World’s top vegan restaurant comes to India for a one-of-a-kind collaboration

Foodies, you’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. New York’s revered Eleven Madison Park is making its way to Mumbai for a collaboration with award-winning Masque (No.16 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list). Chef Daniel Humm and Varun Totlani will serve up an exclusive plant-based menu that reflects both of their approaches to food and cooking. As part of this trip, Humm has, so far, paid a visit to North Indian culinary institution Bukhara in ITC Maurya, New Delhi, where he enjoyed their signature naan, and also travelled to Kashmir with the Masque team to explore the region’s rich food landscape and traditions. 

Read ahead to discover more about Eleven Madison Park, the idea behind the collaboration, and what to expect at the two-day pop-up that is slated to take place on the September 1 and 2 at Masque Mumbai.  . 

Awards and Michelin stars galore

Eleven Madison Park is known for being one of the most celebrated and awarded restaurants in recent culinary history, cementing its position as one of the top restaurants in the world. It was conferred with the No.1 ranking on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017, has got three Michelin Stars since 2012 and managed to retain all of them, and has won eight James Beard Foundation awards so far. When it switched to a completely vegan menu in 2021, it became the first three Michelin-starred plant-based diner. 

Humm’s unlikely fashion connect 

Though it may come as a surprise, aesthetically-plated dishes have more in common with fashion than you might think. To this end, Harper’s Bazaar US paired iconic fashion looks with dishes by three of the world’s top chefs in their April 2019 issue, with Daniel Humm being one of them. His honey-glazed, dry-aged Normandy duck served with roasted cabbage and pear (now no longer on the plant-based menu) featured clean lines and contrasting textures, similar to a look from Givenchy’s collection. 

Not his first trip to India 

While this is Swiss-origin Humm’s first-ever collaboration with an Indian restaurant on a plant-based menu, it is not his first visit to India. In 2018, the Manhattan-based chef hosted two dinners with The World Series by American Express, one in Mumbai’s St. Regis and one at The Leela Palace in New Delhi. 

What’s in store at the upcoming collaboration 

Titled ‘A Nod To Nature’s Best’, the collaborative menu will feature a 10-course plant-based spread that will be inspired by the ethos of Eleven Madison Park and Masque, with Humm’s classics reinvented and given an Indian twist. Expect a Kashmiri connect, too, with the group’s visit to the state ahead of the limited-edition pop-up that we can't wait to attend!