From Scallops to Sorcery: A course-by-course look at Delhi’s hottest pop-up dinner

There are dinners you attend, and then there are dinners that feel like a delicious plot twist in your own life story. Mine arrived plated, perfumed and perfectly timed when CAJSA, the youngest culinary star from ITC Gardenia, travelled north for a fleeting gastronomic residency at ITC Maurya this February.

Food pop-ups, I must confess, are my greatest indulgence. They are the culinary equivalent of teleportation — no airport queues, no boarding passes, just a chair in my own city and suddenly the world arrives course by course. CAJSA had been on my must-try list for ages, whispered about in foodie circles like a secret society. So when it materialised in Delhi for two nights only, attendance was less a choice and more destiny.

The evening felt doubly celebratory because I was marking a personal milestone — my return to ET Now as Lifestyle and Entertainment Editor. What better way to toast a professional homecoming than with a tasting menu designed to travel continents without leaving the table?

A parade of plates, each more theatrical than the last

The opening act — a potted mushroom pâté — arrived looking like a tiny woodland terrarium. Earthy, silken and crowned with grass onion, it spread across brioche toast like edible velvet. Then came a Hokkaido scallop lounging on a bed of glossy Manipuri black rice, bathed in beurre blanc that shimmered like moonlight on porcelain.

The asparagus and corn course crackled with drama: Puffed corn adding playful crunch, while Byadagi chilli oil painted the plate with a scarlet brushstroke. But the true showstopper was Lobster Lux — tender flesh paired with kasundi mustard, tucked beside a golden crescent roll that flaked at first touch.

A fennel and green apple sorbet swept in like a palate-cleansing breeze, crisp and aromatic, before the heavier symphonies began. Hickory-kissed chicken arrived sculpted with vegetables and young peas, followed by the majestic Goat Gala — chops, cheese and apricot phyllo layered like a culinary opera finale, finished with a bone reduction so glossy it could double as lacquer.

Dessert was pure theatre. “The Sorcery” lived up to its name: Raspberry crèmeux and vanilla custard performing a sweet duet. And just when applause seemed inevitable, the Coorg Coffee Conundrum concluded the performance — dulce pebbles crunching beneath lime-leaf ice cream, a finale that was equal parts mischief and mastery.

What makes a travelling menu special is not merely novelty. It is the sense of catching lightning in a bottle — a restaurant stepping out of its home city, carrying its philosophy, flavours and flair like a touring orchestra. CAJSA’s approach — global traditions interpreted through a sharply modern lens — turned dinner into a passport stamped with imagination.

As I left, pleasantly dazed and faintly caffeinated, it struck me that evenings like these are why food writing exists at all: to chase moments where taste, timing and personal joy collide. This was not just a meal. It was a celebration, a reunion, and a delicious reminder that sometimes the best journeys happen without ever packing a suitcase.

Rs 4200 (with soft beverages) plus taxes per person

Rs 6200 (with select beverages) plus taxes per person