Visual vocabulary of plating as seen in premium dining spaces in Delhi, NCR

Visual vocabulary of plating as seen in premium dining spaces in Delhi, NCR

By Priya Jyoti

Submitted to NIFT in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design Department of Design Space

Faculty Guide: Mr. Mohammad Suhail

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY NEW DELHI 2016-18

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY New Delhi 2018 Visual vocabulary of plating as seen in premium dining spaces in Delhi, NCR

By Priya Jyoti M. DES. (2016-18)

Submitted by Ms/ Mr. ................................. to NIFT in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design of the National Institute of Fashion Technology at New Delhi and hereby certify that in the judgment of the following members of jury it is worth of acceptance: Name

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DECLARATION The work presented in this dissertation is authentic and original and is the outcome of authorâ€&#x;s own concept and labour. No portion of this has been submitted in the support of an application for another degree or qualification to this institute or any other university or any other institute of learning. The dissertation was accomplished under the guidance of Mr. Mohammad Suhail, at Master of Design - Department of Design Space, NIFT, New Delhi.

Name of the Student: Priya Jyoti Signature: Place: Date:

Name of the Faculty Guide: Mr. Mohammad Suhail Signature: Place: Date

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have helped me and supported me during the course of my dissertation.

My sincere thanks to my faculty guide, Mohammad Suhail, for his constant guidance and support. His stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me to complete my thesis. There could have been no better mentor than him.

Also, I would like to thank all the members and faculties of Department of Design Space, as they helped me shape my perspective towards Research Design during the course.

I also want to acknowledge the chefs who allowed me to take their interviews, their perspectives added much to the understanding of the research.

Lastly I would extend my gratitude to my family and friends for their unconditional love and support.

Priya Jyoti

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ABSTRACT Presentation is someoneâ€&#x;s first impression of a meal. Aesthetics and elegance are important to the eye, as it is through the sense of sight that other senses can be stimulated. As per the Aristotleâ€&#x;s theory of hierarchy of senses, sight occupies the highest sense. An attractive and appealing appearance stimulates the desire to taste the food. This stimulation is determined by elements like color, texture, shape/form, height and the layout that is the arrangement of the food on the plate. All these components of the food plate arrangement determine not only our reaction to the food, but also stimulate us to interact with the food in a better way through all the possible senses. The aspect of this visual experience of plating is seen more and more as we pitch in the area of premium dining. Consequently, the study of plating and its effects on the perception of taste is an important area of research.

Many sensory studies have been conducted; however, there is no data on plating techniques followed by chefs in Delhi, NCR. There was also a need to understand how Delhi is reflecting on the visual aesthetics of food in premium dining practices.

This leads us to understand the importance of visual elements of the plate in eating experiences. We take a closer look at the potential role of vision; with respect to key elements of design. This study is based on visual research with understanding the modalities of design elements; color, shape, texture and layout. The methodology involved was sensory ethnography, where analysis of the data pertaining to each modality was done individually (elements of visual perception). This was done through a series of interviews with recognized chefs of top premium dining restaurants in Delhi, NCR in order to understand the details of food presentations, how they conceive and develop dishes from preliminary concept to final plating and how they incorporate these key design elements. This was followed by understanding the relations between these modalities with regard to how plating contributes to the meaning of experience v

through textual and content analysis. This culinary pleasure is well captured through our senses, and is connected to emotions, intellect, and the environment. The design elements are well explored and curated by the chefs while producing the consumable food visuals that entice the diners.

Keywords: Plating, Premium Dining, Sensation, Presentation, Synesthesia, Gastronomy

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ..............................................................................................................iii Acknowledgement .................................................................................................. iv Abstract ................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1 Introduction..............................................................................................................

1.1 Overview ............................................................................................... 01 1.2 Background Study ................................................................................ 02 1.3 Research Objectives ............................................................................. 14 Chapter 2 Review of literature .................................................................................................

2.1

Introduction ...................................................................................... 07

2.2

Plating .............................................................................................. 08 2.2.1 History of plating .................................................................... 09

2.3

Sensation ......................................................................................... 15

2.4

Elements of plating........................................................................... 19 2.4.1 Color ....................................................................................... 19 2.4.2 Layout ..................................................................................... 20 2.4.3 Texture .................................................................................... 24 2.4.4 Balance ................................................................................... 27

Chapter 3 Research Methodology ...........................................................................................

2.1

Methodology for Secondary Research ............................................. 30

2.2

Methodology for Primary Research .................................................. 30 2.2.1 Introduction............................................................................ 30 2.2.2 Methodology .......................................................................... 31 2.2.2.1 Semiotics ................................................................... 32 2.2.2.2 Interviews .................................................................. 33 2.2.2.3 Data Analysis ............................................................ 33 2.2.2.3.1 Color ........................................................... 33 vii

2.2.2.3.2 Layout ......................................................... 34 2.4.2.3 Texture .......................................................... 34 2.4.2.4 Shape ............................................................ 34 2.2.2.4 Content Analysis....................................................... 35 2.3 Summary .............................................................................................. 35

Chapter 4 Data Analysis & Findings ................................................................................... 36

Chapter 5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................

5.1

Conclusion of the study ................................................................... 58

5.2

Limitations of the study ................................................................... 59

5.3

Scope for further research .............................................................. 60

Bibliography......................................................................................................... 61 Annexure 1 ......................................................................................................... 69 Annexure 2 .................................................................................................. 70-113

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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 ................................................................................................................. 25 Figure 2 ................................................................................................................. 39 Figure 3 ................................................................................................................. 42 Figure 4 ................................................................................................................. 45 Figure 5 ................................................................................................................. 48 Figure 6 ................................................................................................................. 50 Figure 7 ................................................................................................................. 53 Figure 8 ................................................................................................................. 56

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LIST OF IMAGES Image 1 ................................................................................................................. 37 Image 2 ................................................................................................................. 40 Image 3 ................................................................................................................. 43 Image 4 ................................................................................................................. 46 Image 5 ................................................................................................................. 49 Image 6 ................................................................................................................. 51 Image 7 ................................................................................................................. 54 Image 8 ................................................................................................................. 55

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ANNEXURE Annexure 1 ............................................................................................................ 69 Annexure 2 ..................................................................................................... 70-113

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CHAPTER – 1 INTRODUCTION

1

INTRODUCTION 1.1 OVERVIEW For individuals who appreciate the effectiveness and strength of food visuals, the quote, “A picture speaks a thousand words” can be understood. The area of premium dining understands this and uses the power of food visuals to its full capacity.

Initially the chapter focuses on research relating to visual aspects of plating in premium dining settings and summarizes the background study undertaken on premium dining, its evolution and significance of the dimensions of visual sense. In the second half, the chapter draws the attention towards, how the chefs narrate their stories on the table and defines the social world of dining and process cognitive experiences to the diner. The latter part of the chapter highlights the research questions and leads to the research objectives.

1.2 BACKGROUND STUDY Food has energy of its own. The artistry of the chef lies in tapping into that energy and directing into a single visual that appeals to all the five senses, stimulating a diner‟s curiosity to interact with the food, experience it and eventually consume it. Its rightly said that we eat with our eyes first.

Throughout its history in Japanese cuisine food has to be looked at with appreciation as well as eaten with pleasure, „the eyes are atleast as large as the stomach‟. Hence, in case of food presentations, the first judgment of the product is made visually through sight. Sight enables the consumers to interpret the size, shape and color of foods as well as characteristics like transparency, opaqueness, turbidity, dullness and gloss. Its therefore understandable

why

so

much

focus is

put

on

visually attracting

arrangements. The plating and table top compositions are carefully planned creations. These include changing representations of food and wine over the duration of the course of meal; the meaning/symbolism of imagery; the role 2

the visuals, colors, textures, balance play in articulating an aesthetic sensory culinary experience to the diner. This visual power of plating and table top setting plays an important role while communicating with the diners.

Thus, in the field of design its research profiles a better understanding of the relation of visual perception and rituals involved in eating.

The concept of food appraisal through sight was introduced by Cardello, who said that food is first detected at a distance through the sense of sight, therefore the vision plays a critical role in food acceptance. This practice of food experience involves aesthetic pleasure (sensory experience), attribution of meaning (cognitive experience) and emotional response. The food stylists / chefs use their talent of spatial design to construct the narrative elements of their canvas. For some chefs, these gastronomic moments takes you back to the childhood, while for some its respecting the flavors that nature give us, while for some its serving a story. It thus becomes imperative to understand the chefâ€&#x;s style, their philosophies, their emotions as it effectively narrates these powerful parables on the table.

As per Aristotleâ€&#x;s hierarchy of senses, the sense of sight and hearing are classified into higher one, while taste and smell occupy the lower position.

Touch usually stays in the middle, in an ambiguous position. Even in the Greek and the Christian tradition, sight-together with hearing, which is instead dominant in the Jewish tradition-is the noblest sense, because it is distal and, therefore, objective. Sight explores, knows and measures entities in the distance.

When aesthetics turned into philosophy of art, it mainly dealt with visual and auditory arts, even less with touch and not at all with taste and smell. Sight became more and more convenient and useful in the growing process of human beings and so does the visual perception of things. Visual perception is the basis for much of our understanding of realty and for most of our 3

relationship with things (Korsmeyer 1999), so much so that knowledge, as well as faith and beauty, is often depicted using visual metaphors. Even the word „taste‟ has undergone a semantic shift since the middle of the 17 th century, passing from identifying as a „natural sense‟ assigned to the recognition and appreciation of edible substances to expressing a „cultural sensitivity‟ entrusted with the evaluation of natural beauty and, above all, works of art. This shift from the literal to the metaphorical strongly affected the subordination of the taste with respect to the other senses. By, 18th century, gastronomy had carved out a minor niche for itself in the context of shared

practices,

hobbies

and

recreational

activities.

Since

then,

gastronomes have been mostly affluent professionals, dandies, refined connoisseurs, collectors, and journalists. Gastronomy and cuisine have acquired an important position with chefs becoming highly visible public figures.

We are all communicating or interacting with visually engaging food as it is served. Hence, the area of visual aesthetics of plating requires a major attention in the area of fine dining.

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The thesis provides an overview of plating techniques practiced in fine dining (Delhi, NCR) with respect to design elements. These design elements are intentionally or unintentionally followed by the food designers/chefs. The understanding of these design elements is required to interpret the food presentations in a better and a more effective way. Through this understanding of visual aesthetics of the plate, the chefs can allure the diners to experience the food with a more visually appealing palate. It would also be interesting to see how the courses of the meals are planned and how the plate adapts to these variables and differing proportions of meals. Also, how the sizes, shapes, colors, textures and compositions of these plates and 4

platters range with the ongoing of the meal, stimulating the userâ€&#x;s mind, taste and haptic senses in bringing them a fine experience. The research encompasses the key areas of discussion underlined as the main objectives:

1.

To explore the existing theories and practices and leaders of the culinary art in Delhi, NCR.

2.

To identify and analyze the plating arrangements with respect to the key elements of design.

3.

To map patterns if any.

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CHAPTER – 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

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REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 INTRODUCTION „First you eat with your eyes, then you let your other senses take over.‟ „The visual sensation of a dish is as important as its flavour.‟ „I think we‟re going to need designers that think about food and design in ways that we‟ve never thought about before.‟ These statements lead one to wonder – how and when our sight ceased to be one of the superior sensory organs and how we are consuming these enticing food presentations.

Eating is a fundamental necessity and pleasure rooted in biology, culture and tradition. The art of cooking and eating is an essential human activity. The „how‟ and „what‟ aspects of eating constitute an important part of this act. „What we eat‟ is concerned with „what is on the plate‟, the physical and chemical transformations behind the cooking progress. How we eat, is concerned with the experience of the eater. Factors like setting of meal, the company, the lighting, the sound and many more play an important role in this experiential design. Thus plating constituting an important area.

In everyday experience, food is never presented or served in isolation: it always comes in a container – in a bowl, on a plate, or in a disposable pack. With plates comes the idea that food should be presented in the most attractive manner, and that presentation, from the choice of the plate to the complex spatial arrangement of colors and ingredients on the plate, matters to the final reception of a dish by the diner.

To achieve the multisensory food presentations, chefs create heterogeneous food presentations through a variety of plating techniques that not only marks a 7

step in anesthetization of food experiences but also a growing importance of visual elements in eating experiences. This represents a formidable opportunity for cognitive studies to understand the complex effects of vision on food experiences.

As we pitch into the culinary experience of fine dining, gastronomy moves more an more towards the ideal of total multisensory art, producing food that‟s as captivating for the eye as it is for the palate. The sensorial and perceptional reasoning of the food lies in the plating techniques applied by the culinary masters, breaking the more functional and decorative purposes of platewares into an experimental one.

2.2 PLATING „„Serve or arrange (food) on a plate or plates.‟‟ „„The arrangement and overall styling of food upon bringing it to the plate.‟‟ „„It is the practice of arranging food to make it look appealing and presentable when they are served.‟‟ Plating is not just merely a decorative art but is an integral part of the multisensory eating experience. It is not just the intuitive final step in the process of creating a dish, however, it has to be planned and executed with respect to the flavor of the dish itself. Many consider plating as the cherry on the cake, but this view is too limited. Plating is central to the eating experience and reception of the dish. It‟s a drive to the culinary creation. Plating has transformed into a decorative frame for the plate to become the canvas on which chefs can express themselves.

The increasing focus on the food presentations insists us to look at the growing importance of the visual elements in eating experiences, blurring the boundaries between the edible and the non-edible. The diners and the media don‟t need to 8

be convinced of the importance of plating, it‟s a phenomenon and we are consuming it. However, the understanding what makes these plates so attentiongrabbing and how they affect the diner‟s experience? Needs to be studied. With the progressive individualization and experimentation carried out by chefs and designers to the culinary food presentations, the possibility of understanding the principles of harmony, balance and attraction holds a lot of importance.

