From Dining In The Hills To Savouring Local Fare In The Forest, Indian Chefs Are Paving The Way For Destination Dining In India

To say that Indian food is having a moment is an understatement. We’re finally getting the global recognition we deserve, and people are slowly seeing us beyond chicken tikka and curries. The narrative is evolving thanks to chefs focusing more on regional, seasonal and local ingredients, offering diners a delicious glimpse of our rich culinary culture. They’re also on a mission to help us rediscover and get excited about our own food and culinary practices. And they’re choosing to do it away from the urban metro cities.

Experiential destination restaurants have opened in remote locations, pushing you to travel for a dining experience like no other. For instance, Chef Prateek Sadhu took a bold step when he decided to open Naar, a 16-seater restaurant in Solan, about 45 minutes from Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. When I visited earlier this year, it wasn’t just a regular fine dining experience but one that opened my eyes to the rich produce of the Himalayas. Set against the backdrop of the majestic snow-capped Himalayas, I found myself devouring lamb tartare on a bichu butti (nettle leaves) tempura and a smoked trout on a Ladakhi bread.

Chef Amninder Sandhu launched Palaash, a women-led kitchen where rural culinary traditions such as cooking on open fire and in earthen pots take centre stage. Here, I indulged in seasonal, regional bites such as bamboo smoked pork and genda phool sorbet in the middle of a forest in Tipai, a wildlife luxury lodge in Tipeshwar, Maharashtra.

Damu’s Heritage Dine, a boutique eatery nestled in Arunachal Pradesh’s lush Chug Valley, serves local organic food celebrating the cuisine of the region’s Monpa tribe. Initiated by Nishant Sinha, coordinator of community-based tourism in Western Arunachal Landscape, with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) India helming it, this restaurant aims to bring people closer to local heritage, conservation, and sustainable living.

Nilza Wangmo And Jagmeet Mingyur Are Putting Traditional Ladakhi Delicacies On The Map With Alchi’s Kitchen And The Heritage Kitchen At Stone Hedge 

Out Of The Ordinary 

Dining at these destination restaurants demands effort—a flight, a long drive, or a trek. And food enthusiasts are doing just that as they are keen to taste that exclusive yet immersive experience. “We’ve been fortunate to have diners from different Indian cities– Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata, and internationally from Dubai as well,” shares Chef Sadhu. “So yes, people are curious. For us, though, the bigger battle is meeting our diners’ very high expectations,” he adds. “I was very surprised to hear of people who’ve come down just to eat here. They were from Guwahati, but once word got out, we got calls from Chennai and other places where people wanted to come just to dine here. We’ve also had two foreign groups, one from Malaysia, one from Singapore, one solo traveller from England, and some from Japan,” Sinha says of the growing interest in Damu’s Heritage Dine. As per Chef Sandhu, the allure is experience-driven. “People are travelling to remote locations, and everyone’s out for an experience now. Most people have done enough foreign travel and bought enough designer bags. So, what do you do with an occasion that you want to celebrate? You want to experience something which you haven’t before.”

Sense And Sensibility 

Running a restaurant in a city comes with limitations—sky-high rentals, space constraints, and environmental challenges. Remote setups, on the other hand, allow chefs to innovate. “At Palash, I always wanted to have an underground barbecue pit for the kind of cooking that I do. And I could eventually have that here, which would never have been possible in a city set-up. Any chef would want to create an offering in its truest avatar,” Chef Sandhu says. It’s also quite viable financially. “If you are smart enough to create an experience while being mindful about spending the money, it is a profitable business. Your average per cover is high in this kind of restaurant. Controlling cost in terms of your capital expenditure is a key factor while you are building the experience,” adds Chef Sadhu. 

Culture, Community And Conservation

At the heart of these destination restaurants lies something bigger than profitability. Though concept-driven, the key idea is to get people closer to the culinary culture of various regions and encourage tourists to eat local. “When I started Damu’s, the goal was to preserve the Monpa tribe’s culinary traditions and their beautiful, fast-disappearing mud-and-stone homes,” Sinha shares. Damu’s Heritage Dine encourages locals to protect their forests and environment while offering tourists an authentic, meaningful culinary experience. “Even when locals come down to eat here, it reminds them of their childhood,” he adds. Chef Sandhu echoes a similar sentiment. Though she runs commercial restaurants in Mumbai and Goa and is set to open more in cities, she admits Palaash is the closest to her heart. “It just feels like this restaurant is done right. You feel liberated. You feel like you can go all out and do the things you’ve always wanted to do. You are also able to uplift people in remote locations, which we’ve been able to do at Palash. And that is a lot more gratifying than being in the city,” she shares. “Plus, you breathe better air, and your view is fabulous, which is great for your mental well-being.”

Destination dining isn’t just another fancy culinary trend—it’s a conscious movement led by passionate individuals who deeply care about Indian food and culture. Their mission is not only to spread awareness of regional cuisines but also to preserve these traditions in the face of globalisation and educate people about the vast produce we have. And it’s working. People are travelling to dine as these culinary journeys offer more than just a meal; they deliver an immersive experience that stays with you long after the plates are cleared. “What we are really trying to do is create a very strong, memorable experience for diners,” shares Chef Sadhu. “This is the most exciting time for an F&B concept like this in India. It’s high time we give cities a breather and create experiences that people feel are worth travelling for. This is just the beginning.”

Read the full story on ELLE India’s new issue, or download your digital copy via Magzter.