A chance meeting, a shared dream, and a casual collaboration, jamming around food ideas, brought together Bandra boys — chef Anand Morwani (The Big Zest, Rocketman Pizza, ex-Brewbot); Rohan Mangalorkar (The Big Zest, Rocketman Pizza, Pack-a-Pav) and Karan Gaba (Bokka Coffee, Farmers Cafe, Bombay Salad Co, and Tamari) — to create Gaijin on Linking Road.

Gaijin, meaning outsider in Japanese, brings a fresh take to the table. “Hailing from a QSR background, launching a full-scale restaurant was a leap, but it felt like a risk worth taking,” says Mangalorkar. During a space scouting mission, he and Morwani bumped into Gaba at his restaurant. “We’d known each other, but that day, something clicked. We were all eyeing the same spot,” recalls Morwani. Gaba adds, “We wanted something different — fresh, grounded, and full of soul. The space chose us, not the other way around.” The concept took shape after Morwani’s month-long visit to Japan. He returned with a vision: Japanese flavours through French and Italian techniques. There are no rules, just rhythm.