Move over food festivals, it is the year of culinary pop-ups. With everyone from high-end hotels to neighbourhood restaurants bringing in their favourite chefs to host restaurant takeovers and collaborations, Bengaluru is all set to see a restaurant dedicated solely to pop-ups by home cooks from across the country.
The focus of Tijouri — the brainchild of siblings Kaushik Raju (founder of Farmlore), and Sanithra Raju (director of the non-profit Atria Foundation) — is to showcase India’s diverse food landscape, especially micro-cuisines.
Chakka payasam | Photo Credit: Allen Tom
“Even those of us from India often have only a limited understanding of Indian cuisine’s many varieties,” says Sanithra, of the venture launched on July 19 in collaboration with food curation platform, Soul on a Plate. “Many of the dishes we encounter are commercialised versions, raising concerns that traditional recipes may not survive as we shift towards a fast-paced dining culture.” Starting July 24, two pop-ups (five days each) will be hosted at Tijouri every month.
Sri Lankan battered chicken roll with sambal | Photo Credit: Allen Tom
Sanithra adds that at Tijouri, the team aims to offer guests “an experience akin to being invited into the homes of our home chefs, enjoying the authentic meals they would prepare for their own guests”. The launch event today (July 19) featured a 10-course tasting menu, with one home chef curating the dish for a particular course. Highlights included Bihar’s mutton goli chaat, paya soup with pav from Maharashtra, Kashmir’s tabakh maaz with coin paratha and maquti from Lucknow, among others.
“The idea behind the initiative is to cover India’s lesser-known, niche food cultures, and putting the country’s micro-cuisines on the map,” says Yogita Uchil, founder, Soul On A Plate, who will be bringing together home cooks showcasing cuisines such as Kashmiri, Lucknowi, Sri Lankan, Kathiawadi, Syrian Christian and Ghadwali, to name a few.
“These are home cooks from across the country who will be bringing their authentic fare and ingredients to the pop-ups. The Sri Lankan pop-up, for instance, will see Amaravati Balasubramanyam bring ingredients such jaggery and jelly from Sri Lanka as they cannot be found in India,” says Yogita, adding that the first-pop in the series will highlight Kashmiri cuisine helmed by Mumbai-based Jasleen Marwah. A self-taught cook, Jasleen runs Namak by Jasleen, her delivery kitchen dedicated to Kashmiri food, and also runs Folk, an Indian restaurant in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.
A snapshot of Tijouri’s interiors | Photo Credit: Allen Tom
The pop-ups aside, Sanithra also plans to work with the home cooks to develop a range of pickles, snacks, sweets, and podis. “These products will be available for sale at Tijouri,” she says, adding that a permanent restaurant menu is also in the works.
Tijouri is at No 1, Radisson Blu Atria, Race Course Road, Bengaluru. For details, call 7338686084.
