Restaurants are our first choice for most occasions. Even when it’s just about grabbing a quick bite, I like to turn it into a little celebration. While a cosy restaurant with tasty food can make for a nice dining experience, phrases like 'experiential dining' and 'theme menus' are among the preferences we have while selecting a restaurant for the next special dinner. Nowadays it is not just about the pricing or food quality, the ambience, aesthetics and vibe equally matter. The need for putting up an Instagram story of the beautifully plated gastronomic marvel in front of you is inevitable. Letting your followers know what you ate at that place with the pretty walls, which has that trending menu is the law of Instagram. I’ve listed down some of the most unique and memorable restaurants in India.
Edible Archives, Goa
Chef Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar runs Edible Archives with an aim to create a 'collective sensory catalogue that belongs to all the people involved in growing, sourcing, cooking, and eating a meal.' The restaurant has a unique cuisine-agnostic menu featuring local, seasonal ingredients.
Must-Try: Madi cutlets, spinach and cremini mushroom wontons, edible archives’ congee, grilled brinjal with miso and rice.
Ishaara, Mumbai
What makes this contemporary Indian restaurant special are the people. The service staff here are differently-abled, where you’re encouraged to communicate with the staff using sign language. Ishaara offers a well-curated regional-inspired menu.
Must-Try: Paneer panch phoran, mushroom galouti, tandoori broccoli, truffle butter pav bhaji, apple jalebi, yuzu semifreddo
Kottayam Company, Kottayam, Kerala
Drawing from the existing base of Kottayam’s housing, the KoCo Project revitalizes a former 150-year-old residence into a restaurant. It introduces a unique gastronomical highlight in the neighbourhood with its metallic facade adorned with a bright yellow signboard. The restaurant has a modern canteen-like setup with a courtyard, planters, glass walls, and a long community table to cater to groups. While the venue is off-limits right now, the food is not.
Must-Try: Naadan curries, pizzas, parotta, Indo-Chinese delicacies
Rooh, Delhi
This progressive Indian restaurant with a stunning terrace view of the Qutub Minar offers traditional Indian flavours but with a chic twist. The venue is a refurbished 150-year-old haveli, the menu, helmed by Chef Sujan Sarkar, offers dishes that are a treat to your senses.
Must-Try: avocado and sweet corn bhel with green mango sorbet, paneer chilli, crispy kataifi with a lemon achar gel, green pea kulcha with goats cheese and truffle butter, ricotta kofta, panko fried khandvi, peanut chikki ice cream, cashew cake
Cafe Kothi, Jaipur
With locally sourced, farm-fresh, vegetarian dishes served gourmet-style, Cafe Kothi at 28 Kothi Jaipur is all about healthy, hearty and nourishing food. While the cafe is picture-perfect, cosy and earthy, the menu includes a fair range of vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free dishes.
Must-Try: Kothi bowls, polenta parmesan fries, quinoa biryani, puff pastry with onion jam, feta and thyme, kothi-style mezze plate.
Sienna Store and Cafe, Kolkata
A favourite among locals and tourists with an artistic bend, Sienna Store and Cafe is a home-grown project that tells the story of West Bengal through its ambience, retail and food design. Located on Park Street, this Indian restaurant also retails earthenware, upcycled jewellery, eco-printed saris, and artisanal goods. The cafe serves healthy food and beverages using fresh, organic ingredients.
Must-Try: Parisian omelette, Belgian chocolate ganache and sea salt on toast, avo and aged cheddar burger, feta and black rice salad, parmesan gobindobhog risotto.