What is a “San Francisco” cooking style? You can just taste it. There’s a reason the city is held as a culinary Mecca — its chefs have a wealth of top-quality artisanal and organic ingredients and are constantly inspired to dream up new tastes.

When leading San Francisco chef Joey Altman was approached by an Indian company to bring the tastes of the city to upscale diners in South Mumbai, he was puzzled at first. But now his restaurant The Table has earned rave reviews and a spot on Mumbai’s list of must-be-seen-there destinations.

Altman shared some of the joys and struggles of his experience with India-West.

“I was brought on with the directive to create a ‘San Francisco style restaurant,’ and being a San Franciscan chef I never had to think about interpreting that, I just did it,” Altman said in an e-mail. “But when I did, I realized it was about procuring the best ingredients and making them taste as perfect as possible using great technique and restraint from over-complication.”

So instead of a drab collection of “continental” dishes that have been done to death, Altman focused on ingredients.
“At The Table, what you won't find is the typical Indian Western seven-page menu with 12 different versions of the same dishes with minor tweaks to try and cast as wide a net as possible, but a modest, focused menu showcasing the best of the seasonal and many local ingredients that are created with inspiration and executed with great care and precision,” he explained.

Executive chef Alex Sanchez, and owners Jay Yusef and Gauri Devidayal, have worked tirelessly to hone every aspect of the dining experience. One of the most distinctive things about the restaurant is its communal table — a fixture at casual and fine eateries here, but still a novelty in India. “Though it was a gamble at first, we introduced the first communal table to the fine dining experience, and by the reactions of our customers one that has paid off for everyone,” Altman told India-West. 

He describes the space, near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharishi Marg, as “a perfect balance of high style and elegance — yet relaxed and very user friendly, making it very comfortable for a romantic excursion or a casual drop-in get together with friends.”

And the food? GQ praised its chevre salad and lobster cake, cioppino fish stew and rawas (fish) with bok choy; while Brown Paper Bag oohed over its polenta bathed in a decadent, truffle-scented roasted mushroom sauce and “delish spinach and ricotta cannelloni.”

Building the restaurant, developing the menu and training the staff was educational for him, said Altman. Working in India for the first time, he says he was happily surprised to learn “how hard people work and how happy they are to please. They are the embodiment of the spirit of hospitality.”

Altman noted that although it’s nice to see The Table be the hip new face on the scene, “it is the often repeat business of the locals that assures us it’s not just a look-see experience people are coming for but to enjoy their new favorite spot … Mumbaikers are a great audience to create recipes and menus for.”

Not a Mumbaiker but thinking of visiting The Table? Find Mumbai hotels nearby and enjoy this San Franciscan cuisine for yourself!