WHEN THE MOUNTAINS CALL

Chef Prateek Sadhu on pushing the boundaries at India's first fine-dining restaurant

- ■ NIANNE-LYNN HENDRICKS

“I guess with any chef, there's always an evolution. At one point in my life, I wanted five things on the plate. That was a phase. Slowly and steadily, the more I travel, the more I know about my own country and the more time I spent at the stove and things become clearer,” says chef Prateek Sadhu.

“You evolve as a chef. That's a good thing. What I was doing in 2018/19 or even in 2017 was great at that point of time. But in 2022, when I moved on from Mumbai, the idea was to run a restaurant which has a very strong meaning and purpose for me.”

Enter Naar, India’s first fine-dining destination co-founded by chef Sadhu, which opened in November 2023 and celebrates the place, people and ingredients of its location.

“At this point of time in life, I want to champion what mountain food in India means to Indians and then to the world. India is like a continent in itself, but when we talk about Indian food, we're still talking about only a few narratives. We're not deep diving into a lot of different cultures. Naar, for me, is all about homecoming,” explains the chef.

Sadhu, who was born in Kashmir, fled the state with his family due to political unrest and grew up in Delhi. Prior to Naar, chef Sadhu helmed the kitchen at Masque in Mumbai. Translating to fire in Kashmiri, Naar is a reference to chef Sadhu’s passion and mission to put a spotlight on the world’s highest mountain range.