A New York Times article in 2022 declared that the mushroom was the ingredient of the year; it rang a bell that we should be looking at mushrooms. Also, during this time of the year, many Indians turn vegetarian, and look for interesting options. We think mushrooms are close to meat in texture, and could possibly appeal to those who prefer non-vegetarian fare. It’s how the idea was born,” reveals Gautam Mansinghania, general manager at Perch Wine and Coffee Bar. He, along with executive chef Arun D’Souza, decided to make it the hero ingredient across their cocktail, coffee and dessert sections of the menu.

The menu includes nine varieties of mushrooms, such as porcini, shiitake, reishi, portobello, shimeji, enoki, king oysters, baby bellas and oysters, cultivated by The Mushroom Co near Mumbai. He believes that the mushroom-and-coffee combination could become a popular trend. “Mushrooms pair well with dark chocolate; it’s why we’ve created a mocha. It has a well-rounded umami flavour, especially if you’re using reishi mushrooms or shiitake blend. It has a long-lasting pleasant aftertaste on the palate. We ground the mushroom with coffee beans and extract the espresso. That’s where the infusion happens. For the foam, we throw in some reishi mushroom powder, and fork the milk. When you sip it, the first taste will be coffee and mushroom at the same time, while the aftertaste on the palate will be of pleasant coffee.”