A few months before the birth of her second child in 2008, Kalpana Mudliar, a corporate professional at the time, quit her job. Two years later, she started a pre-school in Vashi, which she helmed until 2014. It was during this sabbatical that she began pursuing her all-time love for food more seriously, she shares, as she readies to launch her catering and foodservice, Vanakkam Mumbai, in September.

But her acquaintance with chef Raunak Gyani, also a managing partner at Soy Street, an Asian diner in Vashi, led to collaboration so speedily that Mudliar, interestingly, is doing her first pop-up, even before her company is registered. "People have come and enjoyed the food so much that they want to return with their friends and family. It was supposed to end this Wednesday, but now, we're extending it till next Sunday," Gyani says about the ongoing Vanakkam pop-up at his establishment. But why is an Asian diner serving South Indian fare?