Can’t get a table at Soam? Pinky Chandan Dixit’s Varsoo is your answer
Tucked inside a heritage building that is over 120 years old, right above Aamchee, Varsoo is designed by Saloni Kothari of Studio SKO, who has worked alongside Dixit to honour the structure’s original character.
Varsoo by Soam, founder Pinky Chandan Dixit's newest venture, is housed in a 120-year-old heritage building in South Bombay. Photo courtesy: Special Arrangement
If you’ve spent time in the queue outside Soam wishing you could book a table, here’s your answer. Founder Pinky Chandan Dixit has opened Varsoo by Soam, a reservation-friendly venture that carries Soam’s most-loved dishes like moong dal sheera, handvo, panki, khichu, muthiya and turiya paatra, alongside newer additions like peru ananas ki chaat with crushed peanuts, a flavourful salad.
Tucked inside a heritage building that is over 120 years old, right above Aamchee, Varsoo is designed by Saloni Kothari of Studio SKO, who has worked alongside Dixit to honour the structure’s original character. Arched doorways, high ceilings, original windows, grand wooden doors — all of it has been preserved and woven into the new space. Round poker tables, now repurposed as dining tables ideal for groups of six, add to the sense of a room that has been lived in.
The restaurant unfolds across three zones — two indoor spaces and an outdoor nook for quieter moments, with a section that can be closed off for private dining. A live juice and chaat counter and a live kitchen add to the experience.
Varsoo, which translates to ‘inheritance’ in Gujarati, says Dixit, is her personal expression — a gathering of lived experiences, shared meals, and inherited recipes, brought together into a space designed for today.
Layered dal baati churma and dal dhokli ravioli. Photo courtesy: Special Arrangement
“Soam was opened in 2005 at a space where my father had an office for reservations to our hotel in Mahabaleshwar. When my brother suggested we start a cafe, I jumped at the opportunity, before we realised we were ahead of our times and should go for something we know: Gujarati food. And so Soam was born,” recalled Dixit, an alumna of Le Cordon Bleu.
The early days were not without resistance. Dixit had decided to break with the thali culture synonymous with Gujarati restaurants at the time, deconstructing the meal into standalone dishes rather than serving the traditional spread. “Gujarati food in Bombay meant having a thali. Everybody was unhappy but I said to them, give me six months,” she said. The recipes, meanwhile, kept evolving: started with a Maharaj and dishes borrowed from her mother, their hotel, and family, the menu grew richer as guests brought their own versions. “Post opening, every guest would give me their recipe, saying ‘in our home, we do it like this’. The recipes kept getting better.”
A conversation with veteran food writer Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal gave Dixit the confidence to introduce seasonal menus, which became, as she puts it, “a big part of our DNA.” During COVID, the team — drawn from various regions — began cooking food from their own homes, and some of it found its way onto the menu.
The outdoor nook (left), and live chaat counter (right). Photo courtesy: Special Arrangement
All of this and more now comes to Varsoo. “Varsoo is Soam’s inheritance, for people who didn’t wish to wait in queues, or have a rushed meal because they can see others standing behind them waiting for the table. Soam always appealed to an older population, but we couldn’t offer them a reservation to celebrate their 60th or 70th birthday. With Varsoo, we can.”
On the plate, the guava-pineapple salad was refreshing, enough texture and brightness to polish off quickly. Dal dhokli ravioli, served with pickled oil, sev and pomegranate, managed to feel both familiar and new. The instinct to present the old in a new avatar runs through much of the menu: the layered dal baati churma arrived with disc-shaped baked baatis, dal and churma. While baatis didn’t appeal to us, the churma had the texture and taste of something made in a Rajasthani home. Nachni khichu was comforting, enough that we polished it off. Hot pankis came with a chilli pickle. Pro tip: the one on the condiment tray is better, it really elevates the dish. While the muthiya didn’t quite land, malai dhokla and pattice were done well.
The jamun masala, lifted with a little cumin and salt, served as both cooler and palate cleanser throughout the meal. Don’t skip it.
On the sweeter end, a very rich but liquidy mohanthal and a mango ravioli from the seasonal menu that had no added sugar, and beautiful to look at (courtesy food stylist Shubhangi Dhaimade), rounded things off. The menu is extensive; it will need multiple visits to do it justice. Aavjo, as Dixit would say.
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