For an upcoming dinner in the city, something quietly powerful is brewing. Not a fusion, but a conversation, not a clash, but a cadence, where instinct meets precision and silk meets spice, where Chef Manish Mehrotra — one of India’s most celebrated culinary visionaries known for reimagining Indian cuisine with global technique — will step into the kitchen with Chef Raymond Wong — the calm force behind Hakkasan, Mumbai’s modern Cantonese evolution. Together, through gestures, glances, and shared rhythm, they will compose a seven-course experience at Hakkasan, Bandra that will be more than the sum of its parts , where each plate will carry a pause, a thought, a story.

It begins with Pearl of the Orient — crisp lotus root topped with creamy cheese and Thai herbs — followed by the Cantonese Spiced Sphere, rich, warm, and wok-kissed. The menu then moves into mains that build on the chefs’ shared approach and contrasting styles. Mehrotra’s XO Butter Rice delivers on comfort and umami, offering a rich and satisfying experience. In contrast, Chef Wong’s Imperial Seafood Truffle is lighter but equally refined, made with premium ingredients like morel mushrooms, crab, and truffle, while staying true to the clean, balanced flavours of Cantonese cooking.

Imperial Seafood truffle and XO butter rice; (right) Emperor’s saffron broth