When Prashant Issar, former co-founder of Mirchi and Mime, decided to set up a branch of the socially responsible restaurant in Powai in March 2015, he was swimming against the tide. Most hospitality and high-end retail establishments in the neighbourhood had shut shop due to rising rents and dwindling revenues. But, Issar, 45, saw potential. "To me, Powai represented a composite ecosystem, with affluent residents, a corporate crowd and a good number of expats," he says. The Powai diner, nestled in the quiet Lake Boulevard Road, was away from the bustling Central Avenue Road—a conscious decision on their part to market it as a destination restaurant. "We wanted customers to make an effort to seek us out," he says. The risk paid off. Not just for Issar but the industry, too.

The Powai outlet of House of Mandarin is the third in the city and receives a mixed crowd across ages