Life

From the teams behind Kinoya and 11 Woodfire comes a new handroll concept… 

Chef Neha Mishra is the ramen-supperclub-chef-turned-award-winning-restaurateur behind Kinoya. Panchali Mahendra is the CEO of Atelier House Hospitality, responsible for acclaimed Dubai restaurants like 11 Woodfire and newly opened Gerbou.

And now the two female culinary trailblazers are teaming up for a new Dubai restaurant – and we’re already excited.

In a heartfelt post on Instagram over the weekend, chef Neha Mishra announced her plans to open a temaki (hand roll) bar alongside Mahendra in Dubai later this year.

Sharing how the idea came about, Mishra explained that she had done a DIY temaki spread for her at-home birthday party last year, which Panchali attended. Only a day later, the Atelier House Hospitality CEO called her and said ‘I love those temaki’s, let’s open a place.’

Although Neha said she has rejected several business offers in the last three years, she agreed to it “before Panchali had even finished the sentence.”

Concluding the post, Mishra said, “I’m excited for this, I’m hopeful. Nothing is a given in f&b, sometimes it works, but sometimes you just learn. Saying that, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take so here’s hoping that it works out and we learn along the way.”

While she didn’t give too much away, further details have been announced by Atelier House, who are behind several successful independent restaurants across Dubai and India.

The brand new concept, described as a ‘groundbreaking dining experience,’ is slated to open in the third quarter of the year. No name or location has been given, but we know it will be licensed. In addition to the menu of unique and flavourful temaki, with guests able to watch as the rolls are prepared before their eyes, the venue will also feature a unique speakeasy bar. As per an Instagram post, this is set to be a ‘hidden gem within the dining area [that] features a specialised cocktail program.

Images: Instagram