2.2.1 HISTORY OF PLATING As the popular expression goes „‟we eat with our eyes‟‟, this reflects that the visual presentation of food is as rich and important as the sensory qualities of the food itself, which determines the expectations, experience and memory of a dish.

Before understanding these sensorial aspects of the presentations, it‟s important to look into the history of plating.

Rules of plating for a long time only appeared as part of the domestic etiquette; museums hosting the majority of the collections of precious plates, jugs and serving pots around the world most often stand apart from the classical visual arts, such as paintings and sculpture, and have an aesthetic value. The rules of plating relates to the period when dining taxonomies, codes of conduct and manners were getting formulated. The trends in food presentations have changed from simply adding the garnish to thinking of patisserie as architecture, or even to trompe-l‟oeil dishes masked as the centre piece of the table at Noma, two-Michelin-star restaurant in Denmark.

The assumption that plating and plateware belong merely to social refinement or the decorative art is a misnomer. The evolution of plating and plateware is deeply rooted in the history of fine dining.

The fine dining restaurant establishment is related to the development of culinary skills in France. In the year 1765., Boulanger, soup seller, opened the first

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restaurant in Paris. This represented a new era in the development of gastronomy and culinary skills.

The first luxury restaurant, called "La Grande Taverne de Loudres", was opened in Paris in 1782., by Antoine Beauvilliers who has become the first known restaurateur and host. He particularly emphasized which meals should be served, and which should be avoided, and stressed good wine importance in restaurant offer. The fine dining restaurant development can be examined through several periods : • IX century period, the establishment of grand cusine - founder Marie Antoine Karem, • The beginning of XX century, the establishment of haute cusine-founder August Eskofije, • The seventies of XX century - novelle cusine - many famous French chefs are founders.

The conception of plateware and plating techniques in dining practices is emblematic of the conception of etiquette that was being formulated or followed in these eras. Japanese culture certainly had a huge influence on today‟s gastronomy, and the best way to understand this is to stress the contrast with what existed before it impacted Western cultures. Even prior to French culinary skills there was a decorative and cultural dimension to the plating as shown by the age-old Japanese art of Kaiseki. In Kaiseki, decorative plateware constitutes a frame, highlighting the food and its consumption. The century-old tradition of Kaiseki is a delicate and skilfull ceremony, and the closest and earliest instance of plating as an art.

Notably Kaiseki draws its inspiration from the four traditions: imperial court from the 9th century in the Heian period; Buddhist cuisine of temples from the 12th century in the Kamakura period; samurai cuisine of warrior households from the

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14th century in the Muromachi period; and tea ceremony cuisine from the 15th century in the Higashiyama period of the Muromachi period.

In Kaiseki, vessels and utensils were carefully selected that complimented the food being served. This created a natural connection to the food presentation.

The adornment was also seasonally changed to validate it to the nature. To caliberate an equilibrium and the balance between food and seasons, chefs use to change their serving styles too. For instance, icy plates being served in summer, and warm dishes in winter. This also intensified the freshness of the ingredients. Thus, in Kaiseki, precise culinary techniques were considered in connection with nature and the rituals surrounding food presentations that enhanced the visual appearance of the dish.

This Japanese culture of Kaiseki influences today‟s gastronomy, however we also need to understand what was being followed in the western culture before its impact. When we turn to royalties, during the middle ages, food was being served in an intricate manner, heavily meat-based, feasts with all sorts of garnishes, sauces and fruits piled on large plates or trays and animals being displayed as still life. Garnishing was what defined food presentations. Gold leaf were used to decorate the animals for the king and members of the royal court.

Influence was laid on ingredients that were rare, and were quantified. Even the colour was prioritized over flavour: Yellow, golden, saffron and green were used to demonstrate social distinction. This showed that plating was a celebration of the host‟s power, more than a celebration of the food itself. Power of rare ingredients dictated plating.

17th and 18th century was the tie when haute cuisine was introduced to the world. „The king of cooks and the cook of kings‟ Antonin Carême, the celebrated French chef, brought a revolution in the culinary world, breaking the pre-existing codes, as was in the case of Kaiseki cuisine, infusing the idea of originality in food presentations. The inventor of the famous dessert, „croquembouche‟ (French for „crunch in mouth‟) drew its inspiration from architectural concepts. He build his dishes into the shapes of famous monuments, waterfalls and pyramids, and 11

ruptured the traditional codes. This was a real liberation for new forms of plating, and still continues today. Chefs started composing food presentations according to their own individual inspirations now.

The second idea that Careme presented was arbitrary plating. The presentation of a dish no longer needed to be linked to the ingredients that were used in its making; to be shaped like the animal or refer to the season. It could refer to other arts, and one could invent its own aesthetic forms.

Then came the progressive introduction of the „service a la Russe‟, that revolutionaries the dining experience. instead of „service a la Francaise‟ = buffet, food started coming one after the other. This brought in paraphernalia of a variety of glasses and cutleries. The diners needed to eat faster and lighter, without sacrificing the flavor qualities of the foods. Escoffier, considered as the father of modern restaurants wrote in 1907 – „the clients, requiring to be served quickly, give us no alternative but satisfying them, or losing them‟. He also suggested, separating the cooking brigade from the plating brigade.

In early twentieth century, Fernand Point used seasonal ingredients with a focus on natural flavors. Simplicity and elegance ruled his plates. Point‟s style became the base for nouvelle cuisine. Paul Bocuse, Point‟s most famous protégé, made neat and detailed presentation of food. He provided some of the most iconic images of the increasingly popular nouvelle cuisine movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Several chefs of that era started taking influences from Asian cuisine (Japanese, in particular) in the food making and food presentations.

Chef Shizuo Tsuji opened the first French culinary school in Japan in 1960. This resulted in a much greater cultural exchange between leading Japanese and French chefs, including Paul Bocuse and Alain Chapel. The Troisgros brothers (Jean and Pierre) known for their art of „plate dressing‟, became popular amongst chefs and restaurateurs. They arranged different elements of the dish arranged on round plates, seeking symmetry, height and technical performance. More recently, Michel Bras, photography, clearly draws inspiration from the Japanese 12

style in terms of the visual composition of his dishes, creating landscapes of food on the plate.

The nouvelle cuisine movement initiated a change that marked a radical departure, from basic presentation to a novel concern for the look of plates and food as well. Plating became integral to cooking and eating. Even the diners started admiring the efforts put by chefs into every single plate of food. Around this peak of the nouvelle cuisine movement, chefs started to adding their monograms to the plate ware as well. This style of plating reaches its zenith with the approach championed by such chefs as Alain Ducasse and Pierre Gagnairefollowed by Ferran Adrià in Spain, and Grant Achatz in Chicago. They brought in minimalism into cooking and presentation, while introducing the concept of molecular gastronomy (or modernist cuisine) where the creation of new flavours and invention of new presentation styles go hand in hand. The two elements now got interlaced in the process of culinary creation. It produced a new style of high-end dining presentation. It amalgamated technologies and textures and this gave wings to the imagination of chefs, to „hack‟ the visual appearance of preparations in ways that are totally novel.

New shapes and textures like foams, gels and spherifications started ruling the fine dining. Presentation became a hidden force, guiding the process of culinary innovation. This gave rise to a new form of artistic performance or experience design, with the potential to play with everyone‟s imagination, to trick human expectations as well as the diner‟s senses. This form of art impacted the expectations, experiences and memories of the diners, and progressively built new habits and culture beyond the high-end restaurants.

As per Pierre Gagnaire „I need to put some poetry in my plates. The presentation of a dish teaches me new rules of harmony and through this exercise; I find a form of peace. I always have to position my cuisine visually. In this I am guided by my instinct, which

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helps me perceive qualities and flaws and from time to time, reveals new flavors to me.‟ „You have to construct the dish so the client can instinctively know where to start.

Michel Troisgros used to call it the tale. The dish must tell a tale. The dinner must know where to start and where to arrive in order to perceive all the right flavours.

Just like when you read a canvas.‟ - Florent Boivin, former sous chef at the Troisgros restaurant.‟ The way in which the elements on a dish can be arranged have a psychological impact, shaping the experience of a diner.

Grant Achatz, Alinea‟s chef hung a dehydrated translucent piece of bacon wrapped in butterscotch and apple leather from a bow, in a way that accentuated the lightness and translucency of the components in the dish. This creation pointed how the plate itself disappears in the background of the performance, or even disappears totally to heighten the theatrical and active aspect of food delivery.

Even at Alinea, chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, uses serving technique as a performance art. He challenges how food has to be served and eaten. The waiters bring all sorts of small ramekins and bowls with sauces and ingredients with different textures. Next, one of the chefs emerges from the kitchen, and, in front of the intrigued diners, will start „plating the table‟. That is, they will start breaking solid elements, painting with liquids (both drop-by-drop and by splashing), and spreading powders, with all the aesthetic skill, delicacy and control that only the best artists have.

Chicago‟s Alinea restaurant, the most conventional utensils (cutlery) are unconventionally used to place the food. In a dish that goes by the name of Squab, no plates or similar receptacles are seen. The waiters simply bring a set of nine forks and spoons, each containing morsels of different foods, and then arrange the cutlery in an apparently random manner (a different arrangement for each diner). This dish is inspired by Miró‟s Still Life with an Old Shoe (1937).

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Thus the plates seem to be out of the scene, the table becomes the presentation‟s canvas.

At Noma, the diners are told that their first two courses are already on the table.

The diners have a collection of plant pots in the centre (the clue being given by the fact that there are exactly as many flowerpots as there are diners at the table). The diners are expected to bring the pots closer and start digging in using nothing other than their hands, literally, into the „soil‟, eating everything they find, including the roots. This example, leads to the last change introduced by the new art of plating.

Thus plating has emerged as an element, whereby the diners are able to admire the effort put into every single plate of food, giving wings to the imagination of chefs, to „hack‟ the visual appearance of preparations in ways that are totally novel. This approach is definitely liberating originality, giving rise to a new form of artistic performance or experience design, with the potential to play with everyone‟s imagination, to trick human expectations as well as the diner‟s senses.

2.3 SENSATION Sensation is detection of simple properties of matter such as warmth, colour, brightness, sweetness etc. Seeing colour red is a sensation. Sensations are detected through the five common senses. These sensations are - olfaction (smell), gestation (taste), somato senses (body senses, touch, pain and temperature), vision and audition. (Carlson, 2004) The information concerned to vision is received by the primary visual cortex located at the back of the brain. On the other hand the primary somato sensory cortex receives information from the body senses. Its base receives information on taste. With the help of vision we receive powerful experiences on images, art and colour. In contrast, if we consider sizzling, before we can see or hear the 15

source, we can smell it. Eating is a social behavior and audition actualizes this communication and social behavior. The art of plating combines all the aspects of sensation. The body receives many sensations at a particular time, but only a few are filtered out of these which depends on individuals and their centre of focus. The way we act to these sensations is controlled by perception.

Perception is the basis for much of our understanding of realty and for most of our relationship with things (Korsmeyer 1999). Perception is an ongoing process that forces the perceiver to act in a given way.

Especially when we are hungry or crave for a special kind of food, food acts as a potent elicitor of positive emotions (Osdoba et al., 2015). The presence of food is signaled by sight or smell, and it manifests emotions at both subjective and physiological levels. Even the valence of food presentations and the consumption of meals with different arrangements on the plate modulate physiological and subjective variables. It is well known that different ways of plating stimulate the subjective pleasure and satisfaction of consumers. These modulations have consequences on mood, satiation, or the emotions.

There are some aspects to culinary pleasure that, while captured through our senses, are intimately connected to emotions, intellect, and the environment (Korsmeyer, 2002). It is in this ambiguity of concepts and in this abstract space, where rules are not arbitrary; the senses are met by pleasure. One such important sense is the sense of sight, which is given a higher preference than others.

Senses are divided into higher ones (sight and hearing) and lower ones (taste and smell). In most of Western thought, the sense of taste-together with smell-is considered minor and inferior because it is more than proximal: its accomplishment is its intake. Touch usually stays in the middle, in an ambiguous position. Even in Greek, Christian and Jewish tradition, sight-together with hearing, are considered to be dominant and the noblest senses, because it is distal and, therefore, objective. Sight explores, knows and measures entities in the distance. Sight became more and more convenient and useful in the growing 16

process of human beings. Food is mostly encountered through seeing it with our eyes. „In Japan the eyes are at least as large as the stomachs‟ (Richie 1992:9).

Throughout its history in Japanese cuisine food has to be looked at with appreciation as well as being eaten with pleasure. All these sayings and quotes lay our focus on the importance of food presentations and vision as an important sense in the judgment of food. Food is first detected at a distance through the sense of sight, and the vision therefore plays a critical role in food acceptance.

Perceiving is the same as experiencing –therefore when consumers look at food images and they perceive something, they are in fact experiencing it (Mitias 1982: 157).

Experiences are divided into sensation and perception. The eye feasts on, delicious-looking food (colorful/ garnished food) and sends the sensations to the brain. Perception occurs and the food is consumed. In the case of plating, sensation comprises, seeing the various colors, shapes and designs on the plate and its liking or discerning lies in the perception docket. Through vision the first imagination of meal experience is formed. Imaging is a sensory link. Imagery connects us to incoming language and links us to and from prior knowledge, accesses back ground experiences, establish vocabulary, and creates and stores in formation in both long term and short term memory. Visual perception is the basis for much of our understanding of realty and for most of our relationship with things. Elements of perception include form, movement and space, color. Its important to understand Gestalts psychology as it theorizes perception describing how people organize visual elements and unify them, and this will help us to form attention grabbing food presentations.

