Hi, I'm Mayur 👋 I spent a few years wandering around India and Southeast Asia as a digital nomad, eating my way through every market, street stall and tiny family kitchen I could find. I've always believed food is the easiest way to connect with people – you don't need a common language to share a good meal.
In 2017 I met Joy at a café, and that was that – we fell in love. Joy came to India, we got married, and her Vietnamese flavours moved in with us.
It all started with a hotpot party
When we started NomadGao, our very first get-together was a hotpot party. We wanted to bring people together, and nothing does that quite like a big pot of broth in the middle of the table – everyone cooking, sharing and chatting at the same time. We never really stopped after that: friends, neighbours, community folks… we've hosted more hotpots than we can count.
Then Joy became a health coach
Opening a restaurant was never the plan. But in 2023 we spent a long stretch in Vietnam – Joy's first trip home in years, thanks to COVID – and, well, she ate everything. She came back a few kilos heavier and very curious about why, so she trained as a health coach to understand her body and lose the weight the scientific way.
She could have just coached people. Instead, she chose to cook for them. That's how The Hotpot House was born in 2024 – healthy Asian food and hotpot, made fresh, made from scratch and made with love.
So many of you have told us it's the healthiest meal you've ever had – and the most fun.
And it really is fun. Hunting for that last piece of pineapple or mushroom in the pot. Chatting away while everything bubbles. Passing the ladle to someone you met ten minutes ago. Lots of our regulars say they could eat with us every single day – which is the nicest thing anyone can say to a cook.
Strangers at the same pot
I'm a community builder at heart, so we made The Hotpot House a place where people actually talk to each other. We started hotpot social mixers to seat strangers together, and they've turned into one of our favourite things we do. In just over two years we've collected 1,100+ Google reviews with a 4.9★ average – and these days people travel to Dharamkot just for the food and the vibe.
Next stop: Goa 🌊
Now we're bringing the pot to Goa, starting with pop-ups and hotpot social mixers. We're so excited – Goa has beautiful fresh seafood and a lovely crowd of people who love good food and good company. One day soon, we'd love to open a hotpot and specialty Asian restaurant here.
So come hungry, come curious, and come say hi. There's always room for one more at the pot. 🍲
– Mayur & Joy