Bandra resident Karan Gaba was all set to open a 35-seater Asian eatery last year in the suburb. The menu was almost curated, staff was hired, the interiors were designed, and they were ready to roll out in the first half of 2020, when life as we knew it changed. “Even in the initial days of the lockdown, I was hopeful that things would get better, but it kept worsening. Things were too uncertain to continue paying the rent for the place. Even when dine-in opened, due to the limited seating, among other reasons, we realised that going ahead with a cloud kitchen was better,” shares Gaba about Soba, a Pali Hill-based Asian delivery kitchen that he launched in February with chef Travis Braganza.

Buckwheat chicken spring roll