“I was on a break, just to slow down, travel and spend some quality time with my daughter,” says top chef Manish Mehrotra, when we ask him (of course, it's the first thing we asked) what he has been up to since he moved on from Indian Accent last year. It has given him enough time and space to reset, he adds. Quite rightly so, as the powerhouse behind some of the country’s most celebrated restaurants is now gearing up for a collaboration with Cantonese chef Raymond Wong at Mumbai's Hakkasan restaurant this weekend. The four-hands dinner experiences are going to be a blend of the culinary cultures of both India and the Canton region (or Guangzhou in southern China), showcasing their signature cooking styles through an innovative seven-course menu.

“What really excites me about this collaboration is the opportunity to cook pan-Asian food again after almost 15 years. Since opening Indian Accent, Comorin, and other outposts around the world, my focus has been entirely on Indian cuisine — cooking it, researching it, and evolving it,” says Mehrotra, who talks about his love for Asian cuisine, especially Thai, which he got to pursue for the first time during his stint at Thai Pavilion in Mumbai in 1996. “So to return to those roots, and to do it again in Bombay after all these years, feels incredibly special. It’s a full-circle moment.”

Cantonese cuisine is known for its delicate flavours, and respect for the produce. The use of spices is minimal. The cuisine also relies on fresh ingredients, be it vegetables, meats or seafood. As far as techniques are concerned, steaming and stir frying are common. In a fast evolving culinary landscape, collaborations such as these allow chefs to take a chance, and to experiment and innovate with their heritage cooking styles. Wong is excited to team up with Mehrotra, as he says, “His mastery has inspired chefs around the world, including me. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting his food, and we hope to take this a step further."

The dinner experiences will highlight the centuries-old traditions of both the cultures in a more elevated format. While Indian food is known for its spices, Cantonese flavours are admired for its nuances. “The Emperor's saffron broth and Imperial seafood truffle are both excellent examples of this style as the spices lend a subtle flavour to these dishes,” explains Wong. Mehrotra, on the other hand, will add a pan-Asian and Thai touch with a hint of Indian influence.

The menu will feature dishes such as Pearl of the Orient, a cold appetiser of crisp lotus root and Thai herbs, apart from Cantonese Spiced Sphere, XO butter rice, and some experimental desserts. Wong’s chocolate sphere is a take on tangyuan, a Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice balls, and also prepared during festivals like the Lantern festival and winter solstice. “It's a treat that takes me back to my childhood days. Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty (from 206 BCE to 220 CE), a palace maid named Yuanxiao missed home, inspiring the creation of tangyuan as a way to bring families together,” he shares.

At the end of the day, it’s about having fun in the kitchen, and cooking from the heart. “Even though our styles are different, there are many shared notes in the flavour profiles and cultural nuances. Bringing that together felt like the perfect match,” ends Mehrotra.

The dinners are scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; 1-3 August; 8pm to 10pm seating & 10pm to 12am seating; priced at ₹7,500 AI (exclusive of cocktails). Contact: +91-8355877777.

“I was on a break, just to slow down, travel and spend some quality time with my daughter,” says top chef Manish Mehrotra, when we ask him (of course, it's the first thing we asked) what he has been up to since he moved on from Indian Accent last year. It has given him enough time and space to reset, he adds. Quite rightly so, as the powerhouse behind some of the country’s most celebrated restaurants is now gearing up for a collaboration with Cantonese chef Raymond Wong at Mumbai's Hakkasan restaurant this weekend. The four-hands dinner experiences are going to be a blend of the culinary cultures of both India and the Canton region (or Guangzhou in southern China), showcasing their signature cooking styles through an innovative seven-course menu.

“What really excites me about this collaboration is the opportunity to cook pan-Asian food again after almost 15 years. Since opening Indian Accent, Comorin, and other outposts around the world, my focus has been entirely on Indian cuisine — cooking it, researching it, and evolving it,” says Mehrotra, who talks about his love for Asian cuisine, especially Thai, which he got to pursue for the first time during his stint at Thai Pavilion in Mumbai in 1996. “So to return to those roots, and to do it again in Bombay after all these years, feels incredibly special. It’s a full-circle moment.”

Cantonese cuisine is known for its delicate flavours, and respect for the produce. The use of spices is minimal. The cuisine also relies on fresh ingredients, be it vegetables, meats or seafood. As far as techniques are concerned, steaming and stir frying are common. In a fast evolving culinary landscape, collaborations such as these allow chefs to take a chance, and to experiment and innovate with their heritage cooking styles. Wong is excited to team up with Mehrotra, as he says, “His mastery has inspired chefs around the world, including me. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting his food, and we hope to take this a step further."

The dinner experiences will highlight the centuries-old traditions of both the cultures in a more elevated format. While Indian food is known for its spices, Cantonese flavours are admired for its nuances. “The Emperor's saffron broth and Imperial seafood truffle are both excellent examples of this style as the spices lend a subtle flavour to these dishes,” explains Wong. Mehrotra, on the other hand, will add a pan-Asian and Thai touch with a hint of Indian influence.

The menu will feature dishes such as Pearl of the Orient, a cold appetiser of crisp lotus root and Thai herbs, apart from Cantonese Spiced Sphere, XO butter rice, and some experimental desserts. Wong’s chocolate sphere is a take on tangyuan, a Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice balls, and also prepared during festivals like the Lantern festival and winter solstice. “It's a treat that takes me back to my childhood days. Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty (from 206 BCE to 220 CE), a palace maid named Yuanxiao missed home, inspiring the creation of tangyuan as a way to bring families together,” he shares.

At the end of the day, it’s about having fun in the kitchen, and cooking from the heart. “Even though our styles are different, there are many shared notes in the flavour profiles and cultural nuances. Bringing that together felt like the perfect match,” ends Mehrotra.

The dinners are scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; 1-3 August; 8pm to 10pm seating & 10pm to 12am seating; priced at ₹7,500 AI (exclusive of cocktails). Contact: +91-8355877777.