How does one honour a special food memory? Or a hero ingredient they chanced upon during travels? 

At Firo, all of this finds expression in a curated menu as part of the restaurant’s monthly Chef’s Edit. The first edition of the nine-course dining experience will take place on Thursday, for eight diners. 

Last month, at a pre-launch edition of the Chef’s Edit curated by Firo’s culinary ideator Ajit Bangera and head chef Abhishek Mody, our meal began with a platter of cocktails; a spectrum of heady spirits and comfort flavours from filter coffee, vetiver and mango to lavender and jasmine. 

Much like the fare at Firo, the menu put a spin on Indian food, reimagining flavours and textures. On the menu were gappas stuffed with prawn ceviche and salmon roe, a shehzaade ki dal yakhni for a comforting soup course, coriander chilli chicken and black jaggery-cacao pork to fire up the appetite, after which we mopped up a luscious safed gosht with soft bajra rotis.

“The idea to have a monthly Chef’s Edit came from all the conversations here at the restaurant; we kept discussing new ingredients, new dishes we sampled on our travels, and were thinking back with fond memories about the food from our homes. We are culturally a very dynamic team and have a range of culinary favourites,” says chef Abhishek. 

Keen on wanting their diners to experience all of this in addition to their a la carte menu, the idea of a curated dining experience for an intimate group began taking shape. “This is a great way to see how our diners react to these experiments, and receive a report card of sorts” Abhishek adds. 

Without divulging much about the menu for Thursday, seasonality and memory is said to play strong inspiration. “We are drawing to the end of the summer and awaiting the onset of the monsoon,” says Abhishek, adding “This is for those of us who will miss the mangoes, but at the same time, are excited about everything warm and comforting, like hot pakodas to accompany the rain.”

@Firo, RA Puram on June 25, Thursday evening. To reserve, contact 9384001434