08 October,2026 10:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Suprita Mitter
Prawns and Poi; Charred Oysters; Podi Rubbed Chicken
Mumbai is no stranger to restaurant collaborations. But on October 9, the flames at Hearth on the First will have company. Corn will blister at the edges, smoke will mingle with spice, and ingredients will slowly ferment as two very different culinary worlds come together over one evening.
Gurgaon-based OMO will make its Mumbai debut at the Churchgate restaurant, helmed by chefs Dhriti Mankame and Mehul âSabby' Sabharwal. This is no conventional takeover. For one night, the two kitchens will cook together, bringing OMO's produce-forward, fermentation-led cooking into conversation with Hearth's open-fire approach.
For chef Chetna Chopra, culinary director at OMO, bringing the restaurant to Mumbai has been part of a larger ambition. She says Hearth felt like the right entry point. "Taking OMO to Mumbai has always been a part of the larger dream. Everything that they're doing with their kitchen resonates with us even though we are creating something completely different. But then we also have this element of fire which is common."
That shared fascination with fire becomes one of the threads running through the evening. OMO works with seasonality, regional produce, fermentation and preservation, while Hearth's cooking is rooted in flame, smoke and char.
For Sabby, the collaboration also challenges perceptions of what fire-led cooking can be. "At Hearth the main idea that we try to break through every day is the perception of barbecue being very, very meat-forward. And why can't the vegetarian side of it also showcase itself in a concept like that?" That philosophy meets OMO's fermentation-led cooking in dishes such as its Charred Oyster Mushroom, layered with harissa, tamarind and jaggery, muhammara feta, pistachio dukkah and herb and chilli thecha. There is also Naga Chilli Linguine with house-made fermented Naga chilli butter and a Saffron Risotto featuring Kashmiri saffron, charred asparagus and Gondhoraj lime-scented goat's cheese. For Chopra, the oyster mushroom is a particular highlight. "It's one of our top sellers at OMO and I think that's going to work really well with the overall Hearth menu," she says.
Hearth brings dishes including Podi Rubbed Chicken, Tiger Prawns & Poi, its Signature Smash Burger and Lamb Chops & Bheja. Bar bites continue the back-and-forth, with OMO's Jackfruit Croquettes, Mushroom Petals and Finger Millet Fries meeting Hearth's Grilled Cheese, Smoked Pork Toast and Smoked Duck Tostada.
Then come dishes created specifically for the evening. Corn Ribs combine monsoon corn with Sankeshwari chilli glaze, fermented black garlic, toasted coconut and pineapple pico, while OMO's Seitan gets charred pineapple, onion and fermented black garlic sauce. Hearth's signature Pork Chop brings another dose of open-fire cooking to the table.
The collaboration extends to the bar, with cocktails from both kitchens adding another layer to the evening. Expect specials from both restaurants, a tribute to the much-loved Boilermaker, Negronis and everything in between. Ultimately, the chefs see the night as more than what arrives on the plate and in the glass. For Sabby, it is about creating "a great time, a community, a sense of belonging".
Perhaps that is why the menu came together naturally through instinct; conversations and ideas were exchanged between kitchens rather than following a rigid blueprint. And perhaps that is the point of a good collaboration: where two restaurants don't speak the same language, but work towards meeting somewhere in
between.
ON October 9
AT Hearth on the First, First Floor, Eros Theatre Building, Maharshi Karve Road, Churchgate.
TIME 7 pm to 1 am
CALL 8976808947/48
