STAND OUT FROM THE CAFÉ CROWD

Restaurateur Gauri Devidayal on facing her fears, how the ranking game is affecting dining, and her pride in homegrown brands

- Jahnabee Borah

On Monday, I was in Bandra, Mumbai, outside a yet-to-open restaurant. The floor-to-ceiling windows were covered with blinds, and the air was laden with the smell of fresh paint. A large marble table—which will be a display for fresh bread, croissants and desserts—was lit by three hanging floral lamps. A sign outside said, “Mag St. opening soon”.

I was there to speak to Gauri Devidayal, 43, the person behind this new venture. The co-founder and director of the hospitality company Food Matters Group that owns a number of brands like Mag St. and the The Table, has been on a mission to launch a restaurant in Mumbai’s café capital of Bandra for over a decade. That dream is now coming to fruition with Mag St. opening for business later this month.

In 2011, Devidayal and her husband Jay Yousuf launched the premium dining space, The Table in Colaba. They introduced concepts like farm-fresh ingredients, small plates and community table, now an inherent part of the city’s dining culture. This week, The Table completed 13 years with a menu by their new American chef Will Aghajanian. The first outlet of Mag St., formerly Mag St. Café, opened in Colaba in 2021. In the run-up to the Bandra opening, they dropped the word café from the name to position it as a casual restaurant with high-quality coffee, and a bar serving craft cocktails. The food menu offers popular dishes like pho, lobster rolls and a full English breakfast. There’s an outdoor seating area for guests with pets.

The year has started off with fresh beginnings for Devidayal. In an interview, the restaurateur talks about cafés, battling fears and the transformation in the restaurant space. Edited excerpts: