Novel Cuisine

From Murakami’s classics to Harry Potter, iconic novels have inspired two foodies to dish up culinary themes.

- Pooja Biraia Jaiswal

Ever wondered what would it be like to relish a six-course meal inspired by your favourite book? That is what Shirin Mehrotra and Shriya Shetty had in mind when they formed The Literary Table, which conducts a series of pop-up dinners every quarter, featuring menus inspired by famous books.

Take for example, Murakami’s Kitchen Table—an elaborate, six-course, pop-up dinner inspired by Haruki Murakamis’ books and his riveting obsession with food. The starter is a colourful plate with pomegranates, steamed peas and fresh greens, reminiscent of the beautiful landscape with bright red birds and lush greenery from Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Toru and Naoko, the young lovers in the novel, come across a bottomless well, which is depicted beautifully by dark molasses and a balsamic reduction in the centre of the plate, peppered with walnuts for that earthy feel and finished off with a spray of lemon zest in a salute to the dewy grass under the couple’s feet.