“Distilled, fermented, extracted, infused”- Noon X The Herball

Chef Vanika Choudhary brings Renowned Bartenders & herbalists, Maxim Schulte and Michael Isted to India for 3 nights from 27^th to 29^th April, 2023

April 2023- Noon, the pioneers of fermentation forward and an extension of Chef Vanika Choudhary's philosophy of experimenting with seasonal, indigenous produce, joins hands with The Herball, one of the world's leading herbalists and mixologists.

As Chef Vanika collaborates with The Herball team (Michael Isted & Maxim Schulte), this unique experience is a dynamic cross-pollination of ideas, emotions, and creativity expressed through a series of holistic rituals to eat, drink and feel.

Inspired by their foraging trip to Sahyadri, Chef Vanika has curated a special 10-course tasting menu built around foraged and indigenous produce from Maharashtra, and introducing it to Noon's philosophy on foraged produce from Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. Discovering the forests of Sahyadri, Maharashtra, The Herball along with the Noon team explored seasonally produces like Mahua, Karonda, Wild Mango and Wild Figs amongst others!

This extensive menu features Chef Vanika’s specials like Black buckwheat tartlet (crab- sichuan pepper, Prawn head garum- mahua shio koji, Pickled star fruit), Oyster (thangyir hot sauce, perilla seeds, tomato shio koji) and Ragi Bhakri (niger seed chutney , jackfruit- kashmiri red chilli & chickpea miso, imli koji chutney,  kanji spiced shallots, karonda achar) amongst others.With a focus on truly understanding ingredients and sustainably extracting and integrating locally sourced plants & produce to create beautiful rituals and experiences, The Herball team has specially crafted a range of concoctions using karonda, mahua, jamun, ber, khus and wild green mango.

This immersive culinary experience is a perfect blend of ancestral fermentation techniques meeting contemporary drinks to celebrate the terroir, people, places, and nature of India.

The collaboration aims to interpret the native forest produce that has been a part of the food system of the indigenous tribes since time immemorial in contemporary and creative formats.

Earlier this month, Chef Vanika and Eleni Michael - R&D Head at Noon - traveled to Neral, Maharashtra to spend time with a Thakar tribal community and understand the wild foods that have been a part of their culinary heritage. The lab at Noon currently has many ferments in the work with the spring produce that the team foraged with the tribal community - Mahua Vinegar, Mahua Mead, Mahua & Saffron Garum, Mahua Shio Koji, Karonda Pickle, Fermented Karonda Murabba, etc.

With an incredible experience as one of the world’s leading drinks consultants, Michael Isted has developed concepts, drinks, and experiences for the likes of The Savoy, The Ritz Carlton, The Macallan Whisky, Grace Wales Bonner, and Dishoom, amongst others. Renowned for his work as bar manager at KOL Mezcaleria, The Ritz Carlton Macau, Maxim Schulte’s bars have been consistently ranked in the Top 20. He is also this edition’s GQ Bartender of the Year and has been crowned as the global champion of the Beefeater MIXLDN 7.

Join us for this exquisite and unique gastronomic journey as Noon collaborates with The Herball on the 27^th, 28^th, and 29^th of April 2023.

Noon X The Herball at Noon, BKC

Dates:- 27^th, 28^th & 29^th of April 2023

Dinner: 7 pm onwards

Pricing:

-        10-course tasting menu paired with cocktails- ₹7,000.00.

-        5-course tasting menu paired with cocktails- ₹5,500.00.

-        Cocktail experience- ₹4,000.00 for drinks only, where guests can choose dishes from the A la carte menu

 (Inclusive of Tax and service charges)

A Brief Profile Chef Vanika Choudhary

Growing up in Kashmir and Jammu, Vanika was exposed to her family farming, composting, foraging, fermenting and cooking the traditional way with seasonal ingredients. Her culinary journey started at a very young age, inspired by her mother’s home-cooked food and her father, a scientist and a passionate gardener. Eating seasonally, organically and locally isn’t a fad, it’s a way of life for Vanika that was instilled in her at a young age. After graduating from Jai Hind College Mumbai, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media, she joined Out of Home Media as a Management Trainee and worked her way up to becoming the COO. In those ten years, she developed many health issues, this gave her a fresh perspective and the kick needed to make the move. Her personal journey of changing her lifestyle, the way she ate and her travels were all inspirations behind the concept of Sequel.

From 200 hours of Hatha Yoga in McLeod Ganj to trekking up to 18,000 feet in Ladakh, Vanika managed to squeeze in time to understand culinary traditions. Her personal journey of discovery was the foundation of Sequel. She spent that year researching and sourcing exceptional ingredients from unassuming small-scale producers from across the country; visiting farms; developing a menu; recipe testing to finally look for a space.