New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- The first thing you see at Hentak isn't a host or even a table - it's the kitchen. More specifically, the pass counter, where, bathed in a cone of yellow light, chef Nikesh Asem beams from ear to ear. Beside him, his business partner and friend, Araba Laitonjam with an iPhone, is capturing content for the restaurant's Instagram page. Asem towers over a dish of Seafood Bora or fritters with Morok Achar and Ametpa - the achar is a traditional green chilli pickle, the ametpa a fiercely spicy chutney. Behind him, everything moves quietly: sawtooth coriander is chopped, broth is checked, rice is rinsed and steamed. Overhead, the music is Yo Yo Honey Singh. It is Delhi, after all.

Set in Humayunpur, a tightly-packed neigh...