6 minute read
TASTE
NOVELTY PLATING
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Delving into the rising popularity of interactive dining experiences
WORDS AATISH NATH
At Trèsind, the Mumbai ne-dine, chef Himanshu Saini hasn’t been able to take the restaurant’s signature khichdi o the menu, since the restaurant opened in 2019. e dish, made tableside, features 20 mix-ins, arrayed on a marble map of the country, while a server shares details of the provenance of bowls that include curry powder from Chennai, sesame seeds from Chhattisgarh and butter from Punjab. Taken together, it’s a showcase of the country’s culinary diversity during a meal that showcases cooking traditions and ingredients from all over the country. is 14-course meal is one of many being served across the country that puts a focus on avours, while also giving diners the novelty of a dining experience that is di erent from the ‘order, eat and leave’ norm. From hospitality majors like ITC Hotels and Marriott to standalones in cities across the country, there’s a renewed focus on dining as an experience, as customers look towards truly immersive dining, a er so much time spent at home.
While it cannot only be attributed exclusively to the two years spent indoors, there is a renewed interest in interactions across the board — whether it be with friends or sta or anywhere. ese quirky details which break up a meal, can do anything from educating diners to drawing attention to a particular course or then, providing a social media-worthy moment for those looking to share their experience. It’s also part of an international trend to involve the diner – if not in the cooking process, then at least in the service, and in some ways it harks back to fancy ne dines where entire dishes – like Crêpes Suzette — were made tableside.
On the other side of the city, at Ekaa, chef Niyati Rao has a dish for which diners are taken to the kitchen, a practice rst that Masque kicked o in the city. At Ekaa, as Rao explains, there’s a course breaker, for which she draws on school memories – like the pepsi cola she used to buy for 50 paise while in school. So, she explains, “We give them an old 25 paisa coin,” which she sources from the stalls below the restaurant, and throughout the meal, the diners are warned that the sta will try and steal the coin. When the time comes, Rao says, “there is a tiny piggy bank [in the kitchen] and we tell them now, just drop the coin in it.” eir reward is a pepsi-cola-inspired popsicle that is made with black raspberries, basil and black salt.
Hotels too are participating in this trend, giving guests the chance to enjoy both theatrics and story-telling, while eating out. At the recently opened Tao-Fu at the JW Marriott Hotel Pune, chef Fu Lei says, “We have a few interactive dishes on the menu and by that we mean where guests learn a little more about a dish and the story behind it. Tao-Fu highlights heritage recipes served on a plate to tell age-old stories. It’s not only interactive for our guests but for our chefs as well as they
get to present a dish by the table that otherwise would not be available out the country.” He cites the traditional Beijing-style duck, pancake, cucumber, and scallion, where the crispy skin is carved tableside, and rst o ered with some sugar to be eaten as is. Lei elaborates, “ en we carve the duck and make you the pancake which comes with accompaniments like the sliced cucumbers and scallions and duck sauce. It’s a whole ceremony and quite interesting to watch the carving. e other dish would be the Salt Baked Chicken, its coated in a thick layer of salt and lit on re - the story behind it is that there was a poor man who robbed a chicken from a farm and he buried it in the mud because he had no cooking utensils and lit a re on top of the mud. us resulting in this delicious chicken which we bury in salt.” is enthusiasm to educate while eating is partly thanks to a desire to learn more about the country’s diverse culinary traditions, and that has now spread, as the diners’ understanding of cuisines gets more nuanced. At the ITC Hotel’s Dakshin or Dakshin Coastal (depending on where in the country
you dine), chef Pravin Anand has spent years travelling around the south of the country, learning regional variations and recipes from families. His years of learning, coupled with careful sourcing of ingredients is re ected in the food, which can be served as a thali, an amalgamation of dishes from di erent southern states. In this case, the novelty comes from the polished brass thali, the carefully cut banana leaf placed inside, and the amount of information – culinary, societal and seasonal – shared during the course of the meal. At Chennai’s Avartana, located in the ITC Grand Chola, guests are served a multicourse meal that takes ingredients and cooking techniques from the region and elevates them. Past dishes have included elements like a ghee candle, that is lit and then melts into podi powder. On the newest menu, the same candle melts into a raw mango pudding, while other dishes include table-side saucing of dishes.
Guests, who are keen to share their meals on social media, are enticed by elements like dry ice, which sublimates over time. JW Marriott Juhu’s Indian eatery Sa ron features a watermelon and guacamole chaat, served over smoke (dry ice that is sublimating).
Finally, the sense of interactivity can break down any preconceived barriers between the kitchen and dining area, like at e Ritz-Carlton Pune, where the new poolside eatery, Alta Vida will see di erent international restaurants take up residence at the eatery. As a result, diners will get the chance to sample grills from all over the world, while interacting with chefs as they cook on the open ame. At the moment, Nusantara by Locavore is serving Balinese cuisine to inaugurate the eatery. Executive Chef Mayyur Tiwari explains, “ ere is a demand for newer experiences, people want to learn more about the food they are eating, where it’s from, how it’s cooked and why it’s served a certain way. A discerning customer sometimes can be a great customer because it also allows us as chefs to push boundaries.”
Whatever the reason, diners are anticipating an element of theatrics while dining out, o en coupled with the chance to converse about the dishes being served and learn more about their meal. Abroad, Michelin-starred eateries have made interactivity a hallmark of their dining experience.
As dining veers toward experiential – with dishes serving as social media advertising while also serving as a chef’s showcase, it’s clear that dishes are only going to get more interestingly plated. e winner is the customer, who gets a dining experience that is truly memorable. BTI