Traditionally, plating is done in an intuitive manner. Its refined through an iterative process until the composition „just feels right‟, often driven by the experienced whim of the chefs. However, there is science or principles that could explain the chef‟s intuitions. These principles borrowed from the visual arts and aesthetics can be applied to plating as well. The first principle is proximity that says if similar looking patterns are placed next to each other logically they are assumed to 17

belong together. The second is gestalt principle of similarity which suggests similar elements are perceived to belong to the same form. The third gestalt principle of closure supplies missing information to our visual system and closes outlines of an unfinished figure: closure. All these define how the eye perceives food in platters or arranged in plates, and the answer to visually stimulating presentations lies in the same.

Food and food products are often bought by eye (Alfranca, Rama and Von Tunzelmann 2003:4) Texture and flavor always exert significant pressure on consumers‟ perceptions, a food product or image is „‟almost always tasted with the eye first‟‟ (Imram 1999: 224, Locht Sine Anno: 2) Visual experience is dynamic – What a person or animal perceives is not only an arrangement of objects, of colors and shapes, of movements and sizes. It is, perhaps first of all, an interplay of direct tensions. The observer doesn‟t adds these tensions, but are inherent in any percept as sizes, shape, location or color.

These have magnitude and direction and are described as psychological „forces.‟ The composition of plate also depends on the ingredients making up the flavor of the dish, and the style of the chef or the restaurant. There are many other elements in visual perception that have a significant impact on plating.

Simmel (2010) mentioned that cooks should be careful not to make food seem too good to eat, as if it were some untouchable work of art. Good presentation can contribute greatly to, but should not be allowed to distract from, either conviviality or the appreciation of the food's natural roots.

According to Kuehn (2008), assessment of the ability of food to represent the aesthetic in the everyday perfectly captures the experience with food as art. The meaning of food as art lies in the organic interaction between its production, presentation, and manner of appreciation.

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2.4 ELEMENTS OF PLATING 2.4.1 COLOR Statistical and analytical observations on visual signals of colors or dishes have validated that they are capable enough to excite one's spirits and influence one's conceptions of food and food-consumption.

Color does not pertain only to aesthetics, but can also hold special meaning to people. A color may influence person‟s behavior; his/her learned associations or biological inclinations. Simply the perception of color creates psychological processes, generating motivated behavior. Both the processes and behavior take place instinctively.

The visual appearance and ability of the food product to attract the diners is usually the first sensory stimuli people look out for – we see a meal before we eat it. Especially for fruits and vegetables, color is considered to be one of the prominent attributes to comment on food product‟s appearance. The anticipated safety, sensory quality, aesthetics, acceptability and selection of and preferences for food products are all influenced by color.

Color preferences for foods are the results of experience, culture, conditioning, and learned associations which may vary in different object contexts, for example, brown hues are preferred for steaks and other meat dishes, whereas brown vegetables are considered as inappropriate and, while blue is one of the most appreciated colors, it is the least appetizing in food products.

Visual appearance and color attribute of a meal can generate stimulus or can even depress ones appetite.

Zellner has observed that people exhibit their inclination towards meals that are plated in an attractive way. Firstly, color acts a catalyst to amplify the attractiveness of the balanced presentations of food arranged on a plate.

Secondly, the colors of plate ware have the capability to influence people‟s

19

perception of the food. However, the effect of the plate ware greatly varies depending on the type of food being served, that has a natural color to itself.

As the color of food and plate ware in which it is being served has capacity to impact on the visual appearance and appreciations that it can gather, environment color also effectively affects on the psychological processes and behaviors corresponding to dinerâ€&#x;s reactions to food being served. Thereby, it is assumed that a correlation between colors usually seen in a certain type of restaurant and the type of food served in those restaurants could unconsciously affect the dish–color pairings selected by the chefs in the current study. Not only can colors direct attention towards particular options, but they may instigate certain emotional responses. Bright colors appear to arouse and stimulate, whereas dark colors seem to relax.

The more variety of the color of foods being served, the more attractive the meal (Reinhert, 2012).

According to the Culinary Institute of America (2010), a foodâ€&#x;s natural color is an important factor to consider in design and presentation of dish. Green gives the impression of freshness and vitality. Brown, gold, and maroons are warming, comforting and rich. Orange and red are intense, powerful colors. A dish should have colors that are in harmony (for example green, blue and violet are complementary colors, while blue and orange are contrasting). Clashing or contrasting colors are rarely an issue; a more common problem is the overuse of one color, which has a tendency to make the food look flat and unexciting.

2.4.2 LAYOUT Layout is often related to the visual composition of an image. In plating, the layout constitutes as a part of the multisensory experience.

The layout of the plate not only reflects the visual appearance of the food being presented, but also the symbolic meaning of the plate. Hence, both syntactic and 20

semantic standpoints have to be considered. As we understand and decode the layout of plate, we tend to perceptually organize the visual elements of the plate for which the Gestalt psychology as well as the idea of figure-ground segregation need to be considered.

These include the laws of prägnanz (simplicity), good continuation (or continuity), and proximity (or grouping). The Gestalt law of prägnanz is an important part of perception. This law proposes that every stimulus pattern is seen in such a way that the simplest resulting structure is perceived. This is one of the most important Gestalt laws, as it describes the idea of a top-down processing method where features of a visual stimulus are combined to form a cohesive figure, then analyzed individually if desired by the viewer. This can be applied to food plating, where the diner sees the intended plate first, but then may focus in on each individual ingredient to perceive it separately.

As highlighted by Rudolf Arnheim in the book, Art and Visual Perception a number of visual properties of artwork are related to the semantic qualities of the visual presentation, where balance and tension play an important role in the same. Balance and tension are driving forces in a composition. These two concepts describe visual “forces” that push and pull on the perceptual center of a composition as its elements are moved about the canvas.

In plating, the diner‟s attention is grabbed by creating a visual tension in plate that guides the diner to discover the overall layout in a visual flow pattern dictated by the chef. This flow pattern is derived from the semantic hierarchy of the information presented and is analogous to the concept of a visual hierarchy.

Chefs must balance the application of visual techniques and styles to adjust the amount of visual weight that a certain element possesses within the composition.

To analyze the effect on an element‟s importance, the subconscious evaluation is between an element and the edges of the plate that play an important role.

However, the subjective view of it is that an element creates more tension the smaller it is and the closer it is to the edge of the page.

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As seen in the image below, the off-centric arrangement is creating a tension in the overall presentation.

Inferred modifications are those attributes that arise from an elementâ€&#x;s interaction with other elements around it. These are rooted in the stages of pre-attentive processing that are applied by our subconscious when viewing a composition. It is these attributes that constitute much of the unseen effect of specific properties of elements on the overall layout evaluation as implied by Gestalt psychology.

Gestalt Grouping The law of proximity describes that placing elements near each other causes them to be perceived as being related in some way. This has application in layout design by visually segregating informational elements that have a semantic relationship among them. For example, a set of three points will be segregated from the rest of a composition to show that they are different from the other elements and are semantically related to each other.

Gestalt Continuity The Gestalt law of continuity refers to an implied continuity that is present between two linear elements that align with each other in any orientation. This is applied through graphic alignment as well as in literal continuity between linear elements as they appear on their own or as a part of an image.

Intervals The concept of intervals is a very important topic in a layout. It describes the distribution of white space between elements in a composition. Interval adjustment may be used to set off Gestalt groupings or simply provide a kinetic visual rhythm to the composition.

Contrast Contrast is another important element used in developing a visual hierarchy. This is the characteristic of an element that differentiates itself in importance from its 22

neighboring elements or from the background itself. Contrast must be evaluated within each category of characteristics. Figure-ground segregation also forms an important part of contrast where, an element is being perceptually separated from the background.

The layout of food on a plate is important to how the diner will feel about the meal placed in front of them. When plating food, one needs to be sure not to leave too much space between food items. Additional space makes the portions appear small and cause customer dissatisfaction. Overcrowding the plate makes the appearance look messy and intimidating. For example, if too much gravy is used or foods are too close together, the gravy can spread to all the other items on the plate. Also, one shouldnâ€&#x;t place everything in the middle of the plate; rather, select a focal point and build from that part of the presentation (Reinhert,2012).

The layout is just as essential to the success of a dish as its taste and flavor. The way the food looks on the plate is what tempts the eyes and makes the diner want to taste it. No matter how delicious a dish may be, if it is served on a dirty plate, you will definitely not be tempted to taste it. One needs to make the correct selection of the plate as well.

In considering the layout of the plate, matching portion size with plate size is another important aspect of the overall food presentation. A plate that is too small for the food portion it offers will look messy and overcrowded. On the other hand, a small portion on too large a plate will look sparse. Also, serving hot foods on cold plates and the other way around needs to be looked upon.

To accentuate the overall layout of the plate, garnishes are often added. Some garnishes are selected mainly to augment the visual impact of the plate, while others are selected specifically for the flavor they may impart.

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2.4.3 TEXTURE While flavor is commonly found to be the most important sensory factor responsible for the liking of many foods, texture is often cited by consumers as the reason for not liking certain foods. The asparagus on the plate being wilted in appearance affects the sensory properties of the consumer. Food texture, whether evaluated visually, orally or manually is a crucial element in the perception of plating.

Food texture can be defined as “the sensory and functional manifestation of the structural, mechanical and surface properties of foods, detected through the senses of vision, hearing, touch and kinesthetics” ISO Standard 5492 (1992) defines texture as, “All the mechanical, geometrical and surface attributes of a product perceptible by means of mechanical, tactile and, where appropriate, visual and auditory receptors” There are three main types of textural properties as per the classification scheme. 1. Physical properties - hardness, viscosity and cohesiveness (Deals with visual and touch senses) 2. Geometrical properties – flaky, gritty, grainy, puffy, and fibrous (Visual) 3. Moisture and fat properties – oiliness, greasiness and moisture content (Psychological) The entire process of food texture perception has been a topic of significant interest over the years. The overall process is illustrated in the figure given below.

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Figure 1 - Eating experience: The perception of texture.

The first visual contact with the food stimulates the overall perception of texture.

Color, shine, visual flow characteristics and many other attributes affect the interpretation of the texture. Thus is followed by the sense of touch, that explores the surface properties like stickiness and roughness as well as the bulk properties such as hardness or ease of flow. After this, the consumption of food takes place, that includes the senses of taste and hearing. The initial perception of hardness, flowability or other textural sensations in the mouth have a similar impact. Here the role of temperature overpowers the other aspects. This is followed by chewing of the food / mastication. At this stage the key texture attributes include resistance to chewing, the way the food product breaks down in the mouth, the extent to which it coats the palate, how the product sticks to the teeth or the tongue and eventually how long it takes to break down and dissolve in the mouth.

Serving foods of similar textures or consistencies can become very boring to the diner. Instead of serving mashed potatoes and pudding with a meal, serve the mashed potatoes but offer fresh fruit instead of the pudding for a more crisp texture. Variations in both of these areas are necessary for greater menu appeal (Reinhert, 2012).

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Forester (2007) mentioned that the texture of what people eat is the number one thing they base their likes and dislikes on. Making sure that commercial food products feel right in our mouth is an enormous part in the development of any new food item.

Institute of Science and Technology (2010) revealed that texture is a very important character of every food people eat or drink. To many people, it is even more important than taste. Think of all the ways we describe a foodâ€&#x;s texture.

The components and ingredients within foods plus the processes they go through determine their texture. The human body is very adept at evaluating a foodâ€&#x;s texture. People use not only the sense of feeling in our mouths or mouth feel, as food professionals refer to it but also our other senses to evaluate the texture of foods.

Texture is important to the way food looks, as well as the way it feels in the mouths. The surface of the food will have a tendency to either reflect light or absorb it, making some food glossy and others matte. Some foods have highly textured exteriors whole others are very smooth. The way the food feels when you bite into it is another aspect of texture that the chef needs to include in a plan. Too much of the same texture is monotonous (Culinary Institute of America, 2010).

Another important rule of food presentation is balancing variety and contrast. It is good to have a variety of textures on the plate, but how these textures are combined is just as important (Bone, 2013).

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2.4.4 BALANCE Visually as well as physically, balance is the state of distribution in which all the actions have come to a standstill. Weight, direction and color constitute an important part of balance.

While studying visual perception, there is preference for objects occupying the central locations, which decreases symmetrically as the object moves away from the centre. This reflects on the tendency of the people to prefer balanced over unbalanced food compositions. „Centre bias‟ is quiet an applied concept by the chefs to allure the diners. Its however unjustified to say that centre biased is more balanced as balance is independent of symmetry. Even asymmetrical things look balanced. It‟s difficult to judge what‟s more appropriate, balanced or unbalanced plating compositions? As the scope of visual aspects of the food and the subsequent eating experience is undoubtedly extended to many complex interactive factors.

It is also important to consider ultimate aesthetic appreciation can be modeled by several cognitive factors while framing our opinion of a landscape ( be it a painting, garden, or a plate of food ). For instance, unbalanced plating could be perceived as being more creative and appealing in comparison to balanced plating. The latter could therefore be influenced and appreciated by traditional values. Hence it can be understood that plating preferences will fluctuate in accordance to the appetite pleasures that the diner seeks for, and the context in which the food is consumed.

As advanced by philosopher of aesthetics, Denis Dutton, the validation of an aesthetic piece could be grounded in the assumption of the human effort underlying its creation. An aesthetically pleasant, neat but complex composition might be what people are ready to pay more for, as it would be a indication of both skill and effort in general.

With the science of aesthetic plating, one is not making an attempt to decide on whether some plate of food is „objectively beautiful‟ or not. Instead some 27

representative set of individuals with their abilities of justification or experiential reviews on its beauty can influence to a greater extent. With regard to plating, guidelines for optimal plating could emerge giving out paramount considerations to more mindful food presentations, which positively affect on trends observed in the consumption behaviors.

