Makaan

You enter Makaan through a small by-lane in Juhu, tucked into a residential complex, which feels fitting for a restaurant whose ethos comes from a Gujarati home. Outside, a patio is set up with tables and board games, while a couple of elderly ladies sit chatting on a jhula and exchanging gupshup. A charming entryway indeed.

The restaurant opens into a warm, expansive space with terracotta walls and oversized ceiling lamps with subtle bandhani accents casting ambient light. There's something unmistakably living-room-like about it, as if you've walked into a close friend's home for a meal. The sounds are familiar: waiters calling out orders to the kitchen, tables of women chatting away and conversation bouncing off the walls.

Founded by Karan Shah, who spent several years working with his aunt Asha Jhaveri at Swati Snacks, and Samyukta Nair, who brings her experience in international hospitality, Makaan is an attempt to bring Gujarati home cooking into a contemporary restaurant setting. For Karan, the idea comes from childhood memories of family and friends gathering around a table, and being fed till shirt threads started straining. For Samyukta, who grew up in Juhu and spent time in Gujarati friends' homes, the restaurant is a homecoming of sorts.

Juhu, with its strong Gujarati community and established food culture, feels like a natural home for it. The question is whether the food can hold its own in a city where casual dining is increasingly becoming the preferred way to eat.

The menu begins with traditional snacks and chaats, and one of the first things you notice is a little note left behind by a previous diner, recommending a dish to whoever occupies the table next. Called Loved Something Today, the idea is a sweet little gesture that takes the guesswork out of ordering from an already concise menu. 

The Makaan no Locho is a must-order, as is the Paanki. The curd-chickpea flour batter steamed in banana leaves is finished live at the table while the Locho – a Surti speciality – is generously served with melting butter, locho masala, sev, coriander and onion. It is everything a good nashto should be: satiating and comforting. The jowar bhel is another winner, tossed with sweet-and-tangy chutney and finished with three kinds of sev. The pudla slice, however, could do with a little more seasoning.

There is a noticeable reliance on besan, from the snacks to the gatta shak, which may make a meal feel a little samey if you order too many of these dishes together. Karan tells me that the menu is a work in progress, with the team planning to try three or four new dishes every few weeks, playing around with the repertoire and introducing additions that reflect the seasons and the evolving tastes.

The mains offer a welcome change of texture and flavour. The vatana muthiya – green peas cooked undhiyu-style with fresh herbs and served with pudina roti – is a great combination, both seasonal and moreish. The gatta shak takes a slightly different approach, with smaller besan gattas nestled in a tangy dahi gravy. As Gujaratis are known for pairing the oddest of ingredients and conjuring up some exceptional combos, the bajri pizza is a hearty interpretation. The baked khichdi is another standout.

The drinks are suited to the weather. Coconut sabja – made with coconut water, tender malai and popping sabja seeds – is refreshing, while the pudina chaas is a good accompaniment. Sugarcane juice can be customised with ginger, lime or mint and pink salt; all of these, including the kalakhatta gola, bring a welcome dose of nostalgia.

Desserts are playful. Amid the softies, the shrikhand one, with its gently tangy yoghurt and elaichi notes, is my pick over the kesar pista version. Chilled and creamy, it feels particularly apt for Bombay's sweltering heat.

As Samyukta puts it, 'There’s a certain need of the hour to preserve the bounty of flavours and seasonality of this cuisine, but the setting and the presentation can evolve around the way people dine today.' It's this balance between familiarity and the possibility of something new that makes Makaan an interesting addition to Juhu's dining scene.

As I leave, I find myself almost expecting the two elderly ladies from the jhula outside to traipse in, wagging their fingers and insisting we eat a little more.

Time Out tip: Go with a bunch of people; this way, you get to order multiple dishes and dig in family style.