On one windy spring afternoon, I met Natasha Jain and Priyank Sukhija - restaurateurs + business partners + would-be life partners. We chatted about what it is like for them being together 24x7. After all, the madly-in-love couple is behind some of Delhi’s finest restaurants – Plum by Bent Chair, Diablo, Dragonfly, Lord of The Drinks, and more. But the similarity ends right there, and the couple is quite ‘chill’ about it. For example, Natasha, 31 – an early riser and ‘the organised one’ – was on time for our meeting. For Priyank, 40, we had to wait for half an hour.
“For him, reaching anywhere on time is impossible!” joked Natasha. So, they work on the same projects, but have different offices and work hours. She designs the outlets, he manages the operations and the food. They live in the same house, but their routines are different. By the time Priyank wakes up, Natasha is ready to leave for work. But they’re in touch over the phone the whole day. “Priyank calls whenever he has to discuss anything. And many times, he will say whatever he has to and hang up, without waiting for my reply. He is like a curious kid, who can’t wait to blurt things out.”
They eat different meals, have totally opposite hobbies, are engaged but will only marry when they can finally agree on the guest list – Natasha wants a close-knit affair, but for Priyank a ‘wedding’ means a fat extravaganza packed with extended family and friends. While Priyank talks to the point, Natasha has a detailed story for everything. Their love story begins in 2014, when Natasha was working on a payment app, Ruplee.
“Priyank asked me to meet him at The Flying Saucer in Nehru Place at 9:30am, and I was like ‘who meets for work at this place in the morning?’. ‘No no, 10 in the evening’, he clarified. It was weird, but I went and just like today, he showed up late.” After their fourth work meeting, she had to make him meet her father who was paranoid about her meeting this ‘shady’ character who only held meetings at night. But now, Priyank asks his father-in-law-to-be to intervene in case of major bickering between the couple. Likewise with Priyank’s family, who use Natasha as a backchannel.
Both agree that Natasha is the ‘angry bird’ in the relationship. So, if she wants to attempt something impractical, Priyank just does it. “It’s called buying peace,” admits Priyank, sheepishly. Then, what keeps them together despite so many disagreements? “We are different but share the same fundamentals of life,” quips Natasha. “We are never satisfied with what we do. It’s like an ongoing process, where we hope to grow more. Fulfilling unrealistic quirks is what keeps us close.” Coming up next is they’re new brand called Lies. “Because Priyank ‘lies’ a lot! And whenever he says anything I feel is made up, I say ‘lies’,” she giggles. The only drawback of working together is that they always end up talking about work whenever they sit together. So, they’ve come up with a solutions, says Priyank. “We have made it a rule not talk about work at home. And on Sundays, no taking calls.”
His quirks
Priyank’s excuses for being late: ‘Somebody came home’, ‘got stuck in the jam’, ‘had to entertain people at the restaurant’, ‘I was on a call’.
Her quirks
Every night, Natasha sleeps in installments - first on the couch, then on the sofa, then on wrong side of the bed. She finally sleeps on the right side of the bed by 4:00am.
What she likes about him
“He’s super chill. He helps me calm down. Even if there’s an earthquake, he will be calmly enjoying his drink.”
What he likes about her
“She is organised and creative. She designs my restaurants and has changed my house completely.