Nestled over Girgaon Chowpatty within an ancient estate, Varsoo is an upper-level haven reimagining localized meatless gastronomy. Launched by food pioneer Pinky Chandan Dixit, the destination connects age groups through unhurried, standalone platter options. Strict morning market foraging and untouched traditional methods guarantee deeply rewarding dining experiences, prompting patrons to relax over enduring recipes. We sat down with the culinary visionary herself and had a long conversation about Varsoo, her culinary heritage, and what this new venture means to her.
In Conversation With Pinky Chandan Dixit Of Varsoo
unstumbled: After the immense love received by Soam and Aamchee, what inspired you to create Varsoo?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Geographically, the space for Varsoo is nestled in this 200-YO heritage property. Since we’re already leasing Aamchee downstairs, the landlord said, “kuch kar uppar, you know, let’s do something!” So, we played with a couple of ideas, we thought of doing a banquet room, or a PDR (Private Dining Room), or a function place. Then, we realized that it might be nice to do a place that would do justice to the food that we serve – homestyle Indian cooking – in a format that was a bit more relaxed. Soam has now become extremely busy – touchwood, thank god for that – and people who really wanted to enjoy some time with their families and have good food, or enjoy a special occasion were unable to do that at Soam. So, we decided to put together our learnings from Soam – what to do and what not to do – in the form of a legacy we inherited from it, and thus, Varsoo was born. And because the Gujarati word for ‘inheritance’ is ‘waarso’, naming it ‘Varsoo’ seemed like the most appropriate decision.
unstumbled: What did you consciously want to do differently with Varsoo compared to your previous ventures?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: This space is supposed to have a very relaxed ambiance with an old-world charm, which serves homestyle Indian food in a very contemporary setting that appeals to all generations. The idea was to have a cafe-style setting, which would also allow anyone from a single diner to a family party to dine at any time between 11:30 AM and 10:30 PM. Keeping this in mind, we have a lot of menu options that will give you a one-dish meal. You don’t have to order many courses to make a meal; you can simply order one dish and one drink and chill, and come back again sometime to do it all over again. We believe that the places you enjoy coming back to have two things special to the guests – an atmosphere and the service that makes you feel welcome and looked after, and the food should be consistent enough each time to make you salivate when placing the order. This is something that we pride ourselves on, and we want you to come back to us because of our food. We don’t want to be just another restaurant you visited one random week and then forgot all about.
unstumbled: How would you describe the culinary identity of Varsoo in one sentence to someone walking in for the first time?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Ooh! I would say it is the inheritance of Soam, the legacy that we bring with it.
unstumbled: Tell us about the influences that helped shape the menu?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Earlier, when we started Soam, it was this format we chose – breaking down the Gujju thali into many components. Whether it’s your farsan, chaat, meetha, main, or khichdi, you’re not obliged to eat everything together. Over time, we developed a certain seasonality in our menu, which gave us the flexibility to explore other cuisines. So, if it’s a winter menu, we’d do Ponk and Undhiyun from Gujarat and Sarson Ka Saag or Chhole from Punjab, and so on. So, it’s basically ghar ka khana, with no extra oil or masala. That’s what we’ve followed for Soam. It’s just honest, wholesome cooking. So, we try to keep our refrigeration to a minimum; everything is cooked fresh daily to order. We don’t have any rules like yeh pehle jayega, yeh pehle aayega. Roz banega, roz jayega.
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unstumbled: What are some non-negotiable values you abide by in your business?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: I’m not stepping outside my comfort zone to do an edamame salad because that’s not my area of work. I’m probably going to play with regional dishes. For instance, we do a pani puri, and along with the green paani, we also serve a kokum ka paani. This is far enough from the norm but not too far away either. We have this one dish on the menu called Khatta Loat, and it’s a one-dish meal. It’s like upma, but it’s made out of malted rice and moong daal, and is served with a side salad.
