YES CHEF!

I met Chef Prateek Sadhu on an October evening in 2017. Masque had just opened to some placid reviews. A friend had suggested we form our own opinions. I value objectivity and, above all, a good meal.

Seated at a table where we were literally the only three guests that evening, we had the undivided attention of the captain of the kitchen. With some tentativeness, Prateek introduced himself and the courses that followed. I must admit that first meal was forgettable. It was good, expected, but not outstanding. Nothing screamed innovation. But the real dividend was Prateek himself. A uniquely relaxed demeanour, proud of his efforts but not arrogant, he stood by our table for a chat for over an hour. Right through that evening, one thing came across clearly – Prateek was a listener. He spoke carefully, listened intently, almost like the forager he is, since applauded to be. Only the foraging this time was through the chatter of his guests, who admittedly dropped enough examples of meals had before in the company of celebrated chefs. Yup, mea culpa! He soaked what had worked for us, where the underwhelming tones were, what elevated the experience, and, most importantly, where the story was behind every dish. I could see that twinkle in his eye. He was rewriting his script. He was learning.

We became friends that evening and remained in contact over social media. A few weeks later, I stopped by the restaurant and dropped off some organic vinegar from Madikeri, and we discussed how this exotic potion broke down the toughest proteins. He nodded indulgently.

We made a deal that afternoon. The next time I ate at Masque, if the meal hit the right notes, I owed him homemade mutton biryani. Incidentally, this playful wager has since become a staple bribe I make to budding chefs!

He called me a month later and asked me to come in for the revised tasting menu. Almost a decade later, I still remember each course... the ode to Mumbai – a lobster and mango ceviche with a drizzle of kasundi; the flaky katlam bread served with hand-churned butter – from his childhood memories in Srinagar; and the star – the humble mackerel, painstakingly deboned, lightly poached and charred on the surface, served on rye toast dressed with a Kashmiri chilli paste...

His menu told a story. Of a land of birth, to a journey to acquire technique, to the city he called home. And he effortlessly waxed eloquence as he took me course by course on this food trip.

Next day, three kilos of mutton biryani were delivered to the Masque kitchen. From that inflection point, Prateek has never looked back. His temperament has always underscored his ambition and not the other way around. That speaks volumes for someone who could be encashing on many coveted milestones that have been deservedly earned. And yet, he finds a way to harness the inertia on his own terms.

The glory years of building Masque side by side with the dynamic restaurateur and my dearest friend Aditi Duggar saw them rise from season to season. It was fairytale-like, something we often joked about chronicling. On the eve of Masque entering the ‘World’s 50 Best’ list for Asia, they seemed invincible.

The pandemic happened literally a week later, stopping the world in its tracks. Closer to home, it gave a forced pause to both partners, at the end of which they respectfully opted for different paths. And, expectedly, both have flourished in their choices.

At a time when Prateek was the toast of the town, the culinary world, a rising star, he just disappeared. On a sabbatical for most of 2022, following a punctuated trail of guest appearances in kitchens around the world, he contemplated what next.

When he announced NAAR in 2023, there was a scramble to find it on Google Maps... and that was met with heightened scepticism. In Kasauli? A long winding road to reach an outpost isolated from civilisation? All for a meal? Was India ready for such a destination experience? Let’s be honest, destination restaurants have existed in India but with cleverly mapped logistics near an Ahmedabad, or within the growing city limits of a Bengaluru, or a Goa – where one holidays to eat.

While I remained ambivalent about his choices, early chatter spoke of the facilities, struggle to reach, lack of bookings. Truthfully, I was curious. NAAR was not just about food and Prateek’s story. It was his first major business bet. And he had gone all in with his hard-earned equity as a chef.

I wished him. And he said come...see what he had built.

Two years on, I have been to NAAR five times. Taken the flight from Mumbai to Chandigarh, re-routed and endured detours, but made it a fixture I will not miss. My only regret? I wish I hadn’t waited almost a year to get there. I let go of objectivity and allowed others’ experiences to guide my choice. Till I didn’t.

NAAR means fire. And, true to its name, all meals are cooked on sustainable wood fires in an open kitchen that has a small, enthusiastic and proud crew. Almost all of them have travelled from world cities to find their spot in this food revolution being helmed by Prateek and his partners. There is something professorial about how Prateek leads them to the garden patches in the valley that the restaurant sits perched above. He knows retention is tough – the location is bound to get the better of each of them at some point. But while he has their attention, one can see how selflessly he invests in making sure they turn up, listen, learn and move out in better form than when they arrived.

For that has been his journey too. He consistently listens, learns and moves.

For now, he’s back in the mountains, where he was born. The challenges each day keep him engaged, even triumphant with small victories. He knows he’s adding to a legacy that started in his mother’s kitchen. He pays a silent homage to every restaurant he’s worked in. And values each guest, even when some of them seriously ask him – yeh one by two ho sakta hai?

As for the restaurant NAAR – it is sold out almost every day. People arrive from all over for the experience. And return for the hospitality. And the meal – each course is flawless, unique, locally sourced and telling a story. The last meal I had there was on 24 November 2025. It was a collaboration with Chef Chalee Kader from Bangkok. The meal was orchestrated with precision to showcase what NAAR has grown into – an international standard for India to be proud of and the world to experience. From a laksa created with hand-pulled noodles and tempura goat’s brain, to delicate slivers of wild boar grilled to moist perfection, seasoned with thecha made from Bird’s Eye chilli, to a curry duck pulao... winter never stood a chance before such a warm serve. Appropriately, it was also NAAR’s second anniversary.

If this sounds like a gushing piece, let me clarify that I have held back on the numerous occasions when Prateek has been at the receiving end of scathing feedback from me. There have been meals that were clumsy, even lazy. There have been times when he’s played to the galleries and forfeited his own voice in the kitchen. But there’s never been a time when he hasn’t listened.

To Prateek Sadhu, I say today and always, YES CHEF!