THE MODERN PAO

Is there anything more Mumbai than the humble adi pao, the bread that adds value to street food and gourmet fare alike? While you are familiar with all your regular pao accompaniments, four restaurants have reimagined the city staple with a modern twist in their menus

- SAMREEN TUNGEKAR

XACUTI & LADI PAO AT MASQUE

Fine-dining restaurant Masque's dish is inspired by the street foods of Goa and Maharashtra, and is served with their spin on the staple - where instead of toasting it on the tava like it's usually done in street food, they make a laminated dough layered with butter, which is then shaped and baked like a ladi. Chef Varun Totlani makes this dish with a base of carrots and radish, which is tempered with mustard seeds and ginger, and topped with burrata, picked coriander seeds, and the 'ros' - a xacuti curry.

SALI BHURJI WITH FINGER BREAD, MILLO