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CHAPTER – 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.1 METHODOLOGY FOR SECONDARY RESEARCH Itâ€&#x;s important to discuss the literature reviewed, for understanding and awareness about the subject, its limitations and how the proposed research adds to the existing knowledge. Secondary data on the topic were gathered and studied. The information pertaining to plating, fundamentals of plating, visual sensation, synesthesia, premium dining restaurants in Delhi, NCR, chefs as an identity were collected and studied. This was done through books, journals, articles and audiovisual series. Secondary data was used to gain initial insight into the research problems.

The study and analysis of the secondary data sources was important for understanding the existing plating arrangements, and how it plays a role in stimulating the haptic senses to interact with the food in a better way. How Delhi is reflecting on the visual aesthetics of food in premium dining practices could also be understood through the existing data. Based on these and other factors, the researcher chose to use both primary data and secondary data for the study.

2.2 METHODOLOGY FOR PRIMARY RESEARCH 2.2.1 INTRODUCTION The importance of food plating has been increasingly explored in the area of fine dining. The purpose of this research is to understand the role of visual design elements in food plating. It specifically looks into the premium dining restaurants of Delhi, NCR. This study, therefore, examines the potential of visual design to define the plating arrangements in premium dining restaurants in Delhi, NCR. A combined methodological approach based on semiotics theories and content analysis is used in this study. This approach has multi-stages and investigates the visual communication elements of food plating. Hence, the main focus of this 30

research is on plating that is dealt with by two different entities – visual aspect of it and the creator – the chef. The role of the chef for both the data collection and analysis of the plating arrangements is taken into consideration. This study looks into both the chef‟s understanding of the visual symbols as well as the researcher‟s perceptions of how those symbols are being used to represent specific values or messages. Thus semiotic plays a vital role in its understanding.

The analysis potrays increased understanding about and for the design of the plates. There is also a cognitive relationship between the researcher and the chef, as the researcher experienced the dining experience and also could interview the chefs directly. Because the cognitive relationship between the researcher and the chef could be established, the study could analyze „How chefs understand the meaning of visual communications elements in their ways of plating.

2.2.2 METHODOLOGY Food communicates a social meanings not only related to the plate but also to the diner for whom the food is made. Social meanings that are constructed through sign systems require a semiotic analysis for decoding. This study considers semiotic theory because it provides insight into the meaning of visual elements in plating by understanding the signs used in that plating. Furthermore, because there is diversity in understanding these plating elements (due to personal background, culture and experience of the creator as well as the viewer), it is also useful to draw out content analysis of the same, which facilitates understanding these interpretations of symbols (color, shape, layout, texture ) in relation to their background, culture and behavior.

Semiotics and content analysis complement each other to form the theoretical framework on which this research is scaffolded and informs the research methods of data collection and analysis. Semiotics is the primary approach used

31

to percienve the signs and symbols ( here the elements of plating ) while content analysis is useful for interpretation of the message or its decoding.

2.2.2.1 SEMIOTICS According to Ferdinand de Saussure (2011) in a semiotic system, signs contain two dimensions, namely (1) signifier, which is the label determined by tradition/humans, not by law (e.g. the name or the sound), and (2) signified, which is the psychological association of the sign (things human can see or hear). For Ferdinand de Saussure the link between a signifier (what we call a sign) and the concept it stands for is conventional and arbitrary, and is established through a social agreement amongst a group of individuals.

Therefore, signs may suggest different meanings in different societies. These meanings can be challenged in each society and can be analysed in the context of interest.

Similar to signs represented in plating, each visual element of plating (sign) has a function – informing the diner, capturing a moment, narrating a story – that is also the meaning of that element (denotation and connotation). For example, the semiotic analysis of a plate by Chef Dhruv Oberoi, at Olive restaurant reveals the relationship of the broken plate and spoon with the sustainable aspect of the food industry. The broken plate here has a symbolic meaning.

Understanding the functioning act of visual elements of plating designs is achieved through semiotic analysis. Semiotic analysis reveals the underlying meaning of graphical/pictorial/ elements of plating and their social connections to the world and their referents. (Noble & Bestley, 2011). How these graphical/pictorial/ elements of plating vary from one chef to another is interpreted by the researcher depending on her experience.

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2.2.2.2 INTERVIEWS The method of data collection dealing with chefs was unstructured interviews, where the chefs were asked a number of framed questions. The discussion was aimed at understanding the reasons behind their visual communication design choices and identifying their creative intents on the plates. The interviewer had no initial set plan for which questions to ask first, as the interview was determined by the immediate context, which was different from one case to another. This meant that the data could be collected more deeply as each interview session was personalized for each chef. It involved an audio recorded interview that took approximately 30 – 60 minutes. The questioning task unleashed various types of raw data, including the chef‟s emotions for the dish and the depth of that emotion, how the chef‟s world is organized around the dish, and the chef‟s experiences and their perceptions about the plating and its elements. This gave them the opportunity to clarify their thoughts presented in context of plating.

2.2.2.3 DATA ANALYSIS Four modalities analyzing the visual elements; color, shape, layout and texture were selected to analyze the plates. These were drawn from the semiotic theory.

An analysis table was established for each plating arrangement and was based on the above 4 elements. This table has been given in appendix.

2.2.2.3.1 COLOR The colors of the plating were analyzed to understand the color palate, and also due to the fact that each color may convey a particular meaning in each cultural setting and/or various hue and saturation of colors may carry different levels of attractiveness with respect to a particular dish.

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2.2.2.3.2 LAYOUT The layout of the ingredients in the plate was studied to realize the position of individual visual elements represented on the plate, because each particular position has its importance for attraction, culturally, as understood in visual social semiotics. Size was also considered to understand the importance of various elementsâ€&#x;, from the chefâ€&#x;s point of view, in attracting attention. The position of the elements is symbolic. Elements in a plate can infer different meanings according to their arrangement (top to bottom, centre, and left to right) on the plate. Vertical placement of elements idealizes, or generalizes, the essence of the information from top to bottom. The horizontal arrangement of elements can be used to infer new, contestable or problematic ideas in a diminishing hierarchy from left to right.

The centre position is the core, holding marginal elements together. These visual models are well explored by the Chefs in their plating arrangements.

2.2.2.3.3 TEXTURE Textures were also studied. Serving foods of similar textures or consistencies can become very boring to the customer. Forester (2007) mentioned that the texture of what people eat is the number one thing they base their likes and dislikes on. Texture of the plate is important to the way food looks like. It should complement the food texture. The surface of the plate will have a tendency to either reflect light or absorb it, making the food on the plate look glossy or matte.

This nature of texture was understood with respect to the plating.

2.2.2.3.4 SHAPE The shape of food and the plate plays a large part in the aesthetic appeal of plating. It would be very monotonous to always have all the food on a plate be shaped the same. Some naturally flat food were rolled or folded, and arranged in 34

piles or pyramids. This aspect of shape gave insights about how to add visual interest in plating.

2.2.2.4 CONTENT ANALYSIS The meanings conveyed by the visual design elements used on the plates are accordingly

established

through

content

analysis

via

syntactical

units

(paragraphs and phrases). The chefs play an important role and hence knowing their perspectives was equally important. This was done through interviewing them. These interviews were unstructured with a particular set of questions in the interviewers mind and were recorded for analysis and authenticity reasons.

Textual analysis tool was applied here. The purpose of textual analysis was to describe the content, structure, and functions of the messages contained in the recordings. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews was done. The meaning associated with the symbols (color, texture, layout and shape) was understood.

Sentences and paragraphs were used as the syntactical units.

2.3 SUMMARY The relationship between the messages on the food plates and what diner take from these messages was not well modeled in the literature. There was, therefore, a need for further investigation in this area. In view of the fact that plating is not a separate area in dining and because of its growing importance, there is a need for further research on these topics. It is understood from semiotics (sign interpretation) and content analysis (construction of meaning) that visual perceptions play an important role in plating and to what extent is the influence of plating with respect to the key visual elements. This research combines both, and analyses the relationship between them. The visual, the social and the socio-cultural are viewed through the combined lens of semiotics and content analysis.

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CHAPTER – 4 DATA ANALYSIS & FINDINGS

36

(Image 1)

Azaan Qureshi, Junior Sous Chef, Dum Pukht, ITC Maurya, New Delhi Currently working at Dum Pukht, a fine dining restaurant at ITC Maurya, Chef Azaan shared his views on the visual aspect of food in plating. As per him in today‟s time, the first visual contact of food for a consumer is through the indirect medium of apps like Zomato. So, when the people visit the restaurant, the first 30seconds; is more or less the deciding factor for them as to whether the food is worth appreciating. In his view Indian cuisine has never really been about too much of theatrics, compared to what we see now. However, we are trying to make our food look more European, which doesn‟t seem like a very good idea.

Discussing about the Indian fine dining scenario, the relevance of using forks, knives and spoons, he drew a parallel between mannerism and the comfort of eating food. Ones‟ hands have been into fewer chemicals than the silverware he/she is using to feed himself/herself. So more or less it‟s good to eat with hands and also the real way of eating Indian food. One of the world‟s largest dynasties, the Mongolians, was the ones to rule most of Asia as we know it. They used to eat with hands, and that pretty much describes why we follow the same natural way to eat food. But again, the foreign clientele is also to be catered to, so the option to use cutlery is always open.

In terms of plating, the chef describes his style as soulful and homely, and dramatically Indian. At Dum Pukht, all the food is served in entree, it‟s called 37

silver service. The food comes directly from pot to the plate. In other restaurants, it comes pre-plated, from kitchen to the table.

In his viewpoint, there is a shift in the customerâ€&#x;s perception, focusing the millennial in terms of how they ask for food on the plate. The main elements in his plating are: color, texture, balance, harmony or layout/ arrangement, but he would prefer taste over presentation any day. The perception of beauty can vary from customer to customer, thus taste is twice more important; especially for a regular customer.

In terms of relating the element of design with food, he thinks that Indian cookery is as complex as French cookery. The only difference lies in the fact that French cooking is measured, whereas ours is instinctive. We only need to understand our food better to be able to appreciate it better.

38

Figure – 2

39

(Image 2)

Balpreet Chadha,

Chef De Cusine,

Director

of Culinary

Operations, AnnaMaya, Andaz, Aerocity, New Delhi Hailing from Pondicherry, Chef Balpreet is the director of culinary operations at Andaz. A bachelor in culinary arts, he has travelled the world and worked at many of the top guns in the business including a Michelin star restaurant. Serving a rustic cuisine, the norms of plating at AnnaMaya are very different from modern plating such as artistic or abstract plating. They totally depend upon what kind of food is being served. Plateware is generally earthen, so if he is doing rustic food, he likes to keep it as desi as possible. Copper glasses, Khurja pottery plates are generally used. White plate is his version of canvas to plate colourful food.

Plating for him can be symmetrical, asymmetrical or totally abstract, like a painting.

According to him the first and foremost thing in plating is that „food should look appealing‟. Then comes the aroma that makes the food appetizing. This is followed by the texture – that could be soft, tough or crunchy, and is felt the very moment someone takes a bite. Then comes the taste. Food is UMAMI for him.

Umami is an amalgamation of different flavors that exist in a human tongue-salty, sweet, sour, bitter. It‟s a Japanese word for amalgamation of flavors. According to him, colors are already seen with the eyes, as many colors the place will always looks good. You will automatically love a place that has colors. So everything has to be colorful on a plate, then is the aroma, then is the touch and

40

the feel of the food, then is the taste. Every moment of truth of a plate is as important as the other.

On being asked what defines her plating style, he chose his plates to be innovative and artistic. To him, food presentation is really important. You can put the food in a symmetry, give a nice height to it, add different colors and textures, micro-greens and edible flowers-throw them on the top. IN the whole process, the temperature shouldnâ€&#x;t suffer. One needs to make his/her plate really smart, quick and presentable.

For him, food isnâ€&#x;t chemistry, itâ€&#x;s always instinctive. There can never be a chef who measures food; because even two salts taste different. It has to be instinctive. You need to know what taste it has to give you and how the food should feel after that. The three main elements of his plating are - color, texture and plateware, where the plateware being the most important part. Before setting up a menu, he designs his plates. He draws it on the paper to see how it looks and then he checks its practicality on the plate. It also has to be viable for the operations team in order to deliver consistent plating every time.

On being asked about the future of PAN Indian cuisine, he believes that it has the potential to be number one in the world.

41

Figure – 3

42

(Image 3)

Nilesh Dey, Executive Chef at Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon A Bengali, born in Chhattisgarh, settled in Rajasthan and now Executive Chef at Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon, Chef Nilesh has 21 years of experience in the field. The profession first clicked to him when he was a child studying in the 6 th grade. An IHM, Pusa graduate, he has worked in many prestigious hotels and travelled across the world gaining expertise in the field. He doesnâ€&#x;t limit himself to any cuisine - he is good at tandoors, cold kitchen, gravies, European, Japanese, Cantonese and Italian.

His take on food presentation is very clear - all of our 5 senses work together and the harmony brings up the food. To him, food is an emotion. Itâ€&#x;s like an artist does, he thinks and does something on the canvas. When you see different colors and see how they come together. Thatâ€&#x;s the art of plating.

Plating for him is very important because, seeing is believing. Looking at a fruit juice stall he draws out details of food presentation as what one sees is color, texture and harmony. He also focuses on the sense of smell. Anything kept on a plate should have a proper balance, color, with the textures complimenting each other. Garnishing is what make the plate refined for him.

To draw out his plates, he first assembles the ingredients and then he thinks what can be done to make it more appealing. You get all the combinations right and then refine it, that comes with experience. As the customer perceptions are evolving, he receives comments from other chefs, food critics / bloggers / 43

instagrammers. He keeps them in mind and works on the same. He prefers plain plateware, where the food speaks for itself. Shape of the plate however is not specific. The three main elements that help him in plating are: the ingredients, plate, combinations/layouts. He describes his plates as „interestingâ€&#x;. Plating is like an art for him. Harmony of colors, elevations, textures- all go together, to make the plate appealing. The plateware material can vary from stoneware to glass, ceramic. He even keeps the material as natural as possible, working with banana or palm leaves, to make the base of the plate.

