It started with a bottle of gin. Bengaluru resident Vishal Shetty was having people over for a meal, and invited her childhood friend and neighbour Divya Prabhakar, who went over with gin. By the time everyone had left and the last drop of alcohol had been drunk, the duo had a plan: they would launch a business together. This was August 2015. By February 2016, the duo started the Bengaluru Oota Company (BOC), hosting meals at a lovely little home in their city. Starting Wednesday, they will be serving delicious Mangalorean and Gowda fare in Mumbai, as part of the Canteen Karnataka Feast, a pop-up being held in collaboration with The Bombay Canteen (TBC).

Kane Fry. Pics/Ashish Raje