How Nikita Pathakji is building Maai with family at its heart
Maai in Clapham is very different from any kitchen Nikita Pathakji has previously worked in.
Alongside her mother Rima and sister Isha, the trio have created a family-run dining room, with the same warmth they previously demonstrated during supper clubs in their own home, just around the corner.
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Pictures of Nikita as a child adorn the walls, and the inspiration for the menu comes from either her heritage or her travels.
Describing what the Maai experience should be like for guests, Rima said: “This is an extension of our home and we want them to feel like they've just been to our home.
“I want them to feel like they've come to a friend's house and gone home with Tupperware.”
Who runs Maai by Nikita?
The new restaurant on Abbeville Road opened with an instant boost, following the success of Nikita on BBC’s Great British Menu 2026, where she was crowned Champion of Champions.
This follows up her previous TV pedigree as MasterChef: The Professionals winner, back in 2022.
With that spotlight and kitchen experience at the likes of Michelin-starred venues Céleste, Bibendum, Core by Clare Smyth and Kitchen W8, the time felt right for Nikita to put her name above the door of her own place.
“I was very proud and very excited that we were opening a restaurant,” she said.
“They (my family) took the biggest leap of faith in me when I got invited onto Great British Menu.
“Isha booked her sabbatical and mum agreed to open a restaurant with us, and that was before the first round.
“To be able to deliver the result for them was a relief.”
Isha, who works as general manager, said: “Running a restaurant is super challenging. But for me, it's a huge comfort having Niki and mum by my side.
“We all have the same goal. We're all on the same page.
“When things have gone wrong, and they have gone wrong, I just know these two have my back and it goes the same way for all of us.
“It's a huge comfort blanket for me.”
Asked how she has found working alongside her two daughters day-to-day, Rima said: “Initially we were concerned as to how we were actually going to find our place in the restaurant, but with Niki in the kitchen, me on the pass and on the floor doing service, and Isha behind the bar and meeting people, it works really well.
“I think it pulls on all our strengths.
“We fight less than we thought we would!”
Nikita said: “I'm here all the time, every single service. I taste every single thing that happens in the kitchen.
“But then also having these two as the second line of defence, if something's not right, if something's looking off, they have no issues informing me.”
“We're definitely her harshest critics,” Isha admitted.
Early signs of success at Maai
A good atmosphere will go a long way to creating a successful restaurant, but the food offering also has to be right.
Despite only being open a few weeks, Maai, which translates as mother, are already seeing repeat customers.
“We had three gentlemen here the other night and they came round and asked me what I call the food,” said Rima.
“I said ‘modern British’ and they said, ‘no, you should just call it lovely’. One of them came back with their daughter the same week and he's coming back with his granddaughter the next week."
Isha added: “I think the repeat customers are the biggest compliment we could ever ask for.”
What is Nikita Pathakji’s Great British Menu-winning dish?
A key component of the menu is the Great British winning dish itself.
Inspired by a Malaysian fish head curry, Nikita’s creation features halibut, okra, aubergine, sambal and fried and stuffed chilli, alongside a curry sauce.
“It's a dish I've wanted to make for a really long time,” Nikita explained.
“I remember eating it when I was in Malaysia and I've had notes written on my phone for years.
“Then as soon as we got the Great British Menu brief, it was the first dish we thought of and the props and everything for it all fell into place.
“I think we all fell in love with it immediately.”
Isha said: “I usually get bored of the dishes Niki has cooked, especially for competitions, because she makes food again and again and again, and I get bored of eating it.
“But not this one. This one I keep eating and I'm still eating it at the moment.”
Nikita added: “I was nervous about the food here in a way because my style isn't classic in any sense of the word.
“I don't want to be different for the sake of being different.
“I still want it to be comforting and delicious.”
What happened at the Great British Menu 2026 banquet?
Nikita’s path to Great British Menu was not conventional.
Despite impressing throughout finals week, she was not an overall winner of a course. But after Corrin Harrison withdrew from the competition, Nikita stepped in to take his place, going on to come out on top against fellow banquet chefs Orry Shand, Cal Byerley and Ciaran Brennan.
“We were there at the banquet,” said Rima.
“She so deserved to be there because it was heartbreaking seeing her in three dishes, coming right at the top and then not getting to the banquet.
“So when she got there, we were managing our own expectations.
“But when she won, I'm not a crier, but bloody hell, I cried.”
Isha added: “I was bawling.
“It was a real sense of vindication as well and just cementing that she so deserved to be there, and also validating others as well because we thought it was that good.
“When the room agreed, it felt really good.”
Rima said: “I am not usually lost for words, but I actually can't describe that feeling.
“Then it hit me: we're opening a restaurant. This is going to be huge for us.”
Maai by Nikita: key facts
Chef: Nikita Pathakji
Restaurant: Maai by Nikita
Location: Clapham, London
Run by: Nikita Pathakji with her mum Rima and sister Isha
Known for: modern British cooking with global influences
Signature dish featured: pan-roasted halibut with Malaysian curry sauce, fried aubergine, crispy okra, chilli sambal and stuffed fried chillies
Great British Menu link: Nikita’s 2026 winning dish was inspired by Harry Potter and Professor Slughorn
The vision for Maai
Nikita grew up in Derby and represented the Central region on GBM, but opening up in a neighbourhood she calls home in Clapham, London, adds to the meaning behind Maai.
“I feel like we're on our way to achieving that restaurant that we dreamed it would be,” Isha said.
“In some ways, it's better than I thought it would be."
Rima added: “The idea was to have people come in, they don't know us, but then when they're leaving, they're giving us a hug and they do leave as friends.
“The restaurant does feel like another home.
“I thought that would be a bit different in a restaurant versus being at home and cooking for friends and hosting them.
“But actually, it's a lot of fun.
“It's almost like I'm on a high when I'm doing service.”
Nikita said: “I've been in kitchens for 10 years and having mum and Isha on the other side, I just don't have to worry about it.
“All our priorities are so aligned that I don't even have to think about it in the same way that I've always had to.
"This is an extension of our home and I want guests to feel like they have just been in our home."
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