Chef Varun Totlani of Masque, ranked #16 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list: ‘We’ve only just scratched the surface of what Indian cuisines offer’

On his visit, we caught up with the culinary wizard to talk about food and much more — from his journey, the pressure of working in the Masque kitchen, his love for regional cuisine, Indian food on the global map, and of course the win(s), and what it means to him and his team. Edited excerpts below:

You have been a part of Masque since 2016 when you joined as a commis chef. Today, you helm the kitchen. How would you describe your journey?

It’s been a journey of constant growth and learning. When I moved back to Mumbai after CIA (The Culinary Institute of America), a friend told me about a new tasting menu-only restaurant opening near Shakti Mills. I reached out, met with Aditi (Dugar) and Prateek (Sadhu), and started as a commis soon after. I feel fortunate that I found such a good fit for myself and my work, and the team at Masque has always been so encouraging about growth and finding the right roles for team members to flourish in. The journey has been amazing.

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Masque was recently ranked 16 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. How does it feel? How essential are such recognitions for you?

It feels wonderful to be appreciated for your work and the efforts the entire team has put in. It can be very motivating for the team. But that said, we don’t lose sight of the fact that these are acts of encouragement along the way and not the end goal – so I would not call them essential. However, they can also provide many opportunities, and they’ve been a fantastic way for us to build community and meet peers and industry stalwarts worldwide. That’s invaluable in any industry.

Since you took over the reins in 2022, what major changes have you introduced to the menu?

We keep trying to explore a wider variety of regional foods through our menus, but there haven’t been any major overhauls to it — and I think that consistency has been key for us. Some amount of change is inevitable just because of personal styles and influences.

The food at Masque is big on regions, seasons, and ingredients; hence, it keeps changing often. What kind of research and references do you rely on to keep it fresh and different at all times?

Travel is a huge part of how we operate at Masque. We try to take a few team members out every few months to explore the culture and cuisine of an area we haven’t been to before. We’re aware that we’ve only just scratched the surface of what Indian cuisines offer. I feel like there is a wide variety of dishes, cuisines, flavours, ingredients and cooking methods to explore, and those new learnings inspire new dishes. We’re also constantly testing new things at the Masque Lab, which is a big part of our research.

Given the popularity of Masque in recent years, it can be overwhelming to keep up. How do you deal with the pressure in the kitchen?

Our focus is always on delivering a great experience to our guests. Yes, sometimes you feel the pressure, but you put your head down and focus on what’s important and what’s in your control. I plan things to concentrate on one day, one event, one collaboration, one year at a time, and always try to be better than the day before!

 

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From Kashmiri to Konkan, your menu explores many cuisines. Is there any region you feel needs to be focussed more, and you’d like to spotlight the same?

There are so many that I’m yet to explore – and eagerly awaiting getting to! Manipur, Nagaland, different areas of Gujarat and Odisha, Assam, Bihar – the idea is to get to every part of every state eventually!

Several Indian restaurants/bars have made it to prominent culinary lists. What, according to you, does this reflect about the Indian culinary scene?

The Indian culinary scene has been undergoing a lot of change and development, and it’s been exciting to see (and be part of). I think the world is finally waking up to the potential, the promise, and the skill India holds. There’s a keener understanding that we have so much to offer beyond the stereotypical three dishes you find in restaurants abroad. The food and drink scene is growing rapidly, and we’re making people sit up and take notice.

 

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The one dish on your menu that you take pride in, and why?

One is the dessert made of cacao, gondhoraj and chocolate. It has a base of the cacao fruit, lychee, gondhoraj and custard apple, topped with aerated chocolate mousse, cacao beans, cashew chikki and a chocolate tuile, finished with Pondicherry chocolate ice cream and served in dried cacao pods. It was kind of our tribute to the Indian bean-to-bar revolution and easily one of my (and guests’!) favourites. I love that it uses the cacao fruit, and is served within the dried pod shell, utilising as much of the ingredient as we could.

What are your views on the fine-dining scene in India, and what makes Masque different?

In the last decade, the fine-dining scene has changed and evolved quite a bit. Growing up, it usually meant hotels/restaurants, European food or expensive Chinese. Today, that’s not the case at all – it spans cuisines, works at standalones, and encompasses different types of service and menus. And that diversity is always good.

For Masque, I think our menus – and this extends to the bar – are very collaborative, in that the whole team’s inputs and experiences come into play when developing dishes. The food we’ve grown up eating or recently tried, the different cooking styles, our personal histories – that’s what we’re trying to put on a plate, and everyone’s voices here contribute to that final plate.

From there, we try to connect the dots and discover the common threads that could tie all of this together, even if it feels unexpected or contradictory, and that’s what stands out. And as a tasting menu, it turns into an experience that travels across several regions over the course of a meal.

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