Mumbai: Explore unique flavours at this new restaurant serving Himalayan cuisine

Walking from Churchgate to Kala Ghoda can get most of us to break into a sweat However when we enter Across a Himalayan modernist kitchen it feels as if wersquore breathing the cool crisp air of the hills It is the illusion created by the highblast AC temperature We settle into the 40seater space done up in light wood squeaky white walls adorned with paintings by artists from the regionApple cremeschnitte right Prawn mustang jimbuAs we sip on Estate Managerrsquos evening tea R950 a smoky tea with bourbon and nibble on slice of Kanchan cheese from Kalimpong chefs Viraf Patel and his wife Prakriti tell us about their journey of discovering Himalayan cuisine this was initiated by the latterrsquos Nepalese heritage when they first met 18 years ago Across we learn was named because the idea was to serve borderless cuisine from the Himalayas They call it necessitybased research of a cuisine that covers Nepal Bhutan and the Tibetan Plateau along with hints of Himachal and Arunachal Pradesh ldquoThe need emerged from wanting to eat that foodrdquo says Viraf who runs Firebred Hospitality a consultancy company He previously helmed kitchens at Cafe Zoe Indigo Salt Water Grill Salt Water Cafeacute and The Tasting Room MumbaiPork trotters and ham right Timur potatoldquoWhile there is a certain generalised representation of the cuisine we were looking at regions across the Himalayas which were not necessarily represented yet in a readily available format Several flavours and ingredients are shared across the regionrdquo Prakriti tells us Timur is a type of pepper sourced from Sikkim and Nepal jimbu a foraged cross between garlic chive and spring onion is from Nepal while white beans are sourced from Sollukku at the base of the Everest We had our first sting from a nettle bush in Ireland and the first taste of it in a chutney form in Assam At Across nettle considered as a poor manrsquos cooking ingredient is paired with corn grits in a nettle and corn soup Rs 500 Throughout the menu mdash including this velvety porridge mdash simple ingredients have been used tactfully with a fine dine representation that is almost a homage to the source The soup is warm and hearty the smooth monotony textured with fried corn and wild chives Viraf and Prakriti PatelTimur potato Rs 550 are double fried potato wedges crumbly crisp and indulgent Flavoured with chilli and timur peppercorn dust itrsquos a serious lsquoNo one can eat just onersquo situation Prakriti informs us that when bread is baked at higher altitudes there is always the fear if it will proof Along with yeast baking soda is added to be sure The bread served through courses here has been christened Insecurity bread We first try the dense and puffy bread with solu white bean hummus R650 made from beans sourced from Solukhumbu district Nepal They are sweeter and unearth a refreshing taste We slather it on the bread with confit mushroomsA view of the interiors PicsShadab KhanNext we dunk it into a prawn and mustang jimbu Rs 750 a watery stew with chilli chives and jimbu While use of chillis is consistent it craftily lights a delicate welcome burn From Nepal we traverse to Bhutan with a stew ema datsi Rs 750 and red rice This one raises the spice bar with hot chilli peppers but cajoles the palate with fresh Ladakhi churpi cheese The stew is allowed to cook with the cheese and earns a glutinous silkiness Hardcore meat lovers will relish pork trotters and ham R1150 Cooked in a deep red broth of chillies and coriander seeds the broth has a collagenous silkiness worthy of its slowcooked wait Lkhmaari a Nepali sweet prepared from flour sugar and ghee with patience and difficulty is folded into shapes On the dessert menu it replaces puff pastry base for apple cremeschnitte slathered with caramel and layers of creamVirafrsquos mastery over contemporary European cuisine adds finesse to dishes without deviating from the soul and spirit that is intrinsic to this vast regionrsquos foodscape a winwin for chef and customer alikeAcrossAt 5 Hari Chambers 5864 Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg Fort Time 6 pm onwards Wednesday to SundayCall 7506128945