Flint

There is a thin, unforgiving line between charred and burnt. Cross it and you've ruined dinner. Respect it, with style, and you have a restaurant worth a day out.

Flint, the grill-forward café lodged inside NCPA, has built its entire identity around that line. Chefs Rahul Akerkar and Jaydeep Mukherjee, with decades of culinary mastery each, hold the flame, whether a high one, slow roast, quick sear, or a finishing touch. 

My first dish was my favourite. The grilled papaya and flamed Burrata Salad consists of fat, sweet chunks of charred papaya colliding with cold, torched, creamy burrata. Juicy flame-grilled prawns followed, their blackened tails delivering a satisfying crack of smoke before giving way to tender flesh. The cornucopia pizza – deep-dish, seasonal vegetables cooked al rescoldo over hot embers – is the crowd-pleaser the menu needs: visually arresting, and clearly doing its job given the appreciative sounds echoing around the room when we take our slices.

The spinach ricotta ravioli was also well done. Bright, sharp confit tomato, sage doing the unexpected work of adding crunch. Flint Reuben, a grilled sandwich, served with layered house-cured smoky pastrami and a side of fries, is also great.

The Japanese have a word – betsubara – for the second stomach reserved exclusively for sweets, and I invoke it without apology. The charred lemon tiramisu is kind of a gamble: but while I came in sceptical (a committed traditionalist in tiramisu matters), I left converted. Some credit may belong to the mushroom manhattan and ambada leaf picante cocktails, which had already done considerable work on my culinary gatekeeping. The crème catalan arrived tableside, set alight by Chef Jaydeep himself.

The vibe: Warm, relaxed, comfortingly familiar. Rust-orange brick walls, antiqued brass bar and a vivid wall mural. 

The food: Clean, bold, unpretentious dishes, expertly touched by flame.  

The drink: Hard to choose from the signature cocktails, summer refreshers, smoothies and a long list of coffees. But try the verry berry and the mushroom manhattan if you can. 

Time Out tip: If you’re hitting this place for breakfast, get the eggs benedict with spicy crab cakes. Breakfast hours here end at noon.