There’s a certain kind of chef who believes great food begins long before service starts. In the patience of a 72-hour dough. In the discipline of technique. In the stoicism to refuse to take a shortcut even when deeply tempted to.
On Sunday, 28 June 2026, two such chefs will share a kitchen at Serious Slice on Cunningham Road for a one-off lunch collaboration that promises to be less about spectacle and more about craft.
Executive Chef Harilal Kumal, the culinary force behind Serious Slice, will be joined by guest chef Clive for an afternoon of live cooking, conversation, and an a la carte menu created exclusively for the occasion. Every dish will be prepared on the pass, in full view of guests, offering a rare glimpse into the rhythm, precision, and spontaneity that define professional kitchens at their very best.
Importantly, this isn’t a ticketed chef’s table or a carefully choreographed tasting experience. It’s simply lunch—albeit one shaped by two chefs who share an unwavering belief in honest food and the pursuit of getting things right.
The menu, aptly titled Red Sauce Club, celebrates the flavours of summer through an Italian lens. It opens with bright, playful small plates, including a Pomelo & Grapefruit Salad with toasted pine nuts and basil pannacotta, a Tomato Tramezzini layered with stracciatella and tomato caramel, and Wood-Fired King Oyster Mushroom Spiedini, showcasing the kitchen’s love for fire and smoke.
The mains bring equal parts comfort and finesse. An indulgent Egg Yolk Ravioli arrives finished with black truffle and a glossy red vodka sauce, while Sea Bass alla Griglia pairs perfectly grilled fish with white bean purée and a sharp caper-raisin relish.
Naturally, the wood-fired oven remains the heart of the collaboration.
The Patata Bianca brings together mascarpone, rosemary potatoes, lemon ricotta, and shaved parmesan for a pizza that feels both comforting and surprisingly bright. The Pollo Nero leans in the opposite direction, smoky, rich, and layered with wood-fired chicken, smoked mozzarella, roasted leek, chilli honey, crispy chicken skin crumb, and sage ash.
Dessert keeps things simple: a delicate Olive Oil Cake served with seasonal mango and lime curd, allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves.
The Minds Behind the Menu
For Chef Harilal, the afternoon is another expression of a career built on precision and consistency. Across more than two decades in professional kitchens, he has worked with some of India’s most respected hospitality brands, including The Fatty Bao and Cantan Chinese Bar House under Chef Manu Chandra. A Gold Medallist at the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations during AAHAR 2011, he has long been known for kitchens that value discipline as much as creativity.
That philosophy is deeply embedded in Serious Slice itself. The restaurant’s commitment to long-fermented dough, hand-stretched bases, and wood-fired cooking reflects a belief that restraint often matters more than excess.
“When two people who are truly serious about food get into a kitchen together, it’s not about ego—it’s about curiosity. What can we make this afternoon that we couldn’t make alone? That’s the only question we’re trying to answer,” says Chef Harilal Kumal.
For Chef Clive, the appeal lies in the immediacy of the experience.
“Cunningham Road has always felt like a place where the food does the talking. Coming in here to cook with Harilal—in front of people, live, on the pass is the kind of afternoon I look forward to. No safety net. Just the dough and the fire.”
Founder Anirudh Kheny sees the collaboration as an extension of what Serious Slice has always stood for.
“Serious Slice has always been about the people who believe in honest food. When two chefs who share that belief get into our kitchen together, we want Bengaluru to be in the room for it. This is what Cunningham Road was built for—not just great pizza, but great moments around it.”
For one Sunday afternoon, Serious Slice will become more than a pizza restaurant. It will be a space where two chefs, one oven, and a room full of curious diners come together around a shared appreciation for craftsmanship, simplicity, and food made with intent.
That philosophy begins with the Margherita—the pizza the team considers its daily benchmark. If the fundamentals aren’t perfect, nothing else matters. Every dough is long-fermented, every base hand-stretched, every pizza cooked with the kind of care that prioritises flavour over fanfare.
What started on Cunningham Road as an obsession with making truly honest pizza has grown into a brand that values substance over noise. No gimmicks, no distractions—just a commitment to food that keeps people coming back.
Because, at the end of the day, the pizza doesn’t lie.
