The theatre of scarcity

Restaurants should be transparent about their reservation policies, or it sucks the joy out of dining

- Shrabonti Bagchi

I have never eaten at Papa's in Bandra, Mumbai, the 12-seater chef's table run by Hussain Shahzad that was recently named one of Time magazine's World's Greatest Places 2025, but during a recent visit to Veronica's, above which Papa's is perched like a secret little hidey-hole, I did get a tour of the space. It was mid-morning, and the chef was prepping for the 13-course dinner he serves Wednesday through Saturday. "This is the calm before the madness," said Shahzad as he flicked a checkered towel over his shoulder and dived into the tiny kitchen.