A two-day pop-up at The Raintree celebrates flavours and stories

Mumbais culinary gem Ekaa will land in Chennai for the people to explore the different tangents of tastes. Founded by chef Niyati Rao and Sagar Neve, Ekaa is synonymous with oneness where ingredients, people and craftsmanship, and stories shape the countrys culinary identity. Niyati, the head chef says, Its not just dining, but every single thing about it the storytelling, the drama, all of it. This restaurant and its diverse cuisines have transcended the boundaries, blending differences, reimagining an experience through memory, seasonality, and emotion. For Niyati, Chennai has been a city of exploring flavours, a city that has been both adventurous and intriguing. Chennai, for her, is a place she can always go back to, to indulge in the culinary world. A two-day pop-up of extravagant food experience at The Raintree, Ekaas debut in Chennai, will be an elaborate curation of their favourite flavours, where vegetarian and non vegetarian options would be arrayed for food lovers. This will be mindfully paired with signature cocktails that pour in the stories of natures bounty. Dwadash, Ekaas bar program, will offer cocktail pairings, drawing inspirations from Ayurveda, from Indians ancient botanical roots and its goodness. Its an extraordinary level of expression when it comes to disbelief that it (the bar team, Dwadash) gives people. Savouring the concoctions with unimaginable ingredients is something, according to Niyati, worth the wait bringing the authentic tastes of Maharashtra and creating an experiential blend for Chennaiites. A package of wonders, this culinary experience, Niyati says, is texturally surprising. We like to play on textures when it comes to tasting menu. With each bite of the eight-course menu enveloped with delight, the chef wants each of them to be standing out on its own integral way. She says the attempt here is to not let the awe fizzle out as people move on to the next food item. A challenge in curating the menu was the shortlisting part, but the final result is an orchestration of all the favourite bites that they have been making since the inception of the restaurant. The collaboration with The Raintree, invites food lovers to indulge in the story each dish has to narrate, with the ingredients, its protagonist. This gastronomic journey of an eight-course tasting menu, is also about delving deep into each ingredient, celebrating the spices of India, and its richness. This personalised experience, where the audience can interact with the chefs, adds on to the warmth of the event. We would go to each table, and that is where the magic begins, Niyati says. With so much precision, the menu has been designed in a way that people dont notice that by the end of the experience, they are full. The intention, as Niyati says, is to make the experience feel seamless. She adds that Raintree has given them the thinking space, and has been accommodating to their imagination of bringing out their favourites. The two-day event will be held at The Raintree from 7.30 pm onwards on November 14 and 15. For reservations, contact: 7824000171