CHEF EXTRAORDINAIRE

Kashmir-born Prateek Sadhu’s Mumbai restaurant, Masque, just turned five and celebrated with yet another accolade. From transforming India’s dining scene to reinventing itself during the pandemic, the restaurant has come a long way. The 35-year-old visionary looks back at the milestones.

Chef Prateek Sadhu is on cloud nine. His award-winning restaurant, Masque (masquerestaurant.com), has turned five and has also made it to No. 32 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants

2021. When it opened in Mumbai in 2016, it brought forth novel concepts like a 10-course chef’s tasting menu, revolutionising India’s fine dining scene.

Sadhu was born in Baramulla, in Jammu and Kashmir, and he says he never intended to be a chef. “I wanted to be a commercial pilot, but I grew up in an environment where food was central. I went on to enrol in a hotel management course. There was a eureka moment [on] one of those days, and here I am,” the 35-year old says.

Masque was the natural course for Sadhu after he realised that “India is a gold mine of ingredients.” “Diversity is our biggest strength,” says Sadhu. And it is the channelling of this diversity that makes the modern Indian cuisine at Masque so niche and experimental.

Sadhu says he gets obsessed with certain ingredients. Sea buckthorn is one of them. “Every September-October, we have a few dishes with the plant. I love the yakhni and the mackerel toast on our menu as well,” says Sadhu. The chef discovered sea buckthorn in Ladakh, which is special to him for many reasons. “I used to spend many childhood summers there. For Masque’s fifth anniversary, we decided to do pop-ups in five cities, ending with Ladakh. We made a version of sea buckthorn, barley chips with cured lamb, and finished the meals with seasonal fruits like apricots and grapes.”

How did Masque adapt during

COVID-19 and manage to stay afloat while many other fine-dining restaurants shut shop? “One thing that really helped me was the idea of reinvention. I was pushed into a body of water—I had to swim or die,” he explains. “We were in survival mode—we created a concept called ‘tailgate’ where customers could book time slots via WhatsApp, drive in, and get served in the safety of their cars.” Masque also introduced Chef’s Picks, which featured a menu curated by a team member from the restaurant.

For now, Sadhu is basking in the five-year celebrations at Masque, and his team’s perseverance through the tough times. “I am obsessed with gongura now,” he chuckles. “I am putting it in every dish and getting teased by my team,” Sadhu confesses and disappears into the kitchen for his next cook.

Comfort food: Rice and rogan josh Favourite cuisines: Mexican and Japanese Favourite culinary destinations: Copenhagen and Mexico