Hyderabad: One of the biggest complaints about the food scene in our city is that it does not match up to other metros in terms of innovation. Those who are well-travelled especially often remark that Hyderabad still has a long way to go. While Hyderabadi cuisine of course is always around, one has to look hard to find something new and also food that is consistently good in terms of both quality, taste and even novelty.
To try and fix that gap, lawyer-turned-chef Pragati Mitta started her experiential dining venture The Long Table recently. Offering a wide range of delectable options for anyone who is looking to try new cuisines, TLT is perhaps one of the best things to happens to Hyderabad in recent times. The intimate experiential dining is held in Pragati’s own home in Hyderabad, giving it a more personal touch.
What sets it apart is that TLT’s USP is its limited-edition seasonal menus using fresh, locally sourced produce. “The goal at The Long Table is to bring the world to the table, fusing international and local flavors,” says Pragati. Siasat.com was invited to one of her last ‘Mango Edition’ dinners, and boy oh boy, was it a treat.
Right from the summer cooler starter to the sticky rice dessert, everything led to a fabulous explosion of our taste buds. The 10-seater dinner was done with finesse. Picking up to read the menu itself is exciting given that it won’t anything we can anticipate. Once the meal starts, the chef takes her time to explain the idea and intricacy behind every single item on it.
The Mango Edition – what we ate
–Summer cooler
-Salad (3 kinds of mango, bell pepper, lettuce, peanut butter & soy dressing, wasabi tule)
–Achappam (rose cookie, mango puliseri, inji pull)
–Iced tea (mango, mint fizz)
–Taco (smoked BBQ pulled jackfruit, mango salsa, jalapeno crema, masa corn tortilla)
–Gazpacho (reverse spherified mango and cucumber cold soup)
–Crispy rice (soy ginger glazed tofu, aromatic rice, totapuri mango slaw)
–Mille Feuille (mango shrikhand, phyllo, aam papad, hot honey)
–Sticky Rice (class Thai dessert – mango, karuppu kavuni rice, coconut).
“We don’t have a strict menu. The next menu I am looking to do is cuisine based. I still look to change menus to keep it fresh. The current form is new. I intended to open my new restaurant using produce from my farms. But after working in the food industry here I decided not to and thought to start something like this that is more under control,” Pragati says.
Her experience working in the food industry in Hyderabad is what pushed Pragati to start The Long Table eventually. “I have seen how fickle the food industry is. Everyone is looking for something new, and it is very rare that people have loyalty. If anyone does anything radical, they are punished. Like if I had to do this in a restaurant, I don’t think it would work,” she adds.
Reservations are accepted four to five days in advance for the weekend dinners. Currently, Pragati’s ‘Barsaat edition’ menu is on. Anyone looking to book reservations can reach out to her via her Instagram page.
About the chef and TLT: Pragati Mitta is a lawyer-turned-chef. After graduating in History from St. Stephen’s College and earning a Bachelor’s in Law from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University, she practiced law for a couple of years before deciding to follow her passion for cooking. Pragati started cooking during a summer internship in Egypt, where she lived away from home for the first time, and she hasn’t stopped since.
To round out her culinary knowledge, she studied Pastry and Baking Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and took classes in local cuisines in Italy, France, Greece, Vietnam, and Mexico. After culinary school, she returned to India and worked for a few years in Delhi at the Olive Group and L’Opéra, a French patisserie.
A couple of years ago, she moved to Hyderabad intending to start a food venture using produce from her family farm just outside the city. To better understand the food market and preferences in Hyderabad, she worked as a consultant to a few restaurants. The Long Table (TLT) is the culmination of all her travels and experience in the food industry over the better part of a decade.
