Restaurant India News: Chef Rahul Sharma Launches Nila, Celebrating India’s Lesser-Seen Regional Cuisines

Chef Rahul Sharma marks a definitive new chapter in his career with the launch of Nila in Cambridge Layout, Bengaluru.
Nila approaches regional staples through a contemporary lens, with curiosity as a guiding principle, focusing on ingredients, technique and process.

“Nila represents the culmination of a journey driven by curiosity,” said Chef Rahul Sharma. “Our first chapter begins in Nagaland, chosen for its remarkable ingredient traditions - from axone to bamboo. We aren’t just serving food; we are studying methods, processes, and ways of life, and showcasing them to tell a broader story of the Indian culinary landscape.”

With a quarterly rotating menu, Nila debuts with a deeply researched first chapter that explores Northeast India, with a focus on ingredients from the Naga region. 

Rahul has spent over a decade refining his approach to technique, process, and detail and brings an experiential menu that bridges the precision of modern fine dining with the intimacy of a home-cooked meal, grounding guests in the tactile traditions that define Indian food culture. 

Nila’s opening 12 course menus does not attempt to recreate classics. Instead, it interprets the cultural fabric that shapes them, from the rhythms of jhum (shifting cultivation) fields to the elemental interplay of land, fire, smoke, and fermentation that define Naga foodways.

Designed by Prachi Joshi of Designworx, this project is deeply personal. Working closely with Chef Rahul and his vision, the idea began with a feeling rather than a form ‘the feeling of rhythm’. Inspired by the cyclical nature of the moon, changing seasons, and the rituals around food, the space was imagined as a journey rather than a destination. 

The live open kitchen, positioned as a central moment rather than a hidden function offers transparency. It celebrates process over perfection, hands over theatrics, making the act of cooking an integral part of the experience. This is not a restaurant meant to be rushed through, but a place where time loosens its grip, allowing anticipation, indulgence, and reflection to coexist.

Nila’s ingredient-first philosophy is driven by authenticity, innovation, and narrative depth. As a brand, Nila seeks to widen the country’s culinary conversation by elevating overlooked regional stories and presenting them with clarity, respect, and contemporary craftsmanship.