44

Figure – 4

45

(Image 4)

Dhruv Oberoi, Head Chef, Olive, Qutub, Delhi An interior designer and an architect turned chef, Dhruv Oberoi derives inspiration from the elements of design and architecture. Working at the Olive Bar and Kitchen, his presentation style is more of minimalistic. As per him the progressive Mediterranean cuisine served at Olive is a mix of different elements which have stories, a strong connect among the ingredients, the recipe or the ingredients.

On being asked about choosing between the visual sensation of the food or the taste, he rates says that the visual appeal of food plays 40% role. Visuals also play an important role in marketing when it comes to apps like Zomato as they are the medium to increase sales.

The restaurant serves progressive Mediterranean food derived from about 20-21 countries that lie in the Mediterranean region, although the dĂŠcor here is inspired

by Santorini in Greece.

The food taste comes from the classic methods but the presentation is improvised. Colours, different textures and nature help the chef decide the plating style for the food.

On being asked about the consumer perception, he says India is a very tough market. Now people are travelling the world. They know exactly what they want.

There is a mixed crowd- some who want something thatâ€&#x;s really tasty, more 46

things to be Indianised, others who understand food; they know what international cuisine is all about. Very confusing guest list is what they finally have. The millennial visit the place because they have started understanding food in a different way. It‟s not just burger or sandwiches. They understand what exactly the appetizer is, what‟s color, what‟s tuna, what‟s kohlrabi what‟s parsley.

According to him the three major elements to plating / the visual presentation on the plate are color, texture and taste. To him the plate presentation and ideas come from outside the kitchen. It can be architecture, a piece of wood or stone.

Suppose, if he sees a really abstract different looking plate; he tries to figure what will go well in that- whether it‟s lettuce, meat, fish, sea food or a lobster. His idea

of

plating

is

mostly

colorful,

cheerful,

natural

and

minimalistic.

Monochromatic is a style not well known to the clientele here; the reason why he doesn‟t venture into that side at Olive. Also he insists that the taste has to be equally good, if a good looking food item doesn‟t taste good-it is the biggest turn off ever.

47

Figure – 5

48

(Image 5)

Emiliano D. Stefano, Italian Chef De Cuisine, Prego, Westin, Gurgaon Currently the head of the Italian cuisine at Prego, he thinks food as beautiful. He started cooking as a chef at the age of 17 and ever since then each step he took as learning. To him, the relation between plating of the food and food itself is perfect but sometimes can be chaotic and he likes this aspect very much. In the last century, everything was aligned, geometrically figured. Now food looks like it has been thrown on the plate. The drops of the sauce have been splashed. So chaos is harmony in plating to him.

On being asked about visual presentation and taste; he says taste comes first then it‟s the visuals. His father does best soups in the world. But they are the ugliest looking. Of course, one needs to find a balance between the things, but never compromise on taste. He doesn‟t like modern chefs as they are very much into presentation. Food is memory for him.

In terms of plating, he likes natural presentations. He conceptualizes his plates, draws them out and then click pictures to analyze them. At Prego, a rustic touch is added to food presentation. The three main elements taken care of are –Food, Raw materials and the relationship between the flavors. Texture is yet another aspect analyzed by the mouth. For plating, even a plain plate with a golden rim can make an impact. By playing with color, volume and flavor- a great combination of plate can be drawn out.

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Figure – 6

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(Image 6)

Shantanu Mehrotra, Executive chef, Indian Accent, The Lodhi, New Delhi Indian Accent is well known for its contemporary Indian food. The food they serve is progressive Indian with a twist. The chef believes that we first eat with our eyes. If you plate the food nicely, decorate it, give it a beautiful color combination, it will say something. It would be something we would want to have and our sensory buds will make us want to have it again.

Taste and food presentation are both equally important for him, unless and until the food doesn‟t looks good, one won‟t enjoy eating it and vice versa.

On being asked about food design and plating, he says that, when there is a mass number of guests at the restaurant, plating has to be executable. For this; the various elements of plating a particular food item are broken down and some are semi-prepared and kept for use when need be. Also food plating can‟t be time consuming, it should take a maximum of 5 minutes otherwise the food starts getting cold. Also, the waiting time for the guests can‟t be compromised.

What describes his plates is Satiety or as we now call it - a food coma. According to him in his experience of 20 years, there has been a drastic change in people‟s perception of food. Earlier, people didn‟t care whether food was coming in a bowl or a plate, but now they do care about how the food looks. The shift of focus towards food presentation only began 6-7 years back in the Indian food arena as per him.

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For plating, he looks out for plates that are different and elegant in a manner.

Moreover, the food and the plate should complement each other. A deep thought process is involved in the selection of the plating theme at Indian Accent.

Elements like, color, contrast, focus, temperature, emphasis and layout of the ingredients – are all well taken care of at the Indian Accent. The color of the food and the plate it is served in must complement each other. There is nothing better than a crunchy food texture. There has to be a balance in terms of the food portion size as well. Plating the food in the middle or the sides has to be done carefully; choosing the extreme ends makes the food difficult to eat as it will fall over the edges of the plate, so food is generally kept in the centre.

Mr.Shantanu emphasizes on drawing a careful balance between food and its presentation.

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Figure – 7

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(Image 7)

Deepak Khariya, Level 2 chef, Pluck, Pullman, Aerocity, New Delhi „If you are talking about plating and you are going into a fine dine restaurant to consume a meal, the food must say EAT ME.‟ In words of Chef Deepak, a postgraduate in food technologies from IGNU, he believes that plating should have visual appeal where the colors play the most important role. Pluck is a modern Indian fusion restaurant and a lot of importance is laid on fusion of cooking techniques and plating. He usually uses white plates as his canvas as it accentuates all the colors. He defines his plates as – „Your choice, my dish‟ Also, as per his experiences he sees people clicking the pictures before consuming it. So, the consumer is becoming more and more familiar to plating.

In terms of the plateware material they are using Cerix crockery, it‟s very light, matte on the outside and glossy inside. So it gives a different appeal altogether.

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(Image 8)

Subrata Debnath, Executive chef, Taj by Vivanta, City Centre, Gurgaon „If you are talking about plating and you are going into a fine dine restaurant to consume a meal, the food must say EAT ME.‟ In words of Chef Deepak, a postgraduate in food technologies from IGNU, he believes that plating should have visual appeal where the colors play the most important role. Pluck is a modern Indian fusion restaurant and a lot of importance is laid on fusion of cooking techniques and plating. He usually uses white plates as his canvas as it accentuates all the colors. He defines his plates as – „Your choice, my dish.‟ Also, as per his experiences he sees people clicking the pictures before consuming it. So, the consumer is becoming more and more familiar to plating.

In terms of the plateware material they are using Cerix crockery, it‟s very light, matte on the outside and glossy inside. So it gives a different appeal altogether.

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Figure – 8

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CHAPTER – 5 CONCLUSION

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CONCLUSION

5.1 Conclusion of the study To make an effective food presentation, the chef needs to have a perfect interplay of the ingredients with respect to the colour, shape and texture as they all define the narrative on the plate. Each of these modalities needs to be individually understood for better understanding of the plating. The Darkness and softness of the food ingredients, placement of the portions on the plate, overall framing/layout, contrast and tonal values all add value to the plating. Their interrelation with each other plays a crucial role in its appraisal. These elements define the effectiveness of a presentation. As discussed earlier food is an integration of sensory experience, perception, knowledge, practice and culture.

So the background and style of the chef plays an important role to understand the same.

One can conclude that knowing these visual elements and using it in the right way is extremely important for the chef to attract dinerâ€&#x;s attention.

For some chefs the dishes takes them back to their childhood memories, for some its respecting the farm-to-table movement. This incourse amalgamates the integrity of ingredients that needs to be respected and appreciated what nature is offering. While for some it is the cultural association with the color and holding back to the traditional roots and their history. Chefs also associate dishes as a lined poetry that serves a story. Itâ€&#x;s the chefâ€&#x;s idea that gets represented on the diner plate.

I would also like to consider that it is always important to remember who the dinner is and what are the right visual elements that would be better to use on the plate, following the rules of visual attractiveness or the elements of visual perception can help to make a particular plate more successful and appealing to the diner.

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I would like to conclude that, plating is a personal and subjective experience depending on the chefs interpretations, perception and understandings. Each dish is curated and conveys a particular sensorial experience that has a crosssensorial effects. This culinary pleasure is well captured through our senses, and is connected to emotions, intellect, and the environment. Components like balance, harmony, texture, alignment and color are well explored and ministered by the chefs while producing the consumable food visuals that entice the diners.

5.2 Limitations of the study The study aimed to determine whether and how the visual aesthetics of plate are being followed in premium dining restaurants in Delhi, NCR The study utilized visual research and included the top premium dining restaurants in Delhi NCR as per the „Michelin star ratings‟, „The Times Food and Nightlife Awards‟, „TripAdvisor Traveller‟s Choice Awards‟ and „Zomato Premium Dining Restaurant Ratings‟. There could be many other restaurants qualifying the list of premium dining for this study, however the sample size was restricted to 10 taking in consideration the duration of the research and the availability of the chefs. Also, the researcher could have considered other ratings too. Thus validation of the result was completely dependent upon these sources.

The visual analysis and the questionnaire were the main tool used in this study.

The questionnaire utilizes unstructured-type of questions to gather data. The interviews were personally conducted by the researcher. The procedure and the purpose of the study were explained and they were given the assurance of the confidentiality of their answers. The data collected were consolidated and subjected to textual analysis. The interpretation is totally subjective to the researcher‟s analysis and experience. It can vary from person to person. The customer‟s point of view was not taken into consideration. Other analysis tools like heuristic model could also have been applied.

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5.3 Scope for further research There is scope for more research by collecting data from all the premium dining restaurants in Delhi, NCR. Most of the research is based on visual analysis by the interviewer, customer analysis can also be done, this will add another dimension to the overall research.

There are no standard color, shape or texture boards with respect to plating, so this could be an area of research. Because plating is such a wide topic, limiting the scope of the study to a single element of plating, like color, layout, texture or balance could provide greater depth of knowledge.

Context and textual analysis have been used as the major analysis tools for the qualitative research. One can broaden the approach and apply in the heuristic model to the same analysis.

The thesis took into account past studies on plating, however in terms of Indian context, not much have been written in this area. With the increasing customer awareness and growth of the Indian food industry, this area poses a huge scope of research.

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ANNEXURE

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ANNEXURE 1 – INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE 

Food is a metaphor for multisensory communication and its quiet evident that as chefs one is producing food that‟s as captivating for the eye as it is for the palate. So, what‟s your take on this culinary experience?



How do you define your cuisine / your style?



When did you first start cooking, and what was your idea behind this restaurant?

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Do you agree to the fact that ' visual sensation of food is as important as its flavor?

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What is it about the visual power of plate? And how do you work upon the same?

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What‟s your take on food design and plating?

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How do you draw out your plates?

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One word that defines your plates?

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Do you think the food presentations are equally important?

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What‟s your priority: taste / presentation?

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Do you see a shift in the customers perception towards plating?

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According to you, what are the three mains in plating?

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What has been the hardest thing to plate till now?

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How will you order emphasis, contrast, texture, balance, color, layout / arrangement of ingredients on your plate?

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How do you select your plateware?

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Will you agree to the fact, that the eye feasts on delicious looking food?

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ANNEXURE 2 - TRANSCRIPTS Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Emiliano D. Stefano

Place:

Prego, Westin, Gurgaon

Date: (Date.Month.Year): 02.04.2018 Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

00:21:53

An interview was conducted with Emiliano D. Stefano, Italian De Chef De Cuisine at Prego, Westin, Gurgaon as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, chef Emiliano D. Stefano. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later.

The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: Food is a metaphor for multisensory communication, its quiet evident that as a chef you are producing food that‟s as captivating for the eye as its for the palate. What‟s your take on the same?

A: Food itself is beautiful. My point of view of the relation in plating of the food is food itself is so perfect but sometime in the shape or the form is chaotic and I like that aspect of the food. But in the last century, everything was aligned, geometric figured. Now food looks like it has been thrown on the plate. The drops of the sauce have been splashed. So chaos is harmony in plating to me.

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Q: About yourself?

A: I started as studying language at the high school. And found out study in food. When I was 17, I started working as a cook. And chefs liked me.

What I liked about my job was that … that means you do something and get the result, the result is at the moment. Every step you take is learning.

Q: How do relate the visual presentation with the taste?

A: Taste is first then it‟s the visuals. Example, my father does best soups in the world. But they are the ugliest. Of course, Find a balance between the things, but never compromise on taste. I don‟t like the modern chefs too as they are very much into the presentations. Food is memory for me.

Q: Whats your take on food design & plating ?

A: I don‟t like over forced presentations, I like natural presentations. We have foams, gelatins. But you will never food an asparagus with a tomato soup as they aren‟t complimenting each other.

Q: How do you draw out your plates?

A: At the moment, I make them first and then click pictures then.

I dropped the lemon tart ! He has even created the plate itself, that‟s food design.

Q: In Prego, in terms of plates?

A: We have a rustic relation of plates with the food. I love the white though.

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Q: What are the three main elements of plating?

A: Food, Raw materials and the relations between the flavors, not only the colors.

Its not the green pea mousse looks good with pear, so you put them together. There must be relationship in flavors.

Texture, simple and a pathetic e.g., a salad with a bread, salad – crunchy and salty & bread gives you the bite and compact. And you wouldn‟t do something that‟s only leaves. Texture is compact it‟s the feeling of the mouth.

Q: Do you use textures plates too?

A: Even the plain ones have some lines. They give a simple basic effect. It looks flat but there is a subtle base that made here.

