Indian restaurants in world's top 50 | A taste of India

Indian cuisine is having a moment on the world stage. Once dismissed for being too spicy and rich, the tide has turned with new-age restaurants like chef Gaggan Anand's Gaggan in Bangkok and Himanshu Saini's Trèsind Studio in Dubai being featured on the list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024. While Gaggan stands at No. 9 and has been crowned the 'Best Restaurant in Asia 2024', Trèsind Studio is at No. 13.

Earlier, Indian Accent (Delhi) and Masque (Mumbai) made it to the exten­ded list (51-100) of the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024. Their inventive tasting menus with local ingredients earned them spots among the world's most estee­med dining spots.

While Rohit Khattar-owned Indian Accent made a re-entry at No.89, Masque helmed by self-taught cook and entrepreneur Aditi Dugar and chef Varun Totlani debuted at No. 78.

Dubbed "India's most forward-thinking restaurant" by the World's 50 Best jury, Masque, set within a former Mumbai textile mill, offers a 10-course tasting menu that spotlights the wealth of local produce. For instance, their new menu has a chaat with textures of strawberry (smoked, fresh, dried, pulped) with crispy ponkh and a strawberry dressing.

What's the secret to Masque's success? "The restaurant's output is collaborative, which means the entire team has input on what we're doing. Whether it's the food we've grown up eating, different styles of cooking, our personal histories—all of that has a chance to show up on the place, and everyone has some­thing to contribute," says Varun Totlani, head chef at Masque.

GLAM EATS: A dish of Ambemohar rice, morel, yakhni, quail, eggs, etc, from Masque

Similarly, Indian Accent's reputation for serving classics with a contemporary twist has been retained ever since its inception in 2009. The chef's tasting menu is a smorgasbord of small plates, interspersed with dishes like meetha achaar pork spareribs with carambola (star fruit) or sea bass with gong­ura pickle and coconut barley. "To maintain consistency, we have been innovating new dishes, creating new tasting menus, and training the staff," shares Chef Manish Mehrotra, culinary director at Indian Accent New Delhi, New York, and Mumbai.