At this year's Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF), we got an exclusive sneak peek into what is now shaping to be Mumbai's next great destination for the grill and flame. Flint, a grill-forward cafe is now open at the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA).

Built around the primal technique of char and smoke, Flint aims to offer these bold grilled and smoky plates. Our session at KGAF had an exclusive tasting of the food and energy that now defines this space.

At the elm is Chef Jaydeep Mukherjee (JD)

Chef Jaydeep Mukherjee, affectionately known in the industry as Chef JD, has over three decades of experience shaping India’s contemporary dining landscape. Now leading menu innovation and brand direction for Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality, his approach brings together both global sensibilities and local tastes to the dining plate.

During a live masterclass we learnt some of Chef JD’s refreshing, unfussy culinary philosophy.

Some more on the Art of the Grill, told through soup:

Touching upon Flint's core philosophy of fire and smoke, he warned about the delicate balance of marinades:

"A lot of honey or let's say sugar... as part of the marination, what happens is you've got to be very careful when you place this meat in a tandoor or over charcoal or over any heat source."

For Chef JD, a good base is everything, though he stresses it shouldn't be overly complicated:

"Stocks are very important to the style of cooking that we do. Very important in any professional kitchen actually, whether it is Indian or whether it is Western food. The bases are often stocks. The stock that we just added was a simple vegetable stock. You do not need to take so much trouble working on the stock. It just needs aromatic vegetables in the absence of anything else, just water, onion, and carrot is good enough to give you a really flavourful stock. You add celery to it, yes, even better. You get your hands on some parsnip... Yes, even fancier and better. But really, I mean, you don't have to take so much trouble. At the end of the day, will it even be discernible in the soup that you do? No, it doesn't really make that much difference."

And when it comes to strict measurements, his advice is liberating for any home cook:

"I have this habit of digressing from printed recipes. If you notice that happening, it may be good for you because it's something that you could do at home, right? There is no reason for you to follow the recipe. The recipe is a guideline to forget, move away, do your own thing is ideal, I would think."

On Variations

A base recipe can be transformed depending on your mood or audience:

"It's just vegetable stock, onion, garlic and a lot of cooked fennel. You can add a touch of white wine to this. You can add white wine vinegar, just a touch. You can add dairy cream to it at this stage, and it makes a delicious fennel soup. You can choose to serve it exactly how it is, chunky. You can puree it and serve it."

To elevate the dish, Chef JD offered some additions:

"Bacon does the trick. It's beautiful with the fibre, with the vegetables, all of it... this soup also is very close to a classic minestrone."

On ingredient pairings

Chef JD offers his expert pairing choices:

Pumpkin: "I would not add pumpkin to a soup like this because I would like the vegetables to be a little more neutral. Something that would carry along with the tomatoes. Here I want the tomato to be the hero ingredient and the fennel to kind of accentuate it..."

Clams and Mussels: "Any seafood... works beautifully. I would start the soup and add the clams and mussels and then remove them, but the juices would remain and the clam juice and all that with fennel is just another level. A dash of vodka in a soup like this works very well."

Here are two dishes you can recreate in your own kitchen.

Charred Tomato Broth, crispy fennel, birista, onion oil

Serves 5

Ingredients

For the Charred Tomato Broth:

• Ripe tomatoes: 1.2 kg (about 8-10), halved
• Fennel bulb: 1 large bulb, roughly chopped (reserve fronds for garnish)
• Garlic: 4–6 cloves, peeled
• Onion: 1 medium yellow or red, quartered
• Olive Oil: 3–4 tablespoons
• Vegetable or chicken stock: 750ml to 1L (adjust for thickness)
• Seasoning: 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes
• Optional: 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar for depth

For the Crispy Fennel Garnish:

• Fennel bulb: 1 small bulb, shaved paper-thin (use a mandoline)
• Olive oil: 1–2 tablespoons
• Salt: To taste

For the Birista and Onion Oil:

• White onion: 2 medium sized, sliced thin.
• Deep fry in hot oil till pale golden brown and crispy.
• Strain and hold on paper towels.
• The fried onions or birista will turn crispy, once cool.
• Reserve the oil to sprinkle small helpings over the soup

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 200°C. Arrange tomatoes (cut side up), fennel, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season.
• Roast for 25–30 minutes until fennel edges brown and tomato skins char.
• Transfer vegetables and juices to a pot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes.
• Purée until smooth. For a silky texture, pass through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in balsamic vinegar if desired.
• Fry shaved fennel in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden and crisp (3–5 mins). Drain and salt.
• Ladle hot broth into bowls. Garnish with crispy fennel, fronds, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Roasted persimmon Bruschetta, smoked stracciatella, hot honey, sourdough

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• Bread: 4 thick slices of sourdough bread.
• Fruit: 4-5 ripe persimmons (sliced into wedges)
• Cheese: 200g Smoked Stracciatella
• Glaze: 2–3 tbsp hot honey
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Rosemary
• Pistachios: 1/4 cup toasted

Instructions:

Roast the Persimmons:

• Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).
• Toss persimmon wedges with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Roast for 10–12 minutes until softened and slightly caramelized at the edges. For extra depth, drizzle a small amount of honey over them for the last 3 minutes of roasting.

Prepare the Sourdough:

• Brush both sides of the sourdough slices with olive oil.
• Toast on a chargrill pan or in the oven at 200°C for about 5 minutes until golden and crisp.
• Pro Tip: Rub a halved garlic clove over the warm toast for a subtle aromatic base.

Assembly:

• Spread a generous layer of smoked stracciatella over each warm slice of sourdough.
• Top with 3–4 warm, roasted persimmon wedges.
• Drizzle liberally with hot honey.
• Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, and fresh thyme leaves.

Which of these fire-kissed dishes are you going to experiment with first? Let us know in the comments below!