Q: Do you keep the food in the centre or on the sides?

A: It depends, I keep things towards the sides. Even volume & height. Flat plating barely goes well in this plate. We accentuate the plate through height.

Its an a la carte restaurant.

Color , Volume and height are the most important.

RECORDING ENDS

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Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Nilesh Dey

Place:

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon

Date: (Date.Month.Year): 02.04.2018 Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

01:03:41

An interview was conducted with Nilesh Dey, Executive chef at Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, Chef Nilesh Dey. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later. The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: Food is a metaphor for multisensory communication, its quiet evident that as a chef you are producing food that‟s as captivating for the eye as its for the palate. What‟s your take on the same?

A: You are perfectly correct, and for me, presentation of a food is basically what looks good to your eyes. Something which looks to your eyes, the food which you can feel is good on a plate, I think that‟s the most beautiful presentation you can do.

Q: What‟s your take on food presentation and take?

A: We are having food with different senses. So all of our five senses work together and the harmony brings up the food. If you say the taste was good, but the presentation wasn‟t good. Or you say the listening about the food, the most important part. Example, this is a chocolate mousse that‟s 73

made up of aroma chocolate, that‟s best of the world. The tip of the chocolate, it‟s made from 100 percent chocolate bean and has got a bitterness of 98 percent. Its colored in pure silver. It‟s been mentioned in our Ayurveda, its very good for the immunity of the body. See the white background, it gives a perfect elevation. You are hearing about the food and getting tempted by it. So when we talk about the food every sense comes together. The best part is the emotional aspect behind it.

If you ask a chef, what does food mean to you? He would say its an emotion. Its like an artist does, he thinks and does something on the canvas. When you see diff. colors and see how they come together.

That‟s the art of plating.

Q: How did you start ? your style of cooking ?

A: It‟s was long story, 21 years of experience now. I started when I was in 6th standards. I loved to eat eggs. My mother used to make omelets. She got me a big dosa pan, the non-stick one. She use to makes omelets on it sometimes. The circumference or the round thing of the omelets was very appealing to me. So I broke down 6 eggs and made an omelet out of it, cooking it on a sow heat. I ate it out too. Next day I was constipated followed by loose motions. I was on bed for whole day. That clicked me, if you cook something, you feel like eating it. and if you don‟t feel like eating it, then how others will feel about it. That was when the initial click started.

I attempted medical exams too, 3 times I got selected in vetnary. Last time I was on waiting list I am Bengali, born in Chattisgarh, settled in Rajasthan. Now I put up in Tilak Nagar.

(WEST DELHI – conversation on the same, how it‟s a food paradise | childhood, kulfi-faluda, Gol-gappa, aloo-tikki, candy floss, pulled sugar candy into snakes )

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IHM, Pusa I got selected. That year I thought I will do hotel management.

I did my training twice. 3 months at Taj, 3 months in ITC. Then 6 months as a kitchen supervisor in canopy, at the brigade road. So when I started I was the chef con villa in 1997. So I was selected into most of the hotels. I joined Taj Residenct at Vernaculum, after 5-6 months I thought it wasn‟t the right place for me. Left and came to Delhi. So 3 and a half months I was sitting empty. Unless I got a call from Radisson, Mahipalpur where I got a very low position, as a trainee. Low line base position. Position in Taj, I was getting was a senior supervisor. But at Radisson I learned from scratch. And started doing from base level. And I went for totally European cuisine. Then moved to coffee shop, Chinese. Moved abroad, at carnival.

Stayed in Italy for 6 months. Then Miami, Canada, panama crossing, adventures during those 1 and a half years. Got married before going to the ship. In June I got married. I had a kid in February 6th. Came back and again went to the ship, came back, joined Imperial, became a sous chef there. Took care of Russery, fine dining European now closed. 1911, coffee shop. Then moved to Taj Mansingh, where I was for 8 years. I joined as a chef of chambers. It‟s a privileged club and you don‟t get a membership until and unless the MD doesn‟t approve. 12-13 lakhs for the membership per year for no benefits. Premium and expensive. Then it was Machan, a coffee shop. I took care of Wasabi. Moved into grand Hyatt, revived the hotel. Last to last December I moved over here.

Not any cuisine, specifically. I am very good at tandoor, cold kitchen, gravies, European, Japanese, Cantonese,, Italian at Grand. Wasabi, many of my dishes are still there. Contemporary Brazillian. I don‟t limit myself with any of the cuisine.

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Q: How do you relate the visual sensation of food with the flavor?

A: We eat food from all the senses. Before visual it‟s the hearing part.

Listen about the chef, the late, the place. The food these days has become more than culinary, it has become very big.

I had a discussion with a French chef, who told me that they have taught us how to plate, then I told him about, „thalis‟. We have preplated food since ages. We eat the food in a thali, everything is in an individual containers. You guys have derived the 17 courses in early 1900s.

When Yudhistir became the king of Indraprastha. There were 2 cuisines that were done. One made for Magharajas – Ratsvik food. The other for Satvik food for the Brahmins. The third for the workers – Tamsvik food and it exists till no. we are more than 30,000 years old.

The first sense is what you hear about the food, then your mind clicks and you go to that place. Then you can smell the aloo tikki, then the next part is the eyes, eyes see that this is the food, its so tempting, then it‟s the palate that tastes the food. Now there is the amount f saliva that mixes with the food, that disintegrates the food into simpler components.

Plating is very important because, seeing is believing. Look at the fruit juice stall. What you see is color, texture, harmony. In summers you will look for sugarcane/mango, so your brain automatically look for that.

Seeing the oranges/pineapples/tangerine, it‟s because of the fragrance, sweet smell, aster smell. That attracts it. Bananas, aren‟t displayed because, they rot first.

Tastiest coffee, made from poop of a squirrel, Lupaq. Flavor and aroma is evolved during the digestion process.

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Q: How do you relate food design and plating?

A: Food design is plating and plating is food design. Anything kept on a plate that has a proper balance, color, harmony. Textures compliment it.

Leaf/stem coming out. Thatâ€&#x;s what you do to make the plate refined.

Q: How do you draw out your plates?

A: Beautiful question! I make the plate and then think. After assembling the ingredients I think what I should do to make it more appealing. You get all the combinations right and then refine it that comes with experience.

Q: What about customer perceptions? Are they evolving ?

A: I do a plating and get comments from other chefs, food critics / bloggers / instagrammars and get the comments. I keep them in mind and work on the same.

Q: Plateware ?

A: I go for white, very white, bluish white / black. I prefer plain things, where the food speaks for itself. Shape of the plate, not specific. I did plating on a broken plate also, 6 years back. I designed my plates with stones, I came across scorpion stoned black crockery from Nagaland. Its heat resistant, 600-700 degree Celcius. I used even Renault brand.

Q: What are the 3 main elements in plating?

A: Ingredients, plate, combinations/layouts.

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Q: One word that defines your plate?

A: ‘Interesting‟

Q: Hardest thing to plate?

A: Raw scallop on a lava stone, where I had to maintain the food temperature.

Q: How do you order the elements of plating?

A: Harmony of colors, give elevations, textures. All go together, no order as such.

Q: Material ?

A: Stone, glass, ceramic, natural. I love to plate on a banana leaf, taal, lotus leaf. That‟s very natural and happening will soon come into trends.

Q: Course pairings ?

A: Yeah with wine pairing. Succession of the meals is also planned for the pre-plated. You do 50-60 plates at a time. I don‟t think that all the plates to look same, or follow any image as such. Two plates can of the same.

Plating is like an art in which you can‟t copy.

RECORDING ENDS

78

Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Balpreet Chadha

Place:

AnnaMaya, Andaz, Aerocity, New Delhi

Date: (Date.Month.Year): 30.03.2018 Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

00:31:19

An interview was conducted with Balpreet Chadha, Director of Culinary operations at AnnaMaya, Andaz, Aerocity, New Delhi as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, chef Balpreet Chadha. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later. The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: Hello, I am doing my thesis on plating in fine dining. Relating the aspect of design with the same.

A: Pont is that, you are at a very wrong place. We do rustic cuisine. So rusting is a kind of plating actually. So if you are talking about modern plating that‟s different there is artistic plating, there is abstract plating, it‟s just that what kind of plating you are looking at, you have to be quiet clear on that.

Me - I am looking at the premium dining in Delhi, NCR and looking at how each restaurant is looking at their plating. At Bukhara or Dum Pukt they are serving the food, things aren‟t coming pre-plated.

Chef - I am an ex-ITC, food. Food depends upon.. if you have Indian curries, you put inside the bowl. Now say a curry which needs water, even chutney, it needs a 79

lot of water, if I put it on a plate, and just scribble around the plate, it will leave water. But for it not to leave water I will use pectin, I will various other things to jellify it, so that the water doesn‟t come out. What are you exactly looking at? I will guide you to who to approach to in Delhi and who not?

Me - How the visual metaphor of food plays an important role in fine dining and mapping out trends, how people are going about it.

Chef - This is a casual dining restaurant. Andaz doesn‟t do fine dining at all. I am the director of culinary operations here, so I can tell you for sure, I don‟t do fine dining here.

Go to Shangri‟La – Tamra, there is a restaurant in GK, Karma Kismat, all of Zoraver Kalra‟s outlets, they do different kinds of plating. Masala Library, Farzi – its casual restaurant though. These guys have opened Pra Pra Pra in Gurgaon.

Go to Olive , Q‟la is there. The best Italian is Leela, Chanakyapuri, they have a restaurant called, Lessurk. In Japanese they have Akira Back, they do plating.

At here, it‟s a casual dining restaurant, its like a market, we cook from self ingredients, I grow then inside the restaurant.

With plating I am very sorry, I can‟t help you. Because you are looking at a modern outlook.

Me - Not a modern outlook, but I am looking at how each chef is defining plating so I can map down that and the plateware also.

Chef - It totally depends upon what I want to serve. After that we will concept out, that this is the food we want to serve, this is the kitchen I set up, this is the glassware/cutlery. Plateware can be earthenware, so if I am doing a rustic food, so I will use earthenware, I just keep it as desi as possible. The crockery is kept in front of you, the glasses are made of copper, the bottles right in front of you.

All these plates are from Khurja that gives you an Indian touch. They have color too it, so I know what to add there. So what I plate depends upon what color already exists on the plate. What goes well with it. You can‟t plate food in these, 80

because they have lot color to it. A superb plate to plate food is a white plate. It‟s like an open white canvas, you can draw whatever you want to. So plating can be symmetrical, asymmetrical or totally abstract, like a painting.

Me - So I was looking at elements like, color, texture, contrast, balance and layout, so I have a few questions on the same.

Chef - Certainly you can ask me.

Q: Food is the metaphor for multisensory communication and as a chef one is producing food that is as captivating for the eye as it is for the palate, so what‟s your take on the same?

A: I feel it is absolutely fine because you will love the food when comes on your table. Before eating food you eat the food with your eyes. So it has to look appealing, appalling and you have to go for it like wow, that there is something amazing on my table, that‟s the look of it. Now it has to smell good also, so when it smells good, it becomes appetizing. You want to have it. So this is the look and the feel, the aroma. So you have touched two senses now, your eyes and your nose. So when it comes closer to you, you will touch it. So you call it the texture of the food. If I am plating a food I will make sure that, I will have a soft, tougher and a crunchy texture. I will make sure that I have as many textures as possible. Somebody is taking a bite, there must be creaminess, there should be a bite into the food, there must be something soft and crunchy. So that‟s the texture. Then it‟s the taste. UMAMAI, is an amalgamation of different flavors that exist in a human tongue. Which is salt, sweet, sour, bitter. It‟s a Japanese word for amalgamation of flavors. The colors are already seen with the eyes, as many colors it always looks good.

You will automatically love a place that has colors, the bottles here. So everything has to be colorful on a plate, then is the aroma, then is the touch and the feel of the food, then is the taste. Every moment of truth of a plate is as important as the other.

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Q: What‟s your take on food images on the social media. How one is inviting guests and the customers coming in ?

A: In a country like India, I don‟t want my clients to be more educated.

They should be more open, what food is. We don‟t have respect for our own ingredients, people don‟t know how many kinds of millets we grow in India, if a western chef comes and cooks millets, wow it becomes amazing, but millet is actually from India. We have one yel millet, faux yel millet etc. all the millets go from India. People should know what ingredients are. Other issue in Delhi that I face is , why the fish is so smelly. Fish will smell, it‟s a sea fish it would smell of the sea. If it‟s a fresh water fish, it would be different. Why my fish not soft, by nature all the fishes aren‟t soft. There are other fishes available that aren‟t soft. Shark, common in South India. We make shark puttu out of it. Its like a burjhi, its not a soft fish by nature, that doesn‟t means its not cooked properly.

There‟s a notion that has come up with the people here is, what Zomato has done it. It has opened up a system for everybody. Other systems has streamlined the system. I would go for Trip Advisor, they ask certain questions, why, what, they like to know that you are really important, you know what food is. Zomato has nothing, plain open page, boom, you are ready to review a restaurant. All these concepts are really falling in a west now, people are taking them for granted. They are only using these applications to know where the restaurant location is. And Google is taking over it very quickly, even the Google reviews. In India what has happened is Zomato has just started. When a company is not even a decade old, I have my trust issues. What will happen, where is it going in future, they can feel it as they are going out of it and looking at Zomato delivery.

Because they know they are not going to last long. Reviewing system is good but I‟ts good for the people who know it. These apps should screen people that they really know about what they are talking. Any client will come here and will say that the dal makhani isn‟t tasty as its not per their household. But, Daal in India changes every household. My mum she puts 82

onions in it, I don‟t use onions, your mum might put green/spring onions in it. It‟s not that you shouldn‟t put it. It‟s just that every household does it differently. Sambar, butter chicken and daal at every house is different.