I also feel like we don’t respect our cuisine, our food, and our presentation enough. So, for us, it’s important to present Indian food nicely. That, and staying true to our roots, is very important.
unstumbled: Do you think legacy can sometimes feel limiting when creating something new?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Honestly, it hasn’t sunk in yet that Soam is a legacy. We’re just trying to do a good job every day. And, as far as limitations are concerned, the only one we face is in terms of maintaining consistency and delivering the same product each time that the guest would want to come back for. In terms of food, there’s always a guest who’ll share a recipe and ask us to check it out. There’s always someone who’ll advise us, “Bacha, try it like that”, or “that works better.” So, we learn from it.
unstumbled: What continues to excite you about the hospitality space after all these years?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: The buzz! It can get tiring, but there’s never a dull or the same day. Every day’s a circus!
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unstumbled: What is one ingredient you simply cannot imagine your kitchen without?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Besan (gram flour), I think. It’s such an indigenous ingredient that you can turn into a Kadhi, or a farsan, or a pakora with minimum drama! It’s very versatile! Ghee, too!
unstumbled: What’s one of your comfort foods?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Ah! My absolute go-to would be Sev Puri or Khichdi. When I was expecting my daughter, many moons ago, there was this really sweet platter that was made for me. It consisted of two sev puris, two dahi puris, and two pani puris. That was my lunch for quite a lot of my pregnancy.
unstumbled: A childhood recipe that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Pinky Chandan Dixit: There’s one dish we do here called Bajra Methi ka Dhebra that came out of my mother’s kitchen. It’s Bajra ka Atta (Pearl Millet flour) with Methi (Fenugreek), and we knead the dough with yogurt. Then, it’s topped with sesame seeds, and then it’s fried. In Soam, we serve it with yogurt, but here we serve it with Kela Methi Nu Shaak. So, the darkness of the methi is offset by the bananas.
unstumbled: Is there one dish at Varsoo that best represents your journey as a restaurateur?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: The Bajra Methi Dhebra with Kela Methi Nu Shaak, I think. Because it is in its own avatar, but it’s also complemented by something else.
unstumbled: What is that one ingredient everyone loves, but you don’t?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Corn and capsicum! I don’t like them at all! But we do have them on the menu here, so don’t worry!
unstumbled: Which dish on the Varsoo menu are you secretly most protective of?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: No, nothing! The alchemy of the place with the chef and the ambience around it, it creates a certain consistency. It gives that recipe that jagah ka hold. Even if chefs leave and go to different kitchens, I’ve had many who come back and say that “udhar ke jaise nahi banta hai khana!” So, it’s the magic of the place, the sourcing that we do – we grind our own atta, we make our own besan, we follow the old fermentation rules; Haandvo ko utna time rakhna! It’s a painstaking process, but that’s what gives the recipe its flavor. So, rather than recipes, it’s our processes that make our food what it is.
unstumbled: What dish would you recommend to someone who’s trying Gujarati food for the first time here?
Pinky Chandan Dixit: Vaghareli Khichdi, Dal Dhokli Ravioli, and Ker Sanger Panchmel Dal with Khoba Roti.
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About Varsoo And Pinky Chandan Dixit
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Tucked inside an ancient South Mumbai estate opposite Mumbai’s iconic Girgaon Chowpatty, Varsoo (pronounced Waarso) is the third culinary chapter in restaurateur Pinky Chandan Dixit’s book. After establishing the iconic Soam that’s always crowded, and then repeating her success with Aamchee, she’s now welcoming people at Varsoo. It redefines regional vegetarian dining by balancing temporal charm with light, single-plate options designed for lingering. Driven by daily-market sourcing and time-honored techniques, the kitchen delivers meticulously balanced plates across generations, making every return visit a deeply satisfying culinary experience.
Address: 1st floor, Soni Building, 46, 1st Ln, opp. Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Chowpatty, Malabar Hill
Timings: 11:30 AM to 10:30 PM
Cost For Two: INR 1,800
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Summing Up
This exclusive dialogue captures entrepreneur Pinky Chandan Dixit’s newest venture: an elevated, slow-paced sanctuary showcasing ancestral Indian gastronomy. Emerging from the immense popularity of its sister establishments, the eatery emphasizes zero refrigeration, scratch-made components, and single-platter flexibility. It meticulously honors regional roots while providing families a tranquil alternative to bustling dining halls.
