Hong Kong, April 6 -- Sure, Bengaluru is a city of pubs but ask any local to name the top five pubs in the city, and most would include The Permit Room in the list. Opened in 2016, the restaurant became popular for putting South Indian cuisine on the pub grub map; think Urban Kosambari Salad, Puliyogare Poppers, and Mysuru Lamb Saaru. The man behind the inventive menu? Chef Kavan Kuttappa, Head of Creative Culinary, pH4 Food and Beverages Pvt Ltd.

An alumnus of Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Chef Kavan, 33, has had stints at prestigious establishments like Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Jean Georges, and Momofuku in New York, where he had built a strong foundation for himself. Coming back to India in 2014, he found Olive Beach ...