What can possibly bring together Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Lasse Hallstrom, Helen Mirren, A.R. Rahman and Om Puri? Food. Spectacular, culture-bending, irresistible food.

Adapted by screenwriter Steven Knight (who directed the experimental and eccentric Locke with Tom Hardy) from the eponymous book by Richard Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey is cooked in the same pan as Hallstrom’s much-loved Chocolat. While that 2000 movie used chocolate as a device to spread goodness, this one calls upon food again to break through differences in cultures but more importantly as a roadmap to return home.

It tells the story of the Kadam family who had their own restaurant in Mumbai but after a riot snatched away his wife (Juhi Chawla in a special appearance), Papa (Puri) moved with everyone, first to London, and then to Europe looking to start afresh.

When the brakes of his van break down in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France, he decides to start his Indian restaurant there, just hundred foot away from Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin-starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Mirren).

Papa’s main weapon in his kebab-and-curry restaurant Maison Mumbai is his gifted son Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal). Hassan, who is a true master of spices, is not as culturally stubborn as his father and learns the ropes of French cooking from books gifted to him by Mallory’s alluring sous chef Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon). The two young and ambitious cooks engage in many a romantic gastronomic adventure by the lake.

If The Hundred-Foot Journey is a three-course meal, the entree is simply scrumptious where Puri and Mirren resort to devious ways to fight the restaurant war. It’s the battle between sauces and curries, between frog’s legs and murg masallam, between a sprinkle and a splash.

But for both of them, cooking is a passionate affair of the heart and that’s why when Madame Mallory tastes the young Hassan’s masala omelette, the film rolls into the main course as she decides to take him under her wing. Not only to help get her restaurant the second Michelin star but also to help the boy reach for the stars.

When that is achieved and Hassan is poached by the biggest of restaurants in Paris, The Hundred-Foot Journey over-bakes the dessert, floundering to tie up all the loose ends and almost force-feeding itself to the feel-good ending.

But there’s enough in that meal to recommend this kitchen. Chef did a couple of months back and now this one — celebrating gorgeous food! Just the making of that hollandaise sauce as egg yolks are beaten up with olive oil. “You cannot be nervous while making it... the eggs will feel it, they will separate!”

If the visuals are orgasmic, the musical themes by A.R. Rahman are no less splendid. In Slumdog Millionaire he had used gunshots as beats; here he uses the sound of chopping different kinds of vegetables and herbs as beats with the hacking of the big fish head as the final thump.

The two thespians are in superb form. It’s evident that Mirren had a blast playing this headstrong connoisseur of fantastic food. While talking about food and tasting it, the Oscar-winning actress brings together the arrogance of a Gordon Ramsay and the warmth of a Matt Preston.

Om Puri, who looks so disinterested in his recent Bollywood outings, is a treat to watch here. As the tenacious head of the family always ready to bargain for a good deal, he is a lot of fun. Manish as Hassan has very intense eyes and he uses them effectively to convey his passion for cooking and for his lady love, played just right by the exquisite Le Bon.

Do make the journey to the theatre to catch The Hundred-Foot Journey because those two hours in the dark have the perfect recipe to whisk up your own glorious food memories. Every bite takes you home.