Global table d'gourmands
A new tribe of restaurateurs is bringing authentic cuisine to India from their home countries
| For despite flavours from so many different regions jostling for space on the Indian plate, Greek cuisine is somewhat of an unknown entity here. |
| Over the years, the average Indian diner can claim acquaintance with Arabic/ Lebanese/Italian/"Mediterrane-an" flavours, cousins all, but specifically Greek "" not quite. "We've so many people who come in and say 'But your food is not tasteless. We thought Greek food was bland'," says Pappa. |
| You have met the expatriate consultants and the expatriate chefs, all brought in by big restaurants and bigger hotel chains to "authenticate" cuisines. Now meet the expat restaurateurs, the group lately in fashion in the ever-burgeoning world of food in India. Pappa is not alone. |
| "Foreigners" are increasingly setting up their own enterprises in foodie metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, taking advantage of the F&B boom, in the process bringing to Indian tables brave newer flavours and ideas. So while you can dine on everything from Greek to Korean, Russian to Balinese cuisines, strictly authentic, without having to travel half the world, nights-out are being redefined by "spa" lounge or just "different" experiences. |
| But the expat restaurateurs are not strictly new. Even half a century ago, the influx of Chinese immigrants redefined "Indian-Chinese" and made Tham, Wang and Ling household names. Then, of course, you have places like Goa and McLeodganj that woke up to pita and foccacia much earlier than metropolitan India only because of their tourist-run shacks. |
| But the new breed of expat restaurateurs are different. They are entrepreneurs who have put in substantial money into projects that they hope will take off because the Indian market is now more open and the Indian diner more sophisticated. |
| Take the case of Zenzi, one of the hippest new bar-lounge-restaurants, in Mumbai. Set up by three Dutchmen and three Israelis "" with three Indian partners "" this is as global as it can get. Essentially a classy lounge, with enough emphasis on food to qualify as a restaurant, it serves a selection of trendy French, Thai, Japanese and Balinese cuisines to go either with wine (South African) or beer (Dutch, Indian). |
| So how did such a melting point of cuisines and cultures come to be in Mumbai? The Dutch co-owners apparently also own the Vakzuid Bar in Amsterdam and were looking to extend their operations. "We were planning to set up something in Bali but then we met up with these Indians and decided to come to Mumbai," says Matan Schabracq, general manager. |
| Schabracq is upbeat about the prospects. "India is opening up, people are better travelled, there are NRIs who have come back and want better things than Indian-Chinese. A couple of years ago, if we had introduced French-fusion, we'd have been forced to change the menu the next day." For the record, Zenzi hasn't changed anything and Schabracq now wants to go to Goa or Delhi. |
| Pappa affirms the reasons why expat entrepreneurs are looking seriously at the Indian diner. Married to an Indian for a decade and in India for the last four years, she had wanted to set up a restaurant for a long time but did so only a year ago. " I thought this is the right time... it was difficult in the beginning and I only had people from the embassies but now I get more Indian guests," Pappa says. |
| In Bangalore, Pat Manaschuang, a Thai national, who first helped set up the excellent Thai Pavilion at the Mumbai Taj, set up India's first "spa" restaurant and lounge, Taika, a couple of months ago at a mammoth investment of Rs 3 crore. Manaschaung too says this is the right time: "India wants something new and foreigners bring in new ideas." |
| But there is a flip side to such optimism. Most expats have set up their restaurants with Indian partners and for good reason. Apart from legal benefits, there are other advantages. For one, foreign restaurateurs complain that "laws are never black and white or uniform", as Manaschaung says. |
| "The laws keep changing. When I was opening Taika, bars and lounges could be open till late; now, suddenly, they have changed the timing to 11.30. That obviously eats into the business and is disconcerting to investors." Local partners understand and deal with such situations better. The difficulty of obtaining licenses is another hurdle. |
| "In my country if you have all the papers, you just get the license, not so here," Pappa complains. Then, of course, there are difficulties in procuring authentic ingredients and language and cultural barriers. The last can be formidable when dealing with guests. |
| At Delhi's Restaurant de Seoul at Ansal Plaza, there is no one to explain the nuances of Korean food. All co-owner S K Shim can manage is a "no, no", even as the kitchen staff is brought out to translate from Korean to Hindi. It is not surprising that the restaurant is only populated by a handful of Korean nationals. |
| On the other hand, expats who have managed to integrate more into the social fabric find the experience more rewarding. Tarsilio Nataloni, a very eccentric Italian in Delhi, who came to sell ice-creams almost a decade ago but landed up ushering in the pasta revolution, could be your case in point. Flavours, the Capital's, first trattoria continues to thrive, a testimony to the success of such enterprises. |