In 2016, Aditi Dugar made waves in Mumbai by introducing one of India’s first tasting menus, pioneering a new dining experience in a country where dining was typically limited to ‘a la carte’ and ‘buffet’. Now, in 2024, the 41-year-old is all set to “open the most sought-after bar in Mumbai”. Dugar’s impressive run also includes becoming the first female restaurateur featured on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list and catering for the Ambani wedding. As her restaurant Masque continues to earn accolades, recently earning a spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Dugar remains at the forefront of the industry. My Kolkata caught up with the young and spirited restaurateur to discuss her remarkable journey in the culinary world and what’s next for Urban Gourmet India, the parent company behind her ventures.
Edited exceprts follow.
My Kolkata: Let’s rewind to 2016. What inspired you to launch Masque, Mumbai?
Aditi Dugar: My experience with food and styling comes with Sage & Saffron, my boutique catering company. Over the years, it has given me some wonderful insights into what clients expect from their dining experiences. I also love eating and discovering local food when I travel — it could be a taco off a food truck in New York or a tasting menu in Vietnam and anything in between. All of my experiences and experiments with food have helped in shaping me as a food entrepreneur.
The interiors of Masque in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
Honestly, I believe there’s so much more to food than just ‘great food’; it’s about the entire experience that comes with the meal. As guests, we love it when a restaurant has great, tasteful decor, excellent service and staff that treats you like you’re the only guest in the room! So, I wanted to create a space that leaves guests with a memory they’re going to remember fondly for a long time to come.
When I put all of these learnings and observations together, I realised that there was definitely a space for a modern Indian fine-dining restaurant — it seemed like the perfect time to introduce a tasting menu. And well, that’s how Masque came to be in 2016.
How does it feel to see Masque on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants? Would you say you manifested this?
It’s an incredible feeling, honestly. The ‘manifesting’, as you say, happened through a lot of hard work by the team, head chef Varun Totlani’s superb leadership and all the talent we have brought in over the years. We’ve received so much love and recognition from fellow restaurateurs and guests. This kind of accolade tells us that we’re doing the right thing and that we need to keep refining what we do. It really keeps us going (forgive the cliché) and upping our own ambition.
Varun Totlani, now head chef at Masque, started as a commis chef and grew with the brand
Being on the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list has also introduced us to global forums and helped foster meaningful connections. One of the most wholesome perks of being on the list is finding community beyond borders and connecting with top restaurateurs from around the world.
What challenges did you face along the way, especially without formal chef training?
As I mentioned earlier, a restaurant is about so much more than just the food. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say creating stellar food is perhaps the easiest bit, all else considered. As important as great food is, equally crucial is having a solid culture, attracting the best talent, understanding operations, managing a team, curating great music and decor, finding the best suppliers, positioning the brand perfectly, getting the marketing right — and over everything, topping it off with the generosity of the heart. In this business, there’s always something that can go wrong if it hasn’t already.
The Masque Lab, opened in 2020, is a research and experimental space where culinary experimentation meets private dining
My experience with running Sage & Saffron made me realise that truly memorable food experiences were missing in India. All of this led me to start Masque, despite all the challenges that come with the territory. The food business is unlike any other commercial business. It’s always on, and each day is full of new challenges. But you learn to ride them and enjoy the highs, which make it all worthwhile.
Tell us more about the Ambani wedding you catered for. What were the dishes you served there?
We’ve signed NDAs and cannot disclose any details about the event.
In July, you extended TwentySeven Bakehouse to launch a pizzeria TwentySeven Pizza & Bakes. In a city dotted with pizza parlours, how does your venture stand out?
TwentySeven Pizza & Bakes is the newest addition to the Urban Gourmet portfolio — an extension of TwentySeven Bakehouse, our much-loved, neighbourhood bakery in Bandra, Mumbai. In addition to all the popular bakes from our menu, we’ve introduced authentic, hot and crispy New York-style pies at Pizza & Bakes. Chef Anthony Falco — international pizza consultant and known to the world as the ‘Pizza Czar’ (accurately so!) — has consulted on the entire menu.
One of the best-sellers at TwentySeven Pizza & Bakes is the Pistachio Pesto with stracciatella, aged mozzarella, fresh mozzarella bufala, parmesan and pistachio powder
Why does it stand out? Well, because it serves really great pizza! Now, while pizza is quite a ubiquitous offering in Mumbai, finding authentic NY-style pies wasn’t really easy. My husband and business partner, Aditya [Dugar], felt that it was time to have a pizza place and introduce guests to some NY classics.
Looking back, is there anything you would do differently in your restaurateur journey?
Hindsight, as they say, is always 20:20. But I don’t think Masque would have been what it is if it weren’t for all the learnings. Upping the guest experience, building a solid team, having strong relationships with our wonderful farm partners and becoming known for a stellar experience — these are never things anyone can get right on Day One. And while we are our best version today, we’re going to be leaps ahead tomorrow, in 10 days and five years. This is an ongoing journey and we’re always a sum of our mistakes and imperfections. It’s just about learning from them and becoming the next best version of ourselves.
You are now connected with top global circles of chefs and restaurant owners. How does being a part of this circle impact your innovation at Masque?
There’s always so much to learn and to be inspired from. Meeting chefs and restaurant owners from around the globe is one of my favourite parts of being a food entrepreneur. The constant give-and-take of ideas is a perpetual inspiration for me and my team.
Having stale and stagnant ideas is a death knell in our line of work. One very random exchange with a chef from another country can spark a whole idea or a dish that ends up on the menu. We also learn from each other’s mistakes and challenges. It’s also often eye-opening to realise how some difficulties of the food world are universal. Overall, it’s a community of people who are always looking to learn from and support each other.
Small Bites
Most talked about dish on the Masque menu: Goda Masala, Clams and Karandi Loncha; the Citrus Cacao dessert
Goda Masala, Clams and Karandi Loncha
Best-selling bake or pie from 27 Bakehouse: Vada Pav Danish, Basque Cheesecake, Chorizo 2.0
Basque Cheesecake
When you're hungry, your go-to order from among all your brands: Anything from Masque’s dessert menu, Thai food from the Sage & Saffron kitchen, and the Soft Serve and the Vada Pav Danish from TwentySeven Bakehouse
Vada Pav Danish
In 2016, you offered set meals in a city used to a la carte. In 2024, you will: Open the most sought-after bar in Mumbai!
