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Rain on the menu: How restaurants are serving up monsoon comfort this season
Comfort meets nostlagia as chefs craft monsoon-special menus inspired by memories, Indian and international flavours and the season’s rhythms
Across the country, monsoon is stirring up more than clouds — it’s reshaping what’s on the plate. Chefs are leaning into nostalgic memories, familiar flavours, and seasonal produce to serve up slow-simmered broths, smoky grills, crisp fitters, and drinks galore. Here’s how eateries are leaning into the rhythm of monsoon with unhurried lunches and shared comfort this season.
Go desi with the rains
At Café Delhi Heights, the annual Chai Pakora Festival returns not just with food but feeling.
Guests are invited to fold and float paper boats, turning the meal into a moment. The pakoras go beyond the expected — banana fritters, gram-flour-coated fish, and even fried paan leaves appear beside the usual favourites. Chai arrives in small kettles, meant to be poured, shared, and lingered over. Inspired by what chef Ashish Singh calls “a natural, nostalgic craving,” the menu honours emotion, playing with unexpected ingredients.
At Mumbai’s Café Out of the Blue, the Chaat Festival is on until 31 August and brings playful twists to monsoon favourites. Aloo tikki chaat crackles with spice, Caesar salad arrives inside a dosa crepe, and smoky litti chokha turns into a vibrant chaat. Head chef Rajesh Malik calls it “a blend of nostalgia and innovation”, created for guests to “enjoy each bite wholeheartedly”.
A drizzle of global flavour
At Call Me Ten in Delhi, the Japanese-Korean menu, dishes like zaru soba, edamame hummus, avocado salad, tuna tataki, and mushroom tantanmen offer layers of comfort without overwhelming. “It’s not heavy, just food that suits your gut health. And these foods cool down your body,” says chef Vaibhav Bhargava.
Mumbai’s Donmai channels the mood with Japanese-style hot pots: Donabe-inspired bowls arrive bubbling in sesame oat milk broth, filled with mushrooms, tofu, and thick udon.
It’s a slow, aromatic experience, made for unhurried lunches. Chef Oishik calls it “a celebration of umami-packed flavours we all crave when it is raining”.
At Thai Naam in Mumbai, it’s all things fire. Grilled duck, portobello steaks with Thai herbs, and fish with lemon and basil bring warmth in rains.
Sips that taste like home
When the rain falls, even the simplest drink becomes a ritual at SALT. “We wanted to offer something refreshing yet rooted in Indian flavours,” says Chef Balaji Balachander. Guava shikanji arrives with smoky chaat masala, Lychee with basil is floral and bright. The tang of jamun and the coolness of tulsi. “Our drinks are crafted to balance. It is our way of bottling the season,” he adds. They also have chai, fritters and bun maska.
ITC Grand Central in Mumbai carries the same mood with Monsoon Tea Tales. “We have Masala chai, onion and potato fritters, khari biscuits, butter toast, classic bun maska. It is refined and familiar comfort,” says chef Anshul.
