#blahvsfood: The Best of 2024 in Food and Drink

 Restaurant of the Year: Naar.

It’s not even close. The food is extraordinary. But the space. The courage. The imagination. The weather. The drinks. The people. This is one of the world’s great food experiences.

Restaurant of the Year, Runner-up: Papa’s.

You take one of India’s three greatest chefs and tell him to just go have fun and be creative. And you get a restaurant that is part private rock concert, part theatre, part community dining and complete and total  brilliance. India has never seen anything like it.

Meal of the Year: Chef Anirban Dasgupta’s meal for Blah Dining Society.

A faithful recreation of the Karmabai khichdi and Ada Pakhala from the Chappan Bhog at the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Assamese silkworms with jhol momo foam and a tomato pitika bao. This meal was a privilege and my single favourite meal of the year. I wish the Oberoi would make experiences like this publicly available. This is priceless. And chef Anirban is Indian food’s greatest hidden secret. 

Casual Restaurant of the Year: Navu.

I’m astounded by Kanishka and Pallavi’s growth over the last four years. Constantly evolving, deceptively casual, incredibly clean, flavourful cooking. This is highly technical, accomplished cooking presented as casual food. 

Non-Restaurant Meal of the Year/Regional Meal of the Year: Karnivore Kitchen with Kalyan Gopalkrishna for Blah Dining Society.

This journey into Bangalore’s meat loving Naati heritage is more than a meal. It’s a journey into history, anthropology, roots, culture and sustainability. And it’s also just an incredible celebration of juicy, fatty lamb cooked with subtlety and skill to really let the meat shine. 

Local Food Experience of the Year: Humayunpur with Taiyaba Ali.

A massive North Eastern community rents low income housing from local Jat landlords and turns an urban village in Delhi into an extraordinary celebration of North Eastern and Himalayan food and culture. And brought to life through the eyes of food historian, writer and chef Taiyaba Ali. 

Food and Drink Destination or the Year: Bangalore.

Naru. Navu. FarmLore. Kopitiam Lah. 23rd Street Pizza. ZLB. Soka. Spirit Forward. Dali and Gala. Pizza 4Ps. Guerilla Diner. Beyond Burg. Klaa. Wine in Progress. Muro. Kebabci. Backer and Charlie. Just the restaurants and bars that have popped in the last two years. Leaving aside the classics. This one is indisputable.