds a poignant spot in chef Hussain Shahzad’s heart. It was the last dish he cooked with his mentor, the late chef Floyd Cardoz. Chef Cardoz was a prolific modern Indian chef who ran Tabla and Paowalla in New York City. He passed away from Covid-19 in March 2020, soon after the charity event where they cooked.
He was also the co-founder of Hunger Inc, a Mumbai-based hospitality group that runs contemporary Indian F&B establishments, including the popular gastro-bar The Bombay Canteen (No. 23 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023). He also nurtured a crop of next-generation F&B leaders in India’s financial capital.
Now the executive chef of Hunger Inc, Shahzad is helming the group’s first fine-dining concept, Papa’s, an edgy and contemporary chef’s counter restaurant that opened in February. The 38-year-old recalls vividly: “That was the last dish that I cooked with him, so I want to start the meal at Papa’s with a memory of him.”
Rasam. (Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh)
Kicking off dinner at Papa’s after a moreish salvo of avant-garde snacks is an innovative take on rasam. The spice-kissed broth is clarified into a chilled, clear broth that is tart and refreshing, uplifted by tomatoes, plush Himalayan trout and roe.
While Papa’s is named in tribute to Cardoz, the energetic speakeasy-like restaurant is charging ahead towards the future of fine-dining: intimate, relaxed, and smartly crafted food served with a judicious amount of story-telling.
Dining at Papa’s, holed up in the attic of Veronica’s sandwich shop in the hip Bandra neighbourhood, feels like hanging out in the home kitchen of a chef-friend who delivers technique-driven interpretations of Indian dishes and flavours.
Part of Papa’s charm lies in its cosy ambience, anchored by eclectic Wes Anderson-esque colours and retro furniture. The relaxed atmosphere is lubricated by a millennial-friendly playlist of radio hits, making it easy to bob one’s head to the tunes while digging in.
Shahzad, who has worked at fine-dining temple Eleven Madison Park, says: “The confines of fine-dining don’t let that chef’s personality come out. We can escape the shackles of being so cerebral with spaces like ours. Eating is meant to be fun — people connect with food as it brings happiness.”
Breaking the kitchen rules
The Kashmiri-inspired wellington. (Photo: Papa’s)
Food-wise, Shahzad opts for an open-minded and multicultural approach to the 12-course menu that straddles the line between comforting and thought-provoking. He explains: “The food bears a personal narrative that showcases different aspects of India, from references to my culinary upbringing, nostalgia, stories from other regions, to in-season ingredients.”
Take the soup course, for example, which features chhurpi, a hard cheese made in the Himalayan highlands that delivers an umami punch to the cross between a French onion and minestrone soup. Diced radish, ash gourd, and rye orecchiette add chewy and crunchy textures that accentuate the savoury depth of the cheese.
A throwback to his fine-dining background, chef Shahzad presents an Indian take on the opulent classic beef wellington. Instead of beef and pate, the puff pastry parcel draws inspiration from a Kashmiri wazwan meal. It is lined with beautiful layers of greens, chicken and mushroom mousse, and tender pulled lamb rib at its core. The slab of wellington sits in a pool of rich and smoky korma made from lamb drippings that unite the various elements on the plate.
I don’t obsess over authenticity and tradition, as innovations are necessary for authenticity. What is done today could be what is authentic tomorrow. – Hussain Shahzad, Executive Chef of Hunger Inc
What The Duck. (Photo: Papa’s)
The cheekily named What The Duck, a biryani-paella hybrid, is what chef Shahzad calls his “PTSD dish”, as he would jostle for the crunchy layer of kurchan at the bottom of a biryani vessel. The burnt layer of Indrayani rice melds beautifully with the crisp skin of the roasted dry-aged duck and finished off on a grill.
Besides the food, there’s a lot to take in around the counter — the lights are dramatically dimmed to spotlight the shaving of strawberry-flavoured ice over a sweet-meets-savoury take on Caprese salad. Diners can entertain themselves with a joke book with colouring pages if they are not already bantering.
The pizza-inspired Papa’s Hut cocktail. (Photo: Papa’s)
Upping the convivial factor is an adjoining cocktail bar that shakes up offbeat but tasty concoctions using fenugreek and charred capsicum, and one inspired by pizza and Bloody Mary. The night ends with Potato Chips inspired by darsan, a honey “noodles” dessert served at Chinese restaurants in India. A crown of truffle oil-drenched potato crisps sits on lemon sorbet, zinged up by champagne sabayon.
Hussain Shazad, executive chef of Hunger Inc. (Photo: Papa’s)
Shahzad, who joined Hunger Inc. as a sous chef at The Bombay Canteen in 2015, opines: “Papa’s is not just a creative outlet, it is a sum of our collective dreams over the last eight years of what we wanted to do in food.”
The dining counter at Papa’s. (Photo: Papa’s)
With more well-travelled and sophisticated diners, Mumbai has a growing number of fine-dining restaurants. How does Papa’s stand out from the competition? Shahzad says: “We take concepts like authenticity and traditions very fluidly. I don’t obsess over such things often, as innovations are necessary for authenticity. What is done today could be what’s authentic tomorrow. What excites me about the future is that people are now more adventurous and open to experimentation, which will help elevate the country’s dining scene and create more magic.”
Somewhere, Cardoz would be proud of the trio.
Munching around in Mumbai
We check out three foodie hotspots around the city for food souvenirs and casual dining spots.
1. Lalbaug Spice Market
Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh
Locals throng the rows of masala shops that are demarcated by sacks of chillies and the heady aroma of spices such as turmeric, cardamom, and cloves. This has been the go-to place for locals to buy customised spice blends based on their families’ recipes for decades.
A popular shop is Ashok Khamkar Masala, which has been run by the Khamkar family for three generations since 1937. Popular spice mixes include the Spl. Malvani or Sunday Masala, a concoction of over 15 spices such as coriander seeds, fenugreek, mustard, and cumin seeds. The masala shops sell a plethora of chillies, from kashmiri, byadagi, to reshampatti.
The chillies are wok-fried in turmeric oil before being tossed in garam masala. Your eyes may sting from the heat of the freshly fried chillies as you take in the intoxicating aroma. There is much to take in along the street, including the incessant pounding of machinery that grinds the chillies into powder.
Dr. Ambedkar Road, Lalbaug East
2. Swati Snacks
Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh
This humble casual vegetarian eatery is a Mumbai institution that counts Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani and Bollywood stars among its fans. The popular restaurant, which serves a mix of Gujarati and local dishes, is best known for panki, a savoury fermented rice pancake steamed in banana leaves served on its signature yellow plates.
Other highlights include thalipith-pitla, a roti made with mixed pulses and masala, and sev puri, an incredibly moreish snack of deep-fried puri pockets laden with yoghurt, chutneys, potatoes, and a shower of sev (crispy gram flour vermicelli).
248 Karai Estate, Tardeo
3. O Pedro
Photo: O Pedro
The Goa-inspired bar and restaurant serves tipples and nosh inspired by the tropical beach destination that marries Indian and Portuguese influences. Highlights include its creatively delicious take on Portuguese and Saraswat classics, such as coconut kis-mur, moreish coconut flesh tossed in masala, curry leaves and tamarind chilli glaze, jackfruit neureos, slow-cooked jackfruit with smoked eggplant ketchup, and pickled pumpkin salsa.
Don’t miss the curries, such as Beryl’s Fish Curry, a tangy dried mango and kokum coconut curry.
Unit 2, Ground Floor, Jet Airways-Godrej BKC Building, Bandra Kurla Complex
