Known for its specialty coffee, Araku’s first-ever restaurant in Mumbai is dedicated to regeneration

Mumbai’s dynamic culinary scene has welcomed innovation in the form of ingredient-driven ventures taking centre stage. Exploring the dynamics of this food culture is Araku’s first-ever restaurant dedicated to regenerative agriculture in Mumbai. 

Located in the bustling lanes of Colaba, by the gleaming landmark of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Araku’s monochromatic restaurant sits inside the century-old building of Sunny House. The restaurant is set for a grand launch on December 13, which ties in with #Arakunomics—an integrated economic model that ensures profits for farmers and quality for consumers through regenerative agriculture.

Monochromatic interiors

Araku’s quaint, understated interiors are testament to the brand’s organic approach. Designed by New York-based architect, Jorge Zapata, the 55-seater restaurant exhibits a monochromatic minimalist design complemented by details like bamboo chandeliers, indoor plants, and large windows that draw in ample daylight.  

Walking through the doors, Araku’s signature Modbar is the first thing you notice. For the uninformed, Araku introduced the Modbar or modular bar as a way to foster dynamic interactions between baristas and patrons, by placing the coffee machines behind or in this case, under the counter. The wall behind the Modbar features a wall rack filled with Araku memorabilia—different varieties of coffee, brewing equipment, and serveware, along with planters, ceramics, and books. This could have easily been a favourite spot of ours, had we not seen the dedicated nook under the staircase! Displaying a genre-agnostic collection of critically acclaimed titles, the cosy book corner has something for everyone—from short stories to memoirs, each one handpicked by co-founder, Manoj Kumar. 

“For this vibrant metropolis, we pared down the material palette to its essential elements—oak timber, white plaster walls, natural stone, and clean brass—allowing artwork, plants, books, Araku Coffee accessories, and handcrafted ceramics to take centre stage,” shares Jorge Zapata.

 

Art is an important detail within the restaurant, added to further the creative spirit of Araku. This is evident through the restaurant’s collection of ceramic crockery and 3D artworks. A noteworthy detail is the 3D wall art depicting the terroir of Araku—an homage to the 3,000,000+ tribal farmers who practice regenerative organic agriculture, growing pepper, millets, fruits, and, of course 100 per cent Arabica coffee—many of which are served on Chef Rahul Sharma's menu. 

A focus on ingredients

Being the first restaurant dedicated to regenerative agriculture, it’s no surprise that Araku’s menu is centred on ingredient-focused creations. Chef Rahul Sharma, together with famed restaurateur Aditi Dugar, conceptualised everyday ingredients presented in new, innovative dishes which interestingly, present intriguing contemporary and global flavours despite using almost little to no exotic ingredients. 

 

“The next food frontier is ‘regen dining’. Regen agriculture goes beyond sustainability, in that it leaves the soil richer than when you began,” says Aditi Dugar, chief brand advisor, retail & lifestyle, Araku. “The restaurant seeks to inspire rather than preach, show rather than tell. It does this with simple, everyday ingredients that you and I find at the markets. The goal is to make regenerative agriculture more mainstream, and that’s only possible when more people are made curious to adopt it.”

The meal at Araku begins with a round of Araku Garlic Thecha Ciabatta Bread served with Philly cheese (not from Philly!) and a pickled peppercorn dip (Chef Rahul prefers to make everything in-house—be it sauces and dips or tofu and cream cheese). The menu is intriguing, offering diverse plates that cater to almost every palate. Some in-house wonders include quick bites like peas and yogurt, kidney bean aioli, and tofu and squid crackers.

What really caught our attention was chef Rahul’s ability to present dishes that use the same ingredient in varying textures. Two brilliant examples of this were the pickled tomato and cheese salad and the beetroot brûlée. While the former used tomatoes pickled in two different brines, the latter showcased three different textures of beetroot including a light and creamy beet custard plated with pickled beets and crispy beet chips made from beet trimmings. The next dish—a chokha-inspired smoked eggplant with fermented pepper sauce—was the clear winner for us. The dish was served with a crispy papad made from the leftovers of sourdough bread. As a proud non-vegetarian, this was a major win for chef Rahul, something that he himself agreed upon! 

 

Despite the popularity of the vegetarian courses, the menu features a delectable selection of meat plates like the sheep sausage and Koji fried chicken. The Sepia Risotto was intriguing—prepared with Kalanamak rice (a variety from Shravasti in UP) cooked with squid ink, the dish is served with a smoked, runny yolk. It’s safe to say that this dish, although pleasant on the eyes, is best enjoyed by those with an acquired taste for squid ink. 

The desserts—much like the entire menu—put ingredients at the forefront, delivering a marvelling selection of sweet treats including beeswax ice cream, potato and chocolate cake, and caramelised milk cake. 

 

Craft cocktails 

Araku is yet to launch its cocktail menu which will include progressive concoctions that will also follow the ingredient-first approach. With elements like millets, beetroot, tomato, passion fruit, carrots, honey, and, of course coffee, the upcoming cocktail menu will include flavour-forward, technique-driven cocktails that will be split based on the time of the day. That is, fruity, mellow, and fizzy creations for the day will transcend into more intense concoctions by sundown. While the cocktail menu is on the way, patrons can savour the specialty coffee creations including barista recommendations like dark and stormy, vanilla ice, nitro brew, and café l’orange.  

A perfect fit for the mellow ambience of South Mumbai, Araku’s brand-new restaurant promises a wholesome experience accompanied by rousing cocktail nights, tastings, intimate dinners, experimental coffee sojourns and signature bakes in the coming months.

Araku's new restaurant opens on December 13, 2023.