I was wrong about Farm Lore.. this is one of India’s very best restaurants.

I went to Farm Lore a year and a half ago and came back impressed but not blown away. I remember writing that it had enormous potential but that it wasn’t fully formed yet, that there was still a small distance to travel between the creative idea and its consistent execution. 

Cereal milk popsicle + Berry pearls + Banana cream

I kept meaning to go back because I have always felt that you need to go a few times to really judge a restaurant, especially one with obvious potential that was being brave and trying new things. But between its distant location and the fact that it’s always booked out, I never got around to it until this Sunday.

I went with an open mind but no huge expectations and well, the meal surprised me in the best way possible. This meal was outstanding, a feat of imagination and execution that will linger in the mind a long time and that has made me a convert. 

Potato dumplings + Burnt leek and potato soup + Kanzuri + Hazelnuts 

I know that sustainable and farm to table are old ideas and FarmLore doesn’t claim either of these labels. But these labels came into being because they did describe a certain approach to cooking. And while Farm Lore may not claim ritualistic fidelity towards these labels, its cooking philosophy is clearly inspired by them. A lot of the vegetables are grown on site in the farm. The seafood comes from the closest possible port. There is no cattle or industrial chicken. The mutton comes from a Karnataka variant. The only fire used is wood. There is an attempt to use every part of the vegetable (and meat). And the entire place is solar powered. 

However, philosophy is meaningless unless it serves a constructive purpose, and when it comes to food, that purpose must be revealed in what is put on the plate. Is it balanced? Is it tasty? Is it thoughtful? Is it nuanced? At Farm Lore, the answer to all these questions is an unequivocal yes. 

Ant bite + Rose Churro + Pea tartlet 

Starting with the pea tartlet in the amuse Bouche-like first bites, every dish felt cogent, cohesive and tasty. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite dish or highlight a few of them because I felt that every single course worked for me and there was a level of consistent excellence in every course that’s very rare in most tasting menus. 

To me this is a meal and a restaurant that belongs in the conversation about India’s best fine dining restaurants, right up with the likes of Masque, Avartana, Noon, Ekaa and Indian Accent. In fact, I would put my meal there ahead of my last meal in three of the five restaurants I mention above (which I love dearly). That’s how good it was.

Someone was saying today that it would seem random for me praise Farm Lore so effusively after not being a fan earlier. I find that school of thought silly. I am not from the food industry.  I love food and I love the talented people who enrich our lives and our experience of food and drink. Restaurants and chefs aren’t static. They grow and evolve. As do we as eaters. Every great meal is a way to see food and interact with it a bit differently, with more understanding and context. To hold on to opinions like they are carved in stone is a sign of ego and not love. And meals like this are a reminder of why I love food so much, because whether you believe it or not, great food loves you back! 

We ate:

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  Bites: Ant bite + Rose Churro + Pea tartlet 
• 
  
  Sea shore: Scallop + Spirulina and coconut sauce + Coconut sand + Bergamot foam 
• Soup: Potato dumplings + Burnt leek and potato soup + Kanzuri + Hazelnuts 
• 
  
  Faux egg: Waffle + Avocado sphere + Yoghurt espuma + Cured yolk + Saffron syrup + Pine nuts + Garlic chive relish 
• 
  
  Sorbet course: English cucumber ribbons (Kaffir lime compress) + Corn snow 
• 
  
  Prawns + Red pepper espuma + Fennel, shallot and carrot confit 
• 
  
  Duck + beet scales + hot beet sauce + purple cabbage and pickled spinach berries 
• 
  
  Pulled lamb + Horsegram + Fried eggplant  + Radish and pomegranate salad 
• 
  
  Ice apple sorbet with charred roasted pineapple 
• Cereal milk popsicle + Berry pearls + Banana cream 
• Coffee bonbon