Opening a fine dining restaurant high in the hills of the Indian Himalayas is a decision. It’s hours away from the closest airport and so remote that the odds of you just being in the area is closer to zero than one.

Audacious, as a word, exists for this kind of throw of the dice.

Why would you go? Why did I go?

I ventured to Himachal Pradesh because this part of India is unknown to me. My wife ventured to the Nepalese Himalayas twice and my only direct experience of India was limited to Delhi and Gurgaon.

If you’ve been there, you’ll know those are particular places. They don’t speak to Kerala’s backwaters, Goa’s long beaches and Mumbai’s sprawling metropolis that doubles as a zeitgeist of culture not only in India, but abroad.

With my wife and child back in the UK, I had a weekend where i could go anywhere—but I wanted to go somewhere.

Then there’s the mountains. I knew about NAAR. I met @prateeksadhu years before at @tresindstudio when he was at Masque. He’s talented, and something this far flung deserves a closer look.

It was worth it. A memorable experience and one where you can sense the restaurants best days still lie ahead.

The team is young, ambitious and gender balanced (hurray!). The ingredients are local and seasonal. The revelations kept coming, from French cheese makers living within these hills to a palate cleanser of red plums paired with a Marlborough Pinot Noir, so good, I shared the whole video of the experience.

It’s relaxed but serious about what matters. Just listen to the music playing.

A full review is up on EatGoSee and available on Substack shortly. Thank you to @payalmaharana @__.tutti___frutti.__ @sneha_09 @cinnamon_augratin @shakyhand.serves and others for a memorable night.

#itsliamcollens #restaurantnaar #naar #woodfirecooking #modernindiancuisine #himachalpradesh #indianhimalayas #indianfinedining #eatgosee #substackwriters #foodandtravelwriter Less