Edition One

Edition I: Table Under the Sun

A Japanese Brunch, Fifteen Women, One Long Afternoon

Table No. 17 began exactly the way it was always meant to—slowly.

At 1:45 pm, under soft winter sunlight, fifteen women took their seats at Call Me 10, gathering for a three-course Japanese–Asian brunch curated not just around food, but around presence. This first edition was titled Table Under the Sun, a name that quietly set the tone for what followed: warmth, openness, and unforced connection.

In the days leading up to the brunch, invitations were delivered personally to each guest’s home—sealed, deliberate, and intentionally mysterious. The location was revealed only a day before, allowing anticipation to build without noise. No social posts. No previews. Just trust.

The Table

The group was thoughtfully mixed—founders, working professionals, students just beginning their journeys in the city. Ages ranged from 18 to early 30s, with the youngest guest, Saisha, bringing a freshness that sat beautifully alongside the lived experiences of women further along their paths. Despite the differences on paper, the table found its rhythm almost immediately.

Guests were gently divided into two groups at the start, creating smaller pockets of conversation that later melted into one shared table. What stood out most was how effortlessly everyone gelled. No introductions felt rehearsed. No conversations felt transactional. The table did what it was meant to do—it held space.

The Food

The menu was a quiet protagonist.
Gyozas quickly emerged as a crowd favourite, followed closely by the prawns, which disappeared almost as soon as they arrived. The sushi rolls were met with unanimous approval, and each course acted as a soft prompt—an invitation for stories, opinions, and shared moments to surface naturally.

Nothing was rushed. Plates lingered. Conversations stretched.

The Conversations

Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from the afternoon was a shared realisation: people are craving spaces where they can meet others with similar intellectual curiosity, without performance, while experiencing good food.

Each woman shared something—an accomplishment, a turning point, a question they were sitting with. The energy was generous, not competitive. Listening felt as important as speaking.

A special moment came when Madhvi, founder of House of Reine, surprised the table with a thoughtful giveaway—handpicked jewellery pieces for every guest. It wasn’t just a gift; it was a gesture that embodied the spirit of the table. Personal. Considered. Memorable.

What Remains

By the end of the afternoon, something quiet but lasting had formed. A WhatsApp community followed organically—no push, no prompt—just a collective desire to stay connected.

Table Under the Sun wasn’t about making contacts.
It was about making room.

This first edition affirmed what Table No. 17 was built for: bringing together people who may not have crossed paths otherwise, and allowing conversation to unfold at its own pace—unfiltered, unhurried, and deeply human.

Edition I ended the way it began—in sunlight, with full hearts and empty plates.

And the table, of course, remains set.

The Women of Table Under the Sun

Every edition of Table No. 17 is shaped by the people who sit at it.
Edition I was held by these fifteen women—each bringing her own rhythm, story, and warmth to the table:

Priea Soni Rana
Khushi Gupta
Varshikha Jyoti Srivastava
Saumya Nagpal
Radhika Mawandia
Saisha Thukral
Shreya Mahajan
Tanisha Wadhwa
Mannat Sharma
Kashish Tuli
Anushka Garg
Sheena Sachdeva
Madhvi Mehra
Ria Sardana
Sharvi Goyal