A dinner table is usually the quietest thing in a restaurant. At Soma, Grand Hyatt Mumbai’s North Indian restaurant, it has been handed a script. The Magic Table, a dining format created by 2Spicy Entertainment GmbH, has made its India debut here, and we sat down to find out whether the food can keep up with the illusions.
We Tried Mumbai’s First Magic Table At Soma And The Plates Were Part Of The Show
The concept travelled from Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, where it first launched, and Mumbai is its first stop in India. Projection technology turns the tabletop into a screen, so each place setting reacts as the story moves along. The evening is guided by magicians Thommy Ten and Amélie van Tass and is built as five chapters: Open The Table, The Crystal Ball, Houdini’s Escape, The Magician’s Circle and The Final Act. Together they form The Grand Illusion, and every course belongs to that story.
The format is meant for all ages. Children get their own Young Magician’s Menu, with interactive elements pitched at them, which makes it far easier to book for a table that spans three generations. Adults, meanwhile, get the same chapters and the same visual effects, so nobody is left watching somebody else’s show.
What We Ate
Food That Plays Along
The kitchen mixes European technique with Indian flavours, and it is confident enough to put both on one plate. That balance matters, because a dinner built around spectacle can easily forget the cooking. Here, the dishes are given room to speak.
We began with a Peruvian asparagus and poached chicken soup, hearty but silky, with a faint lemony lift that stopped it feeling heavy so early in a five-course run. It set a calm tone before the evening picked up pace.
Murg malai followed, paired with a green apple relish and a jalapeño pickle pear salsa. The relish and salsa gave the soft, creamy chicken something sharp to push against, and the heat from the jalapeño arrived late rather than turning the dish into a spicey tornado in my mouth.
The bhuna gosht was the most Indian moment of the night: jeera aloo gosht under a tomato reduction, finished with gucchi, also known as morel mushrooms. The chef’s special, an Arborio risotto topped with chicken tikka and sweet potato chips, was the clearest example of the fusion idea. Italian rice, tandoor-style chicken and a crunch on top.
What The Menus Promise
Vegetarians are not an afterthought. The printed vegetarian menu runs from Jerusalem artichoke soup with black Périgord truffle and parmesan cookies to a vegan calamari and watermelon tartare, a beetroot goat cheese dahi bhalla and gucchi nihari. The non-vegetarian menu lists lobster bisque with caviar and lobster medallion, seared scallop, bhuna gosht and Chilean seabass moilee. Both finish with a chocolate hazelnut tarte.
Drinks With a Bit of Theatre
Lost of Wonder pairs gin with house wine and finishes with pepper. Oracle is a gin-based cocktail topped with edible glitter and a raspberry, built for the photograph as much as the sip. Both fit the mood of the room, where the drinks are meant to look as playful as the table.
Where The Show Meets The Plate
The risk with any immersive dinner is that the story and the food compete for your attention. At The Magic Table, they take turns. Each chapter gives you a few minutes to watch the table change, and then it steps back so you can eat. The pacing across five courses felt deliberate, and the effects never made us rush a plate.
It also helps that the cooking is rooted in familiar comforts. A bowl of soup, a kebab, a slow-cooked meat dish and a risotto are not experimental dishes, and that is the point. The magic comes from the tricks of the magician and storytelling, so the dishes from the kitchen can stay reassuring.
So, go for the story, and enjoy the cooking as a good bonus is our final verdict on the entire experience.
Know Before You
Where: Soma, Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences
When: Monday to Sunday, from October
Dinner seatings: 7pm and 9:30pm
Cost: The Grand Illusion Menu is ₹9,000 plus taxes. The Wizard’s Essential Menu is ₹6,500 plus taxes. The Young Magician’s Menu for younger guests is ₹4,000 plus taxes.
Cover Image Courtesy: Tanvi Shrivastava
FAQs
How much does The Magic Table cost?
The Grand Illusion Menu is ₹9,000 plus taxes. The Wizard’s Essential Menu is ₹6,500 plus taxes. The Young Magician’s Menu for younger guests is ₹4,000 plus taxes.
Where and when can I book The Magic Table in Mumbai?
It runs at Soma, Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences, Monday to Sunday. Dinner is served in dedicated slots at 7pm and 9:30pm. Book through the hotel, as seating is fixed.
