Bang Bang! Noodle Meets Lili for a Halloween Takeover in Hyderabad
Chef Rahul Punjabi and Lili co-founder Abhilasha Oruganti bring together Sichuan flavours, imaginative Halloween dishes and carefully curated decor for a two-day culinary collaboration in Hyderabad.
When you enter Lili Cantonese Kitchen in Hyderabad, you know you are in for a spooky reveal. But little do you realise that the Halloween theme extends to the food too, with playful creations that are as delicious as they are imaginative. Behind the two-day takeover are Chef Rahul Punjabi of Bang Bang! Noodle and Abhilasha Oruganti, co-founder and partner at Lili and Foxie, who brought their ideas together to create a Halloween experience that goes beyond decorations.
Abhilasha Oruganti
The collaboration came together quickly. Rahul, whose Mumbai-based Bang Bang! Noodle focuses on Sichuan flavours and hand-pulled noodles, said Abhilasha’s involvement and enthusiasm made the partnership appealing. “She is one of the founders who is very hands-on,” he said, adding that not everyone would be willing to go all out for a concept in the way she did.
Chef Rahul Punjabi
The idea took shape barely a fortnight before the event. According to Rahul, the conversation began with the possibility of doing something for Halloween and the menu came together almost overnight. The decor is an important part of the experience. The restaurant’s usual understated setting has been transformed with Halloween elements to mark the occasion. Abhilasha said the details were handpicked, reflecting the time and attention that went into creating the atmosphere. Rahul was equally impressed by her commitment to the idea, pointing out that the transformation had come together in a remarkably short time.
The same attention to detail carries into the food. Rather than creating an entirely new menu, Rahul adapted dishes from Bang Bang! Noodle’s regular offerings, giving them Halloween-inspired forms. A honey chilli lotus stem preparation, for instance, was cut and arranged to resemble skulls and served on an edible graveyard. A mushroom XO starter was reimagined as a tart with edible eyes and spider-like legs, while a smashed cucumber salad was turned into a ghostly face.
“A lot of this is stuff that we do have in our restaurant,” Rahul said. “And we have just done it in a cool way.” The intention was to keep the flavours familiar to the restaurant’s regular customers while making the presentation playful enough for Halloween.
There is also a menu for children, with milder options built around butter and garlic flavours, alongside French fries. The idea is to make the experience accessible to families without taking away from the theme.
But beneath the Halloween theatrics is Rahul’s serious approach to Sichuan cooking. He travels to China regularly to source ingredients, including high-quality Sichuan peppercorns that he says are not easily available elsewhere. The peppercorn gives Sichuan food its characteristic numbing sensation, which, combined with chilli heat, forms the flavour profile known as ma la.
“‘La’ in Chinese is spicy, chilli. And ‘ma’ is a numbing sensation,” he explained. The effect can be felt in the chicken stir-fry, noodles and wontons on the menu. For Rahul, sourcing the best ingredients is part of respecting the cuisine. He said he would rather use the highest quality available than compromise on an ingredient central to the flavour.
His interest in Chinese food extends beyond the kitchen. Rahul travels to China frequently, speaks Chinese and is training to become a noodle master through a Chinese programme. He has also developed an interest in the region’s tea culture, particularly the teas associated with everyday life in Chengdu, in Sichuan province. At his Mumbai restaurant, the beverage offering draws on Chinese tea traditions.
For the Hyderabad takeover, however, the drinks and desserts are being handled by Lili. The collaboration also brings Sichuan peppercorn and Bhut Jolokia chilli into some of the cocktails, with tequila chosen as a spirit that pairs well with the food.
Abhilasha said she chose Bang Bang! Noodle because the two establishments felt closely aligned in their approach to food and hospitality. She had heard about the Mumbai restaurant through friends who were already familiar with it, and its hand-pulled noodles and bold flavours seemed well suited to Hyderabad diners.
The response reinforced that decision. Abhilasha said guests had been eager to try Bang Bang! Noodle’s food, with some even wishing spiced up dishes. For a city with an appetite for heat, the Sichuan menu offered something different while remaining rooted in a recognisable love of spice.
For both teams, the takeover is more than a themed menu. Lili’s considered approach to its space meets Bang Bang! Noodle’s attention to technique and ingredients, with Halloween providing an opportunity to experiment. The result is a collaboration in which the decor sets the mood, the dishes carry the theme and the flavours remain central to the experience.