A culinary passage across India: Finding magic at Manila’s first vegetarian supper club

By Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, FICD, MBM

The morning started with a heavy downfall of rain, prompting me to swap my outdoor grounding for a quiet indoor yoga practice. After a steady rhythm of working on presentation slides, running errands for Dada’s medicines, and enjoying a brief siesta, I headed to Makati at 5:00 PM for an event I had been anticipating for days. I was warmly invited by my friend Kavitha Kowlgi to attend the inaugural SAKA EATS Supper Club.

SAKA EATS is Manila’s very first exclusive vegetarian supper club, born from the shared brilliant minds of Sameera Sehwani and Kavitha Kowlgi. The concept is pure magic: gathering an intimate table of just ten guests to transform a single evening into a shared celebration of genuine connection, artistic storytelling, and sublime gastronomy.

The women behind this experience are deeply inspiring entrepreneurs. Kavitha—the founder of SouthIndy, managing partner at Binary Tech Stay Solutions, and an I-WE (Indian Women in Enterprise) NOVA Entrepreneurial Spirit Awardee—combines sharp leadership with an extraordinary gift for telling heartfelt stories through her culinary masterpieces. Complementing her mastery is Sameera, the powerhouse behind Kebab Factory, whose artistic eye for styling truly took my breath away.

With Kavitha Kowgli, one of the founders of SAKA EATS

Walking into the dining room, it seemed as though Sam had captured all the vibrant colors of the rainbow. The table was draped in scarlet silk and flanked by emerald chairs, glowing beneath a kaleidoscope of lush red, sun-yellow, fiery-orange, and delicate white blooms arranged in polished brass vases. Jewel-encrusted golden plate chargers, flickering tea lights, and shimmering blue, red, and clear crystal wine glasses seamlessly conspired to turn the room into an enchanting visual feast.

Before our seven-course voyage began, Sam introduced a charming ritual. We broke the ice with a mystery question inspired by Eat, Pray, Love, and were each given a tiny brass bell on a wooden stick to chime whenever a dish delighted our palates. As you can imagine, there was a lot of musical tinkling throughout the night!

Themed “Passage Across India,” the menu served as a modern, edible map of regional flavors inspired by Kavitha’s travels.

The Refresher: We were welcomed with Kulukki Sharbath, a refreshing Kerala street-style shaken drink made of lemonade, green chili, mint, and basil seeds that instantly awakened our senses.
The First Bite: Next was the Hooghly Crunch, a golden Dhoka Bhaja from Bengal and Bihar. Born in the 19th century, widowed women ingeniously ground lentils into spiced, dense cakes to playfully mimic the chew of meat. Kavitha served these fritters with vibrant accents of mustard, peanut garlic, beetroot, and a Kasundi mustard emulsion.

The Hoogli Crunch

The Reinvention: The Corn Rangoon followed, a delicate vegetarian twist on Crab Rangoon featuring a crispy wonton wrapper stuffed with sweet corn and seasoned cream cheese, which Kavitha rigorously perfected across four trials.

The Corn Ragoon

The Royal Treat: Our map then led us to 18th-century Lucknow for the Jackfruit Galouti Kebab. Using tender young jackfruit and aromatic Awadhi spices, Kavitha recreated the exact melt-in-the-mouth texture originally crafted for an aging Nawab who had lost his teeth but refused to give up kebabs.

The Galouti Kebab

The Intermezzo: To prepare us for the main event, we were served a bright Lemon Sorbet infused with sugar crystals and mineral-rich black salt (kala namak), beautifully resetting our palates.
The Crescendo: The room fell into a reverent silence when the Kashmiri Pulao arrived. Inspired by 14th-century Wazwan banquets of communal unity, this subtle, saffron- and fruit-studded rice was paired with pan-seared paneer bonbons over a velvety Makhani reduction.
The Grand Finale: We ended with a Layered Modern Gheeyar from the Sindhi Community. Often called the “Giant Sindhi Jalebi,” this 6-to-10-inch festive Holi sweet was kept crisp by lightly drizzling it with saffron syrup, finished with grated mawa, roasted nuts, and fragrant candied rose petals.

As the final ringing of the bells echoed softly through the room, I looked around at ten faces that had started as strangers, now bound by shared warmth. I was so happy to reconnect with old friends like power couple Maulik Parekh and Tonichi Achurra-Parekh, and Saira Budhrani-Reshy Mirpuri from I-WE, while making new friends like Engr. Rahul Kanagala and Zaida Garcia Batallanos.

From this maiden dinner, I daresay that SAKA EATS will be a phenomenal success, and I understand there is already a long list of people waiting to experience this. Sameera and Kavitha created more than a meal; they crafted a sanctuary of passion, heritage, and joy. Hearty congratulations on your inaugural event. Above all, my heart overflows with gratitude to the Lord for blessing me with such an exquisite adventure, and for sending beautiful, inspiring friends like Kavitha into my life.

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