The food I’m drawn to the most is food that has a story to tell. And I’m receiving stories by the kilo at Farro—the latest strong evidence of Pune’s culinary ambitions.
On a small single-sheet menu folded in two, I detect empires and their coastal dramas. I also sense nostalgia, that persistent strain of childhood which binds us to our earliest meals and our fondest kitchens. “Farro was an ancient wheat-like grain birthed in Egypt,” Chef Vardaan Marwah reminds me, “which I’m using as an inspiration and a starting point to explore the lands and cuisines where the grain appeared—the Maghreb, the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean, Arab lands, the Indus Civilisation, Afghanistan, and naturally, India.”
An Atmosphere Of Intimacy
In Pune’s verdant, restaurant-heavy neighbourhood of Koregaon Park, an al fresco half of tables, nooks, and layers leads to a small raised ledge enclave of single stools, opening out to an intimate indoor where the bar and a few tables congregate in conversation and privacy. It’s all very San Diego meets Costa Brava—mellow and dwelling in that enigmatic vibe. Earth tones of wheat, mustard, and tan seep into lime-soaked walls. An installation of handmade clay cups rests languidly on a wall. Plant life flourishes… Cosy nooks and secluded spots revel in the gift of moody lighting. The bar on the elevated level buzzes with ingredients being shaken and cocktails being stirred. Accents of teak and terracotta heighten the sense of rustic bohemia.
With her choices in décor and styling, Amrita Ravi of Studio Śra has created a thing of restraint and languorous elegance. She even includes two physical nods to the grain—a painted wall mural of the wheat in pastoral splendour, and a fertile row of farro sheaves prospering above your eye at the edge of a ceiling. The one grouse I have with the décor of the increasing number of stylish eateries—it’s just too damn dark. At times, I’m forced to navigate the menu like an explorer in search of some enigmatic jewel.
Of Nani’s Kitchen And Global Culinary Voyages
In a further nod to its provenance grain, the menu at Farro eschews the usual entrees/ small plates/ mains template and instead splits the plates across three variants of farro—einkorn (small), emmer (medium), and spelt (large).
At Farro, Marwah brings his many journeys to the table. The restaurant represents a major leap in his culinary life—so far, he has mainly collaborated with his mentor, Michelin-starred celebrity chef Suvir Saran (Devi, Bastian, and currently, Neuma in Mumbai and Jolene in Goa), Michelin Star holder and enfant terrible Gaggan Anand (Gaggan), and another Michelin Star awardee, Sujan Sarkar (ROOH, Indienne). Marwah is going it alone this time around, albeit with a familiar partner—Pune restaurateur Aman Talreja of Sip & Savour Co.
As beautifully plated food begins to arrive, I immediately sense playfulness and culinary mischief in the food philosophy here. Nothing is quite as it seems, and the food revels in this game of mirrors. The Parmesan Jalebi looks, well, like a jalebi, such a constant of life in Marwah’s native Delhi. But one bite of a jalebi ring offers a profusion of rich parmesan, infused with jalebi batter, resulting in spiral fragments that represent an evocative, savoury nod towards the North Indian classic when paired with a smooth saffron dip. The Thirty Layer Truffle Latke offers comparable slow-cooked joy—potato cooked for 12 hours, sliced into 30 slender slivers, crowned with a bloom of truffle and a measure of parmesan cream.
“I want to take diners on a journey,” Marwah tells me. “Not just through Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Maghreb lands, leading towards India, but also through what I remember of home.” And home comes to delicious life in Nani’s Mutton Keema Pao—a faithful mélange of spice and flavour, with Marwah’s contemporary accents of parmesan foam, crunchy poached egg, and chilli oil, anchored by the not-so-street presence of a brioche pao. Marwah plucks a family recipe from Saran’s household too, with the fertile Lamb Kefta whose robust edge via smoked paprika, yellow chilli oil, and pickles, is tempered by the crunch of pine nuts and the royal elegance of a peanut-sesame sauce enlivened with Hyderabadi spices. Another regal selection is the Pashtun Kebab—mince chicken flattened into a patty, each bite best enjoyed when the opulent, granular kebab is stuffed into a fluffy helping of saffron-imbued sheermal, with a sizzling pickled chilli for company.
Marwah, and thus Farro, is at his best when steering the menu towards coastal lands. Indo-Italian diplomacy gets a shot in the arm with Mapusa Market Balchão—street-style Goan prawns dancing into a tangy prawn pickle with the help of caramelised onions and chilli oil, fashioned into a hearty ravioli. Charred Maghrebi Prawns marries Southern India with Northern Africa, Morocco specifically, with tender, juicy prawns drenched in the pleasures of a sambar-infused hollandaise. The simple Levantine Salad, moored by chickpeas, red pepper, fresh garden vegetables, paprika, and oranges, swaddled in a honey and tahini dressing, evokes a costal town in Lebanon like Byblos or such, and days spent by the languor of the sea. Even the Kuttanad Sea Bass, though lacking a finish on the grill and any perceivable crackle of the skin, evokes the paddy fields and coastal cadence of Kerala with the crusted fish fillet swimming in an emulsion of coconut cream and raw mango, charmingly accompanied by the household staple of spiced puffed rice. It’s the sort of whimsy and playfulness that makes eating at Farro a sensorial play of memories.
For the pick of the small dessert selection, Marwah returns home—this time to his mother’s celebrated Navratri rice pudding. Using that family favourite as a template, the chef’s Strawberry Mithai Pudding enlivens a roasted cashew cake and dulce-vanilla rice pudding with cardamom and multiple textures of strawberry—a gel, an ice-cream, a coulis, sprinkling of strawberry dust, and a bunch of fresh strawberries. It’s part nostalgia–part drama, resulting in the dining experience here being such a compelling proposition.
Signature Cocktails And An Imminent Celebration
The stylish, beautifully illustrated drinks menu, with a laminated Roman XI on the front, welcomes you to 11 signature cocktails. Again, ancient empires and trade routes are striking sources of inspiration, taking patrons from Harappa and Mesopotamia to Persia and the Pharaohs via ingredients like cacao gin, eucalyptus honey, kokum, and yuzu. My Empress of the Red Pavilion hits home well—hibiscus tequila reposado, strawberries, goji berries, thyme, and tonic depositing me straight into a folkloric empress’ hosted garden gathering.
On the evening we meet, Marwah has only recently returned from Delhi, freshly married. It’s the perfect occasion to raise a toast to the chef’s new journeys—both culinary and personal.
There’s much to like about Farro. Italian regional fare and Mediterranean coastal gems mingle as one with Arab aromas and Indian kitchen secrets. In its immaculate research of the past, choice of ingredients, sense of culinary playfulness and experimentation, and beautifully plated food oozing flavour and texture, it holds its own as one of the country’s finest new restaurants. It’s fitting that a grain that nourished civilisations for epochs, now gets to nurture a new generation through a stylish, eponymous restaurant.
FARRO | Lane No. 6, Meera Nagar Garden Society; Koregaon Park, Pune/ Price for two with alcohol–Rs. 4,000/ 7 pm – 12 am (Mondays closed)