India is a complex country which is PAN India. It‟s an amalgamation of different cultures and every culture has a different cuisine. Indian cuisine is a wrong statement, it‟s a PAN Indian cuisine. So the guys like, Zomato, they have to screen people, who are going to screen restaurants, it‟s not wrong reviewing someone, it‟s really good. But are you really that good to review somebody who is going to cook all day out. You go to a restaurant and say that this is how I want, now chef is an artist people say. You go to late M.F. Hussain. And say this is how I want my food. This is how stupid these apps are ending to. They are teaching people the wrong things.

They should have screened it properly so that people would have educated themselves. They should know the difference between a bhaang and a combu chaat.

Q: One word that defines your plates?

A: Innovative, artistic.

Q: What do you think about food presentations, are they really important and how they are impacting people.

A: Food presentations are really important. It touched the first sense of the guest. Food presentation is about presenting the food properly, you can present the food properly. You can put the food in a symmetry, give a nice height to it, add diff. colors and textures, micro-greens and edible flowers.

Throw them on the top. Our days were very difficult, there was no Pinterest or Instagram, we had to do a lot of reading. Now it‟s very easy.

Presentation is really important in terms of food is appealing to the guests.

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You have to be really up on the game, you need to know what modern trends are, even if you aren‟t using them in your concepts you need to know them. If a group of 20 comes to me and say they want modern plating. And they give me 5000 per pate. I will do it. It‟s a really good business. Presentation is really important, but the temperature shouldn‟t suffer. Make it really smart, quick and presentable.

Q: How do you relate food design and plating?

A: There is only one thing where the food isn‟t instinctive, that‟s bakery and pastry. I had coined a term long term back before going to Europe.

The food isn‟t chemistry, it‟s always instinctive. There can never be a chef who measure food. Because even two salts taste different. It has to be instinctive. You need to know what taste it has to give you and how the food should feel after that.

Q: Three main elements of plating a dish?

A: Color, texture and plate ware, the most important part. What‟s the plate ware made up of. I would like the plate to be white, where I add ingredients that add color to it. It‟s not that I don‟t use colored plates. I can use golden rimmed plate too, but I will add chocolate to it, as the color of chocolate goes very well with it. Elements are very clear, color, texture and plateware that you are using.

Q: In terms of the layout, how do you place your dishes, is it towards the centre/towards the ring or varies?

A: It varies…Before setting up a menu, I design my plates. I do it on the paper, I do it with my pen and see how it looks, then I do it on the plate and check it how it will be done and check it with the operations. Will it be viable for them to do it. The team that I have will they be able to deliver 84

consistent plating every time. So it is important if I am plating it or they are plating it.

Q: About yourself?

A: I was a computer science student. I am from Pondicherry. I worked in a French restaurant in for 2 years, a 2 Michelin star restaurant. I was told to do graduation. I did my bachelors in culinary arts. I went to Taj, with ITC in India. Then to Abu Dhabi, Lulu Group. Biggest hypermarket by Yusuf Ali, richest Indian in the middle east. I worked as his brand chef. So worked there. Took care of all his outlets. There was a cup cake coffee shop, modern Indian restaurant called, street side restaurant called De Thali.

Then a chicken vinegar outlet.. a south African restaurant. Came back to India, set up J.W. Marriott in Bangalore. Then went to Europe, Spain, France, Maldives, Morocco, London, back to Spain. I did a business, food delivery start up, failed, lost my money then back here. Just joined Andaz, it‟s been 11 days today.

Chef – For Books references read this book on flavor, „Modernist Cuisine.‟Just don‟t stop into Indian cuisine. Because Indian food by body doesn‟t go as plated food. Body of a rasam or khichdi is supposed to be had by hand. Even the chicken in India, it‟s made so soft. That it‟s not to be had with fork or knife.

Q: How do you see the future of PAN Indian cuisine ?

A: It will be no. 1 soon, almost there. Most eaten cuisine is Italian, Asian and Indian.

Italian, thanks to pizza. Indian cuisine has a bright future ahead. But what do you want to portray? Getting stuck with butter chicken? There are so many things to India.This Easter Sunday I am cooking amrood ki sabzi, 85

normal vrat ka khaana, but people take them for granted. Trying to bring them up. We donâ€&#x;t know kalhadi cheese, from Jammu and Kashmir that melts as put on tawa. Its like mozzarella.

Q: What was the hardest thing to plate?

A: Frog legs in sauce. They all look the same, so how to plate them. Even if you give me chicken wings I am not comfortable to plate them.

RECORDING ENDS

86

Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Deepak Khariya

Place:

olive Bar & Kitchen, New Delhi

Date: (Date.Month.Year): 30.03.2018 Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

00:20:35

An interview was conducted with Deepak Khariya, level 2 chef at Pluck, Pullman, Aerocity, New Delhi as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, chef Deepak Khariya. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later. The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: Food is the metaphor for multisensory communication and as a chef you are producing food is as captivating for the eye as it is for the palate, so what‟s your comment on the same ?

A: If you are talking about plating of a food. And you are going into a fine dine restaurant to consume a meal, the food must say EAT ME. If it has a visual aspect in terms of colors, variations. Because we have a variety of cooking techniques in the culinary section, so all these things matter a lot. Plating is a common thing these days. The color combination gives you impact on the eye appeal.

Q: Define cuisine that you are serving at Pluck ?

A: It‟s a modern Indian fusion restaurant, unlike Bukhara that serves authentic Indian. But we serve modern Indian. Example, if you want to have prawn suji upma. So we bind continental and Indian into a dish.

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Q: When did you first start cooking?

A: When I was in class 11th, I started cooking. I am fulfilling y parents dream.

Q: What was the idea of joining this place?

A: I have 5 years experience in this field. I worked at Taj too. Pullman is an international brand, it comes from France.

Q: Do you agree that the visual sensation of food is as important as its flavor?

A: Totally

Q: Preference of taste versus visual presentation?

A: If you are talking about taste with respect to visual experience. If we talk about boiled food, it doesnâ€&#x;t have a taste but if we bind ingredients in terms of herbs, then food gives you a sense of aroma, taste and appeal through the herbs.

Q: How do you go about plating the dish? You have a particular recipe in mind and then you play with the visual presentation?

A: It depends on the cooking techniques too. We even have modern cooking techniques, like chiffon machines. If you are serving a dry meat or starter.

Starter is usually kept dry. We plate it with a modern concept. Gravies spill over the plates, so we do thick gravies if needed.

Q: Do you experiment with your plates too ?

A: We create new dishes time to time.

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Q: What about the design of the plate ?

A: That‟s the most important thing. A very good question actually. If we are serving a gravy, plate is a heavy bowl/voluminous. If it‟s a flat dish, then the plate is keep little modern.

Q: In terms of aesthetics what is the color palate that you follow?

A: We usually use white colored plates. Because it accentuates all the colors.

Q: One word that defines your plate?

A: „Your choice. My dish.‟

Q: These days we have different social mediums that advertise restaurants and foods ?

A: Social media, we use Sunday brunch on weekly basis, and we advertise through those.

Q: What about the age group that comes here?

A: 30-40 majorly, 25-40 age group. Kids come up with their parents.

Q: In terms of consumer perception do you also see a shift, how they want their plates itself?

A: Usually people are clicking the pictures before consuming it.

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Q: Hardest thing to plate for you?

A: Biryani, it‟s made up of rice that has starch. We need to extract the starch from the moisture and we have to serve then. Otherwise it spills. We don‟t use gelatin, agar-agar to bind it. But we don‟t add those to it.

Q: Whats your take on color in food presentation?

A: I use red the most and blue in sea food.

Q: Texture?

A: Gravy

Q: Layout A: It depends on the dish, plate empty on half of the side/on the centre.

Q: Plateware material?

A: We are using Cerrix one, it‟s very light, matte on the outside and glossy inside.

RECORDING END

90

Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Dhruv Oberoi

Place:

olive Bar & Kitchen, New Delhi

Date: (Date.Month.Year): 29.03.2018 Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

00:22:21

An interview was conducted with Dhruv Oberoi, head chef at Olive Bar & Kitchen, New Delhi as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, chef Dhruv Oberoi. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later. The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: Hi, I am Priya from NIFT Delhi, I am doing my masters from there. I am doing my thesis on plating in fine dining, how plating plays an important role in fine dining. I have a short interview that‟s there.

A: No problem, NIFT is a fashion college so, Haha Me - We have a masters course there, it‟s a Design Research course. This is the proposal, you can have this for reference.

Chef – I will read it for sure.

Me - It deals with the art of plating that‟s there. There are short questions that are there, I will interview on the same.

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Q: Food is the metaphor for multisensory communication and food is as captivating for the eye as it is for the palate, so what‟s your take on the same ? In the sense how visual aesthetics of the food, play an important role in plating.

A: Well, if I have to sum it up, that‟s very important because as everyone says you eat from our eyes first and then you eat later. So it really is important for us because, if we have to communicate our vision that has to through plating and then the taste. So both play an important role either taste or visuals. That‟s the first impression to the guest, so on that basis I would say presentation is really really important. That gives you the first impression and first mark to the guest, I think they will be having something really interesting, fun after that.

Q: How do you define your style of cooking or the cuisine that you are serving at Olive ?

A: Well I follow a simple theory of minimalism, which is like a very few things on the plate but we really work very fine towards that. We don‟t have 10 elements on the plate. We have like either 3-4, different – different elements which have got stories, which have got a strong connect among the ingredients, the recipe or the elements. So the theory of minimalism is a key factor for our type of cuisine.

Q: little bit about yourself, how you started with cooking?

A: Well, I was not suppose to be a chef; I was more towards architect, interiors. I started my career. I thought I will be here for a few years, and I will go and do the further studies. But I have seen the chefs, I followed them, I worked with them. Then my whole perception changed towards cooking. It‟s not only that we are cooking behind the range, it‟s all about 92

the story which we put on the plate. The whole restaurant element, the whole concept of the restaurant we try to put it on the plate. So that was the major push in terms of my career to change the perception from a designer to a chef. Till date, in the free time I do my little bit of interiors. My many presentations are inspired from interiors, architecture. I always find that outside the kitchen, outside the restaurant. If you are travelling maybe to a farm to a forest to a beech to a sea, your inspirations come from there.

Q: The visual sensation of the food is as important as the taste. Still whatâ€&#x;s your preference?

A: I will give 60% to taste and 40% to visuals. But still we have to work on visuals.

Q: How people are coming into the place by the mediums of apps, or Zomato, so even there the visuals that you project, play an important role.

How do you decide on the same?

-

The visuals play an important role in marketing because you have to sell it. So thatâ€&#x;s the first medium of sense which goes out to the customer. So its important. So if you talk about all the social medium apps. Or Zomato, Trip Advisor, Google and all. That is the key to sell your restaurant.

Chef - Can I offer you something? Coffee or pizza?

Me - Thank you, we will have it for sure.

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Q: How do you define Olive‟s style of cooking?

A: i would say we do progressive Mediterranean cuisine which really defines the décor, our the concept of the restaurant. The restaurant décor is inspired by the Sentorini of Greece. They have white walls, blue doors or the gravels so that‟s a little influence in terms of the cuisine as well. So we have a huge canvas where we can play around. 20-21 different countries because these are the countries that touch the Mediterranean belt. So I define it as „progressive Mediterranean cuisine‟. So we are not doing classic, we have taken the classics in terms of our taste inspirations, and then we do our own touch to make it really visual delight or something on the different level.

Q: What is your take on food design and plating?

A: Well, because when we talk about presentation, so I really have to think what exactly we are thinking and how we should present that particular thing. The first research and development goes on the taste, what exactly we are looking at. For example, if I have chosen a recipe of Dispachu for instance so I have to think how I will be plating that. For this summer‟s I will you an example, we are taking the inspiration from the summer destination of Europe. so be it Amulphy, be it Malbaya, so be it a beach in southern France. So I am going to take an inspiration from there and I will try to put the nature on the plate. So that will be very natural and it will give you a feel that actually you are enjoying that particular dish on the beach. So, whether it be through colors, through different textures or like a rustic kind of presentation or an element which goes on top of it which actually defines nature. So that‟s the approach what we follow we follow in terms of plating tool.

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Q: Its very inspirational in terms of architecture or even in design, we have mood boards or color boards and then we drew out inspirations and then translated those into designs. So as you were explaining I feel the fields are quiet parallel.

A: So our ideas come from travel. For even yesterday we had a very big event with DSSC, which was on the basis of wastage. The first dish what I had sent it out was a muse bush on a broken plate. So the broken plate had got two major ideas, so one is of course you are utilizing something that‟s discarded in a beautiful way. Second, I am from Chandigarh and Chandigarh has a beautiful garden called the Rock Garden and the gentlemen “Nek Chand Saini‟ he has done the whole garden out of rocks.

So that was the second idea how you start in terms of presentation. So I have done the first course on a broken plate which was like a mental thing for the guest. But that was my take on the waste management.

Q: Okay, one word that defines your plates?

A: Minimalistic, I think I will sum it up in that.

Q: Do you also see a shift in the consumer‟s perception?

A: Yes, India is a very tough market. Now people are travelling the world.

They know exactly what they want. Also we have mixed crowd who want something that‟s really tasty, more things to be Indianised. Few are the clients who understand food; they know what international cuisine is all about. Very confusing guest list is what we have. Few people understand what we do and few people say I just want to have my pizza pasta and I am ok with that. So, I am still confused in that way.

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Q: In terms of age groups?

A: Till date, we have got all the age groups. Above 35, they come enjoy their wine, food and conversations. Slowly we are tapping the millennial.

They are coming because they have started understanding food in a different way. Its not just burger or sandwiches. They understand what exactly the appetizer is, what‟s color, what‟s tuna, what‟s kohlrabi what‟s parsley. So, really want to come and experiment that. So we are tapping that client also.

Q: How do you order your dishes?

