These supper clubs are redefining dining experiences in India and we are all in!

Chengdu rap playing in the background. Fascinating stories by the chef about Chinese mythology and its connections to India to accompany your meal. Unlimited servings of pu-erh tea instead of water to sip on throughout. And of course, the star of the show, the elaborate, expertly-plated seven-course meal spotlighting the sizzlingly diverse Sichuan cuisine. This is not at a buzzy new restaurant promising to be a grandiose affair but what you get at Má Là Kitchen Supper Club, run by husband-wife duo Aditya Ramakrishnan and Dongli Zhang from their Bengaluru home.

With intimate settings, intricate menus, and intentionally crafted experiences, supper clubs are fast becoming popular with the country’s gourmands. 

Born in Hollywood country in the early 1930s, supper clubs were all about celebrating the excesses of life after the period of Prohibition. The concept lost steam over the years before it came back with a strong resurgence after the pandemic. The longing for social connection meant that people were more ready than ever to gather and experience the joy of eating together again, even if it meant doing this at a stranger’s dining table surrounded by even more strangers. 

Good food has a way of bringing people together, and it couldn’t be truer for supper clubs. Even in India, the post-pandemic era has meant that diners are craving unique meals set in more personal spaces. Carefully curated supper clubs offer just that, and the audience is eating it up. 

The boom 

The first run for the supper club The LOST Table, by Gurgaon-based couple Archit Agarwal and Natasha Ratti Kapoor, sold out in five minutes, a testament to the popularity of the culinary genre. Inspired by noodle bar Naru and started as a way to connect with their food community built on Instagram and express more creatively, the club has gone on to catch the eyes of brands and restaurants, with whom Agarwal and Kapoor have partnered for collaborations. “There is a customer base genuinely interested in unique food experiences, free from the traditional garb of a restaurant,” says Agarwal.

Anurag Arora, who’s the brain behind another hot-selling Bengaluru supper club Apartment, agrees that people are looking for one-of-a-kind experiences and great food, which can either happen at a Michelin-starred restaurant or it with a lot of care and effort, at a smaller scale, in someone’s kitchen. For him, it is a new category of dining altogether, the popularity for which has only grown over time. He explains, “For every pop-up and supper club that I do, the time that it takes to sell out our pop-up is reducing. So, that shows that more people are wanting to be a part of it.” He organised his first ever pop-up at his home’s terrace and since then has hosted several iterations of his famous ‘Fried Chicken and Flowers’ pop-up and Apartment. 

Where there is a demand, people will rush in to create an adequate supply. Kapoor notes an increase in the number of such spots. “Since we started, we’ve also seen several supper clubs pop up in the city, which is always a great sign,” she says. The sprouting of newer supper clubs is an indication that not only are diners being more experimental, but amateur chefs are also exploring avenues outside of restaurants to showcase their skills. For Stanford alum Ramakrishnan, the pandemic meant spending more time experimenting in the kitchen with his wife Dongli, who is from Chengdu. The lack of authentic Sichuan food in India, and Bengaluru specifically, in addition to his newfound passion for cooking, bolstered him to pursue the idea of opening a supper club. Why not a restaurant? “The traditional restaurant industry is challenging from a financial perspective—it is operationally intensive and complex, and it has high rents along with a lot of regulations,” he says. 

The appeal 

What’s in it for diners? Is it the thrill of the unknown—going to someone’s house, meeting (and dining) with strangers? Is it the excitement that precedes a special meal? Turns out, there are a lot of factors at play. For Saloni Gupta, one half of the sister-duo behind Mumbai’s House of Málà that serves up Sichuan food, it’s a delicious concoction of intimacy, connection, and trying a new cuisine. “It’s not just a dining experience; it’s forging connections and creating moments that linger long after the first bite,” she says. We’re living in a time where people are hungry for new social connections and unconventional experiences, and supper clubs provide both on a platter. “I think the novelty of a cosy setting combined with professional-level food and services drives them (the diners) to book seats,” agrees Agarwal. And people are willing to go the extra mile, literally, for that—Agarwal recalls how someone once drove all the way from Noida to Gurgaon for the meal. 

While the freshness of the concept is attractive to the audience, supper clubs, at the end of the day, are judged by the same yardstick that conventional restaurants are—the food and the experience. Arora says, “I think for my supper club the biggest appeal is the great experience and the consistency of that  experience. Two is, of course, the food, for instance, Apartment has a well-thought-out seven-course menu, and people know I put a lot of time and effort behind planning the menu. The third thing is that we put a lot of detail in the pop-up.” So, delicious food, a fun experience, and consistency are the top three things that make diners come back for more. 

The exclusivity 

When Arora introduced Apartment in late 2023, the tickets for the first iteration sold out within minutes. Even Agarwal and Kapoor have noted how quickly the spots for their supper club sell out. This in itself creates an air of exclusivity. For Ramakrishnan, it’s a classic case of demand being more than supply. “The exclusivity is due to a natural constraint and is not artificially manufactured. It’s more of a limitation of the reality that you are operating out of your own home and a residential kitchen and therefore you are constrained about how many mouths you can feed every week,” he explains. 

The food can also be part of the exclusivity. From where it is sourced, the way it is cooked, and finally, how it is plated can build an aura of exclusivity and redefine fine dining. Most of the supper clubs offer multi-course, unorthodox meals, and are not afraid to go beyond when it comes to plating, complemented by stunning tablescapes. Think a Turkish-themed spread, handmade noodles, and desserts whipped up with locally sourced koji. Kapoor feels that some new restaurants lately are too focused on aesthetics, and people are flocking to these places to take pictures regardless of the quality of food. According to Kapoor, supper clubs make food the hero again.

That’s not to say that the attention to detail in the overall experience doesn’t matter. For instance, the pu-erh tea served at Má Là Kitchen is sourced from China, the kombucha at Arora’s fried chicken pop-ups features custom labels, and the guests at The LOST Table take home surprise goodies. 

The future 

It seems that the upward tick in the number of supper clubs is going to continue. According to Gupta, the popularity of supper clubs signifies a profound shift in how people are approaching fine dining. “They may be a trend, but they’re unique enough to last,” adds Agarwal. More people might be seeking out the immersive experience after seeing it on their social media, but the good food is going to make them stay. Ramakrishnan believes that as long as there is an audience looking for such experiences, and enjoying it, supper clubs will continue to grow. Arora agrees but points out that they may not achieve the mainstream status of restaurants. Kapoor concurs. Given how India is a price-sensitive market, she thinks that the concept is likely to remain grassroots for a while, and might take on the form of private dining, seamlessly filling the gap for small-scale caterers providing services for intimate events like birthday bashes and anniversary dinners. 

Whatever direction it takes, we can all agree that the future looks bright, exciting, and full of delicious new possibilities for Indian supper clubs. 
 

Lead image: The LOST Table

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