It all started about a year ago when chef Bhakti Mehta and restaurateur Nikki Gupta went vacationing in Hong Kong. In a span of six days the two friends tried 22 restaurants. "We were blown away by all the amazing dishes we tried and ingredients we discovered. We came back with a lot of ingredients, too and that became the starting point for our first Cantonese pop-up back in November 2017," says Gupta, one half of The Two Aprons, who curate and host authentic and experiential meals, in the lead-up to their first Mexican pop-up scheduled for this weekend.

The name is symbolic not just of Mehta and Gupta's camaraderie, but also of the two facets of fine-dining — front-end customer experience and back-end kitchen specifics. "We try to curate a 360-degree experience by giving decor, ambience and music as much importance as the food itself. This is where I come in, whereas Bhakti spearheads the kitchen," Gupta shares.