Malvan sits on Maharashtra’s southern coast, where the Arabian Sea decides most of what goes into a pot — coconut grated straight off the tree, kokum pulled from the vine, fish still catching light off the boat. It is a cuisine built on what is nearby, not what is imported, and it does not translate well onto a hotel menu written by someone who has only visited. This is why the story behind Sofitel Mumbai BKC’s newest festival is worth telling. At the helm is Executive Chef Vividh Patil, who hails from Malvan, and here’s why you should visit!
Taste Of Malvan At Pondichéry Café, Sofitel Mumbai BKC
Most chefs spend a career cooking someone else’s idea of a good meal. Once in a while, one gets to cook his own. At Taste of Malvan at Pondichéry Café, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, Chef Vividh Patil isn’t recreating recipes he discovered—he’s serving the food he grew up with.
Running from July 31 to August 9, 2026, the 10-day festival celebrates the bold, coastal flavours of Malvan through dishes that are deeply personal to the chef, bringing the taste of his childhood and home kitchen to Mumbai.
Expect the sea to arrive first — pomfret and prawns in a kokum-sharp curry, coconut worked into nearly everything, dry red chillies doing the work other cuisines leave to cream. It is bold, briny, unhurried cooking, the kind that asks to be eaten slowly.
A Chef, His Hometown And A Menu Full Of Memories
Executive Chef Vividh Patil leads the kitchens of Sofitel Mumbai BKC, and for ten days in the coming weeks, he leads them home.
Speaking about the festival, he says, “Malvani food is not something I learned in a kitchen — it’s something I grew up eating, at home, before I ever wore a chef’s coat. This festival brings that food here, exactly as I remember it. No shortcuts, no adjusting it for anyone. Just Malvan, the way my mother and my Aaji made it.”
Whether you grew up on this coast, married into it, or are simply curious what Malvan tastes like when it isn’t a compromise, Sofitel Mumbai BKC has a table waiting for you!
Where: Pondichéry Café, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, C 57, G Block BKC, Bandra East, Mumbai
When: 31st July – 8th August | 7 PM to 11 PM
9th August | 12:30PM to 4 PM
Cost: ₹3499++ (for adults) & ₹1750++ (for kids)
Call for reservations: +91 91673 91130
Cover Image Courtesy: Supplied