Live cooking has its allure: drama, theatre, performance. But HOM, Pratik Gaba's compact new venture in Bandra, offers something different entirely. Yes, the compact Bandra venture centres on a roaring wood fire – the name means 'holy fire' in Sanskrit – but the meal itself eschews showmanship. This is about the hearth, not the spotlight. About food that feeds body and soul, not Instagram.
What unfolds across the 2000 square feet space is part bar innovation, part fire-forward culinary laboratory, with Pratik Gaba at the helm and chef Saurabh Udinia (fresh from Singapore's ‘Revolver’) commanding an open kitchen complete with tandoor and custom wood-fired grill. It's impossible to ignore, you're either at the counter watching the show or seated nearby enough to feel the heat wafting across the space. Eight lucky souls can snag omakase-style seats directly at the pass, though you'll need to plan ahead. Consider it dinner and a show, minus the interval.
The custom wood-fired grill is at the heart of the HOM experience.
The Space
When conceiving the concept, Gaba and the design team at Studio 6158 wanted it to welcome diners in with comforting familiarity. “At HOM, we believe in authenticity, seasonality, creativity, and connection. We focus on fresh ingredients, indigenous techniques, and warm hospitality. The space is designed to feel joyful and welcoming; not pretentious. It’s where great food meets good vibes,” says Gaba.
They’ve dressed the space in terracotta walls and burgundy tiles, eclectic patterns coexist in harmony, bringing the space a distinctly ‘lived in’ feel. The experience is designed to flow between 3 areas, an outdoor smoking and cocktails hideaway, perfect for your pre-dinner catch-up, the main dining area and omakase bar, and an outdoor section that reads like someone's rather fabulous garden living room. While HOM is a space that transitions from refined dining by day to luxe party destination (complete with playlist curated by the team at Annabel's, London), it’s in Chef Udinia’s cooking and Pankaj Balachandran’s bar menu where the real journey begins.
The Bar
Starting the night at the bar means making the near impossible decision of what to sample from their wide array of creative cocktails, which marry unlikely combinations in new ways. Countertop India's Pankaj Balachandran has assembled a cocktail program that doesn't take itself too seriously. A standout that perfectly mirrors the concept of the menu is the Red Shrub Club, a gin-based number with hints of vermouth and red amaranth syrup. While you Maharashtra’s native bhaji has definitely got an upgrade.
The Mango Bell pairs tequila and mezcal with yellow bell pepper, mango, coconut milk, and lime, a perfect slow sipping highball. There's even a Beets by Cafe featuring vodka, espresso, beetroot, and sesame, and while it seems like a strange melange, the resulting cocktail is beautifully balanced with just enough sweetness to push it into dessert cocktail territory, perfect to end the night on. Overall, the drinks menu is described as ‘smashable’ and ‘repeatable’, which is entirely both accurate and refreshingly honest marketing.
The Menu
Chef Udinia's cooking takes subcontinental ingredients and techniques, then veers sideways into unexpected territory. This isn't nostalgia food, nor is it the "modern Indian" you've encountered elsewhere. Instead, think charred broccoli paired with green chilli cashew sauce, or turnip meeting smoky chilli coconut and artichoke. The vegetables here aren't afterthoughts; they're legitimate stars with proper billing.
The dining options are split into two: one curated tasting menu, served at the omakase bar with front row seats to the wood-fired grill as it crackles away. And a second a la carte menu with larger portions built to share.
Udinia’s travels and experiences pour forth in the dishes on the tasting menu. The dahi bhalla chaat, inspired by his childhood in Delhi, arrives as an aerated foam, all lightness punctuated by satisfyingly crisp bhalla. The regional expansion continues with the Punugulu, a crispy fried fritter, native to Andhra Pradesh, but treated with a new take of prawns in rechad masala and an injection of balsamic vinegar. The tartness of the balsamic and cloud-like fritter with that kick of heat from the prawns recheado make for one delicious bite.
A pork tartine features the chef’s own creation, MoSaMa pulled pork on red slaw with crisp buttered brioche. The flavours are a pan-India convergence with MoSaMa standing for Moilee curry, Saunth Chutney, and Makhni gravy (without cream, a combination which was a happy accident Udinia came across one day in the kitchen while whipping up a special dish for one of his regulars. For those seeking comfort amongst the experimentation, the chicken seekh delivers traditional satisfaction: juicy, tender, paired with pickled onions and burani raita. It's a knowing nod to convention in a menu that otherwise refuses to play by the rules.
Elsewhere, stuffed morels swim in deep and drinkable mushroom nihari sauce, while embered scallops on a bed of coconut mud crab with a lime kuzhambu receive minimal treatment inspired by a Thrissur toddy shop, a deliberate showcase for the sweet proteins, unmasked by heavy spicing. The King Prawns are flamed to a crisp and slathered in butter and garlic with a generous dusting of gunpowder podi and curry leaves, leaving the meat tender and dripping in juice. Parsi cuisine goes east Asian with a patri ni machhi-inspired red snapper, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled in a lemongrass green chutney, finished with a squeeze of grilled lemon. Meanwhile, the caramelised baby carrots perched on nimona foam prove that vegetables need not be virtuous to be delicious.
Yes, this is a place where grills take centre stage, but the desserts open up a new avenue for innovation and the HOM team to unleash their creativity. The Saffron with a base of gajar ka halwa-esque Carrot fudge, and airy, spiced saffron espuma, topped with a milk skin gives the team a chance to flex their kitchen science skills in a delicious mix of east and west. While simply named ‘Chocolate’, their divine dessert with a rich chocolate mousse topped with caramelised white chocolate sauce, nuts, nougat, and a sprinkle of sea salt is destined to be a fan favourite. Finishing the trio is a Maple & Butter Pie with vanilla bean ice cream, which is nostalgic, cosy, and the kind of dessert that could turn even the gloomiest day around.
The Verdict
HOM is destined to succeed because it commits fully to its premise. The open kitchen means there's nowhere to hide, and the food follows suit. It’s Chef Udinia’s life and experiences on a plate, no frills, no gimmicks, just a vision executed with skill. It's confident cooking that respects ingredients whilst refusing to be reverential about tradition.
The maximalist interiors might not suit minimalist sensibilities, but they create an atmosphere that feels intentional rather than accidental. At its size, this isn't a place for large groups or a quiet tete-a-tete. It's energetic, theatrical, and unapologetically bold. Gaba’s vision for the space transitioning from dining to dancing may well be the key to bringing Bandra’s discerning locals through the door, and the innovative bar will definitely give them reason to stay for one more drink. While the place seems to be setting itself up as a star-studded party destination, the real stars are behind the pass, and for an evening where fire, flavour, and a bit of culinary fearlessness converge, HOM delivers precisely what it promises, and then lights it on fire for good measure.
Where: HOM 682-691, Khar Pali Rd, 15th Rd, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052
When: Dinner (Tuesday to Sunday): 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM. (Mondays closed)