December 19, 2024 |
Part restaurant, part grocer, part tea house, part clothing company, Adi (meaning “beginning” in sanskrit) is the Tokyo-based Nepalese brand that’s doing things differently. Founded in 2020 by power couple Kanchan and Asumi Adhikari, the quadruple threat label roots itself in South Asian traditions and philosophies to create fresh and natural products, be that an artisanal meal or a pair of shoes.
Book a table at Adi Tokyo for healthy, hearty, farm-to-table Nepali food or shop in store and online at Jiuni by Adi for their lifestyle releases which count tea, kitchen accessories and homemade pantry staples. Chiyaba is their tea house, which came to life after Kanchan journeyed to the highlands of the Himalayas and witnessed small-scale tea farmers in action. Particularly enthralling is their clothing line, which releases under the name Adi Grocery, and serves up a playful fusion of South Asian heritage and contemporary streetwear. Think techy, mule-style slip-ons, zip-up Sherpa fleeces inspired by Napalese culture, graphic ‘peace out’ hoodies and kurta-inspired jackets reimagined with technical fabrics, often created through highly covetable collaborations.
Most recently, Adi joined forces with niche Japanese shoemaker Playground to deliver those sporty mules, as well as a pair of sleek black trainers. Before that, they called upon visual artist Daijiro Hama to produce a powerful pencil drawing that would traverse T-shirts and hoodies. Up next is a Kartik Research link-up, which is set to hit shelves this Friday so keep your eyes peeled.
Here, we chat to the Adhikari’s about all things Adi.
Adi Grocery
1. What is Adi?
Adi is a modern Nepalese restaurant in Tokyo that uses seasonal Japanese ingredients and cooks and serves dishes based on the home cooking, using spices, which are essential to Nepalese cuisine and culture, as the main element.
Adi has a concept of “vehicles.” In Mahayana Buddhism, the goal is to save everyone with a large “vehicle,” but we wanted to make it like a time machine that takes you to travel freely through time and place in your imagination, from the past to the future, from Nepal to Tokyo, through food, and sometimes even to places you’ve never imagine before. The new theme colours of the restaurant we renovated this year, pink and green, are inspired by the colours of the chef’s mom’s kitchen in Nepal. Because that’s where everything began.
Adi is currently expanding its ways of expression beyond food culture to various genres through collaborations and projects with other genres [AKA Adi Grocery]. We would like to continue the journey through food and spices.
2. How does Adi Tokyo work and what inspired you to start this unique brand project?
It all started by chance, without any prior planning. In 2019, due to the failure of a food business Kanchan was running, he found himself in a situation where he had no choice but to cook on his own. This marked the beginning of his career as a chef. When it finally came time to open a restaurant, he teamed up with his wife, Asumi, and together they launched Adi in 2020, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a mission to promote health from within through food and share the rich diversity of Nepalese food culture, they introduced modern Nepalese cuisine to the world.
3. Why does the world need Adi Tokyo?
While we are a restaurant, we actively collaborate with creators from other fields, creating new synergies through cross-genre connections. Additionally, we believe our purpose lies in updating and sharing South Asian culture with the world in innovative ways.
Adi founders Kanchan and Asumi Adhikari
4. Walk us through the latest drop.
This month, we’re collaborating with the Delhi-based fashion brand Kartik Research. To celebrate, we’ll be hosting a special dinner course along with a pop-up event showcasing our exclusive, collaborative capsule collection.
5. If you had to pair a dish with one of your clothing pieces, what would you choose?
We would say…. our Sherpa fleece because it keeps you warm anywhere, making it the perfect choice for enjoying a hearty bowl of traditional dal soup outdoors.
6. As co-founders and partner’s in life, you’re driven by a synchronised approach, shared curiosity, and unwavering passion for the creative process. How did you two come together to work on this brand? How did you meet in the first place?
Our meeting was quite modern and not particularly romantic – we connected through an online dating service (lol). It’s been interesting to see how two people from such different backgrounds, brought together by chance, have managed to work so well together in a creative field. None of this was planned; it’s simply the result of us relying on each other and finding ways to survive as a family, even when we didn’t have many resources or financial support in the beginning.
Adi Tokyo Restaurant
7. Can you walk us through your creative process and any clothing/food making rituals you have?
Cooking begins with the ingredients that arrive each day, each bringing its own uniqueness. I then draw from the mental “spice library” I’ve built over time, thoughtfully combining or refining flavours to create a harmonious balance.
When it comes to fashion, we think about how to weave elements and cultural essence of South Asia, particularly Nepal, into our modern lives in Tokyo. As for the items we create, there’s actually very little planning involved – we choose collaborators based on organic connections and serendipitous encounters.
We work in a very small kitchen, following a simple routine of writing the menu on a small whiteboard each day. The music we play ranges from traditional folk music from around the world to ‘70s psychedelic tunes and Bollywood classics.
8. What is the creative process like when designing, versus making food?
When it comes to cooking, the process starts with the ingredients. However, for fashion and other aspects of lifestyle, ideas often emerge spontaneously from the archives of daily studies, perfectly aligning with the moment. Once an idea surfaces, I approach it much like cooking – considering what can be created from it.
For the creative process that follows, I draw from the archives of my roots and identity, selecting elements that align with the item or collaboration. I strive to apply these elements in a way that is as minimal and simple as possible.
Chiyaba Tea House
9. What’s next for ADI?
We launched our brand Adi Grocery in August. Adi Grocery is a lifestyle brand centered around food culture, considering fashion items and kitchenwear as equal elements of furnishings. It develops products on a project basis, guided by organic relationships and meaningful connections. The brand values the South Asian cultural roots of its founder, the Adi restaurant, while incorporating cultural elements they wish to pass on to future generations from their own perspective. Rather than simply preserving these roots, Adi Grocery aims to update and reinterpret culture with a playful and creative approach. Their ultimate goal is to deliver products that evoke emotions and leave lasting impressions, resonating with people’s memories and nostalgic landscapes.
Photography courtesy of Adi.
