Karan Shah And Samyukta Nair On How Makaan Brings A Gujarati Best Friend’s Home To Juhu

Makaan has no nitrous smoke and no pani puri with pearls. Instead, it has locho steamed and finished at the table with melting butter, panki on banana leaf, and a Shrikhand softy. The vegetarian Gujarati restaurant opened on October 20 at Amar Mahal on A.D Road in Juhu.

“We wanted to be warm and familial and, as Karan says, to make you feel like you have gone to your best friend’s home,” says Samyukta Nair, the restaurateur behind LSL Capital. She manages Jamavar in London and Dubai. Her co-founder Karan Shah puts the Gujarati welcome in plainer terms. “Even when you are in a really bad mood, if a guest comes to our house, we have to change. We cannot invite someone in with a sour face.”

Shah worked on operations at Swati Snacks, which opened in Tardeo in 1963. His background is in screenplay writing and direction. Makaan seats 58 across indoor and outdoor areas. Esha Pandya x Design Practice designed it in terracotta, with bandhani accents. A meal for two costs Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,200, and every dish can be prepared to Jain requirements.

During an exclusive conversation with Robb Report India, the two founders talk about what a Gujarati welcome asks of a host, how Makaan’s table differs from Swati’s and why Juhu took two years to find.

Robb Report India (RR): What does a luxurious welcome look like in a Gujarati home?

Karan Shah (KS): We like to steer away from the word luxury, because I think luxury does not matter. For me, a Gujarati welcome is heartfelt. It is someone welcoming you with a genuine smile. That is easier said than done, because even when you are in a really bad mood, if a guest comes to our house, we have to change. We cannot invite someone in with a sour face. That is the first part of Gujarati hospitality.

After that, it is taking care of your guest. That could be what they want to eat or where they would like to sit. People are polite and do not like to say what they are feeling. So Gujarati hospitality has to understand what they are feeling and try to solve it, whether they say it or not. We have to see how people react to what we are doing and saying, and then act accordingly. It is very important to understand what is not being said. I think that is the understated part.

The third most important thing is to keep feeding. There are only two signs for me to stop. One is when the person says, I can't do it anymore. The other is when they put a hand over the plate. Those are the three pillars of Gujarati hospitality, for me at least. That is how I grew up.

RR: After a decade of restaurants abroad, why did Makaan become your India project?

Samyukta Nair (SN): Whenever I assumed I would do something in India, I wanted it to feel rooted. With no pressure. It does not feel competitive in any way. It feels rooted and soulful, and I am excited to be here.

RR: Swati Snacks opened in 1963. What did working there teach you about feeding people?

KS: More than Swati Snacks, it was working under Asha Jhaveri, who took me under her wing. She taught me everything I know, from how food is cooked to how to manage staff and a restaurant, and how to ensure consistent quality and a consistent guest experience. My background is in screenplay writing and direction. I was fortunate that she thought I could take on the responsibility, because working with something like Swati Snacks was really scary for me. It is such an iconic brand, and I was not from the F&B space. I did not know how I would contribute, or whether anything I did would be detrimental to the brand. The one thing I wanted was to take it to a higher level than when I got it. I hope I can say proudly that I did. There is nothing I learned that she has not taught me.

RR: How does the Makaan table differ from Swati Snacks'?

KS: The entire experience is very different, and so is the ambience. We wanted a more elevated approach to the ambience. Swati was a very quick QSR. The service was beautiful and people remember names, but I wanted something a lot more personal, where we encourage guests to eat. We will try to remember everyone's name and favourite dishes, so that the next time they come they get something else to eat. The focus on experience is what will make Makaan different from Swati.

A few dishes here are not served at Swati. I hope we will be a little more experimental. The menu is basic now, but we will have a lot more specials, variation and innovation. We are not going avant-garde. You will never find nitrous smoke coming out of a dish, or a pani puri with pearls. We want to be traditional and rooted in our food, but give you a slightly more modern experience in a modern setting. If it is not broken, why fix it?

RR: Which dish on the menu takes you back to your family home?

KS: This menu is really my childhood, from when I was a kid until now. Panki was something I ate every day. I would come back from school at three o'clock and there would be a panki on my table. I did not have to ask anyone. Sev puri and bhel puri, you grow up eating them, some on the road, some at home, some at friends' houses.

Even the pudla I first tasted roaming the streets of Zaveri Bazaar and Panchratna with my friends. We would go hunting for something new that we had not tried. I tried the pudla and it blew my mind. All of these are different parts of my childhood, just on a plate.

RR: How does the season guide the kitchen?

KS: Like a Gujarati house, seasonal produce is a huge part of it. Winter is when the most famous seasonal items come, like undhiyu, which is made with winter vegetables such as kand and papdi that you only get in that season. That will be on our menu. It is a Gujarati house, so we want to change with the season. We want something new for our guests when they come back.

I think these dishes will now be a lot more accessible. Very few people who are not Gujarati even know they exist. I have taken it on personally to promote that as much as I can. Seasonal fruits, grains and vegetables will all be on the menu as they come.

RR: Why does Juhu feel like the right address for Makaan?

KS: I visited lots of areas and did a lot of recces. I would sit in different cafes and restaurants to understand who the consumer is. Bombay is lovely and scary. Each pocket has completely different preferences and taste profiles. I had to find where my taste profile matched, where what we are doing matched the most. Juhu ticked all the boxes. We have a huge Gujarati, Jain and Marwari population. A lot of people here may not be Gujarati, but even the non-vegetarians are used to eating vegetarian food, because they go to friends' houses where it is vegetarian. Fortunately for me, nothing around here catered to the Gujarati population.

Once I narrowed it down to Juhu, it took me two years to find a place. It is so residential, and people who had commercial properties here did not want to leave after 10 or 15 years. That was another tick for me. If people have survived here and do not want to leave, that means it is the right place. If you give good food and good service, you will get a lot more repeat customers here.

RR: What would you serve a guest who has dined everywhere?

KS: The items on this menu are found in very few places. If you have not been to those places, I would feed you everything. But if you put a gun to my head, the Panki would be the first thing. I would give them the Shrikhand Softy and the Malai Malpuda for sure. And the Baked Khichdi. I keep adding.

RR: What should a guest remember about Makaan long after the meal?

SN: A warm welcome. Food is nostalgic, and food is so personal. But how you treat people is the most amazing thing. You can see it in our interactions with people. We wanted to be warm and familial and, as Karan says, to make you feel like you have gone to your best friend's home. If we can get that, I think we should.

Especially for people in the area. They have been here a long time. This is not a new development. There are people who have lived here for a long time. To get them in and win their vote of confidence would be a really good thing.