A: Our menu is designed as such that we have the appetizers, we have entrees, we have the desserts. These are the three major elements. If we talk about tasting menus, we usually do on weekends, which is like a 911 course that has got a diff. angle. So we start with a …bush, then you do soup, appetizers, salads, sorbe, entrees or pasta or fish course, then you do a meat course, then you do a pre dessert, then you do a dessert, then you do a petti food, then you do cigar and then a compliment. There is a long list for that. When you come for an a la carte, we go for a little elaborate tasting menu that goes from a 9 course to an 11 course, depends on how we have planned and what we do on the plate.

Q: How do you go about plating the dishes if you have 150 guests?

A: It‟s the same for an a la carte or until and unless it‟s a buffet or a sit down we check with the guests what they want, then we plan the menu accordingly. If you talk about

a la carte, if we have 150 guests here, it

all has to go as we have planned.

That‟s why we have a big team at the back who supports us in a major way.

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Q: According to you what are the 3 major elements to plating / the visual presentation on the plate?

A: Color, texture and taste.

Q: What has been the hardest thing to plate?

A: Its pasta and risotto. You can‟t plate that. But still as a chef, if I have to do a dish I am really stuck on that particular section because I can‟t do any plating on that, because it‟s one of the simplest tastiest dish and second Italians hate presentations in that way, when it comes to food. I know they are great in terms of architecture, fashion design but when it comes to food they hate presentations. If I have to do presentations of pasta and risotto I am stuck on that.

Q: How to you choose your plateware ?

A: Sometime, if I see a plate a dish comes into my mind because of the plate. For example, If I see a really abstract different looking plate and I think this will go well in that. Whether it‟s a lettuce, meat, fish, sea food or a lobster. So again the plate presentation ad ideas come from outside the kitchen. It can be architecture, it can be a rock garden as I said before, it can be a piece of wood I want to plate my dish in, it can be a piece of pebble on the river. So that inspiration always pushes me to cross that boundary.

Q: Do you follow any themes in plating?

A: I don‟t want to go for monochromatic, because people don‟t understand here. That‟s very very serious kind of thing. I was thinking to 97

go for, one plate completely white, if I am doing a texture of palmizan, I will be doing 5 different textures of palmaizan. But I want it to be livelier, more colorful because that‟s very serious art, it‟s beautiful, it lovely but you need that kind of a clientele to understand. So my idea of plating will be colorful, cheerful, nature, minimalism.

Q: To end with, the eyes feast on a delicious looking food?

A: Yes, but the food need to be delicious, that‟s the key point. The presentation needs to be good, and it‟s going to make you feel good. But it‟s the biggest negative factor that‟s going to happen, if the food isn‟t tasty. It looks beautiful, stunning but it‟s not tasty, It‟s the biggest take off.

I will be gone.

RECORDING ENDS

98

Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Shantanu Mehrotra

Place:

Indian Accent, The Lodhi, New Delhi

Date: (Date.Month.Year): 26.03.2018 Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

00:28:59

An interview was conducted with Shantanu Mehrotra, Executive chef at Indian Accent, The Lodhi, New Delhi as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, chef Shantanu Mehrotra. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later.

The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: Hello, I am doing my thesis on visual vocabulary of plating in fine dining. How the visual metaphor of food plays an important role. Indian accent is a great example for the same, and also in terms of Indian fine dining, how we are projecting ourselves, so I have short questions to ask.

– A: Yes it does! Please.

Can I get you some tea/coffee ?

Yeah sure.

What would you like to have tea, coffee, fresh lime soda ?

Fresh lime soda.

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Q: Can I record it, it would be easier for me to interpret ?

A: Sure, alright.

Q: Food is a metaphor for multisensory communication and its quiet evident that as a chef‟s one is producing food that‟s as captivating for the eye but it is for the palate. So, what‟s your take on the same?

A: See, you first eat with your eyes, if food is tasting good but it is presented in a bad manner, or its just thrown on the plate, you won‟t enjoy eating it and in the first go you will say, YUCK! That will be the first thought process that will go in your mind, but on the other aspect if you plate it nicely, decorate it, give it a beautiful color combination, technically it will say something, yes this is I want to have. And your sensory bud will say I want to have it again, so that is how it does matter.

Q: How do you define your cuisine or your style?

A: We say its contemporary Indian food. We follow some international dishes but with Indian food component or work out the Indian dishes onto a plate not by just reducing the sauce for sake, you say paneer makhani , that we take out two pieces of paneer drizzle it with some sauce and serve it on a plate, that‟s not our thought process, how we can twist it around, how we can give it a different touch, like in Italian cuisine there‟s a dish called Millanzani, the essential components are cheese, aborigine and tomato. How we Indianized it was by the use of cottage cheese, the aspect of cheese coming in, aubergine was replaced by baingan ka bharta, and then the tomato was replaced by makhani*/mathi*, so we layered it, gave it a layered presentation with sauce being poured on the side. So, that is how it works here.

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Q: So for you, what‟s the take on taste and the food presentation?

A: Both are equally important, unless and until it looks good, you won‟t enjoy eating it. If it doesn‟t taste good, definitely whatever looks good, if it doesn‟t taste good, you won‟t enjoy eating it, you won‟t crave for it again, okay I want to have it again.

So visual sensation is as important as your taste buds.

Q: So what is it about the visual power of the plate and how do you work on the same for that matter. Like, I keep on seeing all the images, like you have laid a lot of focus on visual emphasis of the food, so how do you go about it?

A: Well again, we just think about it, how to present it how it will look, and the concept of the dish goes along with that. According to that we do it.

Chef - Drinks come in (fresh lime soda I have got a different one for you, try that.

That‟s a pomogrenate shikanjvi, so this is how we do it. This one has a different color, so at times it appeals to you, like normally I would have out it in this glass, but we gave it in a champaign glass, it gives a different touch to it. To add to it, to give the color, there is a mint split on the top. So the color of pomegranate complimented with the green color, then you feels nice that its something very refreshing.

Me - Yeah indeed it gives a very fresh look too!

Q: Whats your take on food design and plating ?

A: Food design !, Food designing is actually not our forte, how we work on our plates is , yes in a restaurant, if you do one – two dishes for 101

photography, yes you can spend time on it. But to execute it when i know there is a booking of 100 people and out of those 100 people there will be 80 people will be having a particular dish as per the past experiences. So there should be ease of execution also. Yes then how you can design it on the plate. Then its broken down into different elements, these elements can be semi prepared and kept, and then they can be worked on to the plate… and in plating it should not take more than 5 minutes, because if you work on the plate your food will start getting cold. B – if the time taking becomes more, then the guest start waiting a lot, there it becomes problematic.

So in terms of one has to cook alot 100 or 150 dishes, then it becomes a challenge.

Then we look into certain aspects of food designing, like we have done a cornetto, a cornetto ice-cream, but we have done a hot version to it and a savory* one. – take on that design, we make the cornettos with mathi dough, bake it rather than deep frying it, then we fill it with either duck or paneer. When we started it we were doing it with baingan ka bharta.

Me - So that‟s kind of really different. It might not sound as….

Chef - I will ask him to get one/two things so that you can click pictures, so that you can understand how exactly we work on these.

Q: One word that defines your plates ?

A: Ahh, think a lot on that, it gives a satiety feeling, a food chroma.

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Q: Do you see a shift in the customers perception towards plating ?

A: Yes, when I almost started 20 years back, then it was more like, khaana bowl mein aaraha hai, thaali mein aaraha hai, now people have started shifting that food has to look good, like the way European food has evolved over the number of years, Indian food was stagnant, it is Ii would say past 6-7 years, that people have started focusing on the presentation aspect of Indian food as well. How to twist around, how to give a different touch.

Q: Okay, so I should have asked you before, a little bit about yourself, sorry !

A: Hahaha, its okay !

Hi, I am Shantanu Mehrorta, I am the Executive Chef for Indian Accent. I have been working for this organisation for almost 19 years now, at various levels. I opened up the all American Diner at the India Habitat Centre, then me and Chef Manish were together in London for almost 3 years, we came back we started this project in 2009 and since then I am here.

Me - I met chef Shubhra, she said…

Chef – She‟s my wife Me - She told me I will be meeting you here. Yesterday I interviewed her, I went to Bukhara, so she said you will be meeting my husband there. She referred me to come here The chef smiles and asks me to have food.

Chef – Please have some drinks. Actually she mentioned it, I had forgotten.

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Me - Tasting the pomegranate shikanjvi – its good, the taste is almost similar but there‟s a tinge of carrot maybe ?

Chef - No pomegranate I have asked them to get a cornetto, normally the street food that you get, puchkas. We had taken a belan (pinroller) cut it, given a bite size to a puchka and changed the perception of Bombay ragra patis, like we enjoy tikki, „tikki karai hini chahiye‟, so aaloo ko mold mein daalke, twist/deep fry karke, then we proceed as bombay ragra pati, giving it a different touch.

Me - So dishes here have essence from all the parts of India .

Chef - Yes, all parts of India.

Q: Also, like my generation, like I am from the 90‟s, like for me dinner use to be a … dining outside was a different phenomena, then we came to restaurants that were opening up. Because of my father we use to go to The Ashoka, we were brought up in that scenario, and now that we see, we have different apps and different things that are coming up. The deciding factor of going to a place, where earlier it was a family decision or making a memory, has now come down to the rating, seeing the ratings ?

Whats your take on that ???

A: Definitely the scenario has changed, initially when you use to go out it was a family get together or a birthday celebration, now on every occasion one wants to eat out. So now it‟s not only a family driven thing, if the husband-wife want to go out and enjoy, or with a boyfriend. So that has changed, a business meeting. So everything has change and everyone is looking for ease. If you used to have function at home, what used to happen was all the women were busy cooking in the kitchen, their involvement was 0. Now they can enjoy, sit, relax themselves.

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Q: So, also in terms of, I am doing in terms of plating aspects, we had these kullhad bartans, then petal bartans, then steel, and now, even Bukhara offers these wooden mugs and Khurja pottery. So, in terms of experimenting plating with designs, the materials, so, how do you see Indian Accent.

A: We look out for plates that are different, elegant in manner and it should go with the dish. It shouldn‟t be okay, and our focus is a bit monochromatic in color. Be the focus on black or white or certain colors.

Yes, I also use Khurja potteries, but not the way they make it, the way I want it.. I have asked them to do an off-white ceramic or a black color.

And yes, the plate itself shouldn‟t have… Actually the food should speak for the plate, rather than plate speaking. So, they are complimenting each other in a way.

Q: So, in terms of fork, or spoon or knife, that we are using, so if we talk about Indian food in detail, we started with eating with hand. Now, Gaggan Anand started with lick the plate. And eating with the hand, obviously we are coming to a fine dining place where lot of foreign guests are also coming.

The food arrives Chef - So I was talking about this puchkka, Me - In the image it looked lil big.

Chef - We do a bigger version too, that‟s on our a la carte, we started this one from November, where we had put this in the tasting menu, because if you have one portion, the stomach fills a lot. So if you want the people to try it, at the same time they shouldn‟t be filled. That is how I started with this. And we did 5 different waters., the traditional, tamarind, pineapple, pomegranate and garlic butter.Its garlic buttermilk, its yogurt based so you start from there, go down, keeps

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changing your palate and then garlic buttermilk cleans it out, preparing you for the next dish.

Me - Thatâ€&#x;s very good in a way as you have also looked on to the process of digestion itself. Really amazing.

Q: The plating or the accessories that you are using, is it planned , Do you give a deep thought on the same before selecting those ?

A: Yes,we do! How it will look on the plate, how we will go about it. Our themes in the restaurant.

Q: What has been the hardest thing to plate till now? It must be easy for you, you are a pro, but still ?

A: No, no there have been many, how to work around, how to give it a touch, there have been many dishes where we have thought how to go about it when it goes to the guest, is it at the right temperature or not. And the distance between the kitchen and the guest. Itâ€&#x;s easy that the plate is kept in front of me on the table, I have balanced out the food, but how, the server will pick up, he has to carry, he will be travelling few steps, if he misbalances it or it drops. So how to plan the same. So every aspect has to thought upon before putting it on the plate.

There was one slate that I use to use, it was marble, it was plain like this one, I had put food on that and while serving it slipped. So okay, far enough, apologies to the guest but then we thought on it. These things have to be taken care of, accounted for. I can carry it nicely or slowly, but how the other person proceeds it, takes it.

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Chef – Have something ?

Me - Its very difficult for me to consume it, not difficult, but I am just admiring the plate, so that‟s the beauty of the food that you are producing.

Chef - Yeah, that‟s the beauty! So try it !

Me- Yeah sure, will click a picture before having it for sure.

Q: Also, while I was studying the elements of plating, we had elements like, color, contrast, focus then temperature, then emphasis and layout of the ingredients. So how do you comment on each of them ?

A: If we start with color, Yes, color combination between the plate and the dish.

Texture, - It plays an important role because unless and until you have a crunch bite to the dish and the ingredient that are there on the plate, do they complement each other, that has to be taken care of.

Balance – Talking in terms of portion size, this is more towards the tasting menu, the a la carte.

It depends, majorly we focus in the centre of the plate, giving it a slight touch o the side, giving a different aspect, we try to keep it in the centre as its easy to see. Slightly off centre or if you go towards the end of the rim, it becomes difficult to eat.

Emphasis/ contrast- it has to be there, until and unless it looks good, the color combination doesn‟t work out.

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Q: Will you agree to the fact, that the eye feasts on delicious looking food ?

A: Yes, if you are eating with your eyes, your brain says its looking good, then you eat with your taste buds, because once your brain says the food is looking good but your taste buds says Iâ€&#x;ts not. Then its problematic.

Me – Thank You, it was nice meeting you

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Interview Transcript Interviewer:

Ms. Priya Jyoti

Interviewee:

Mr. Azaan Qureshi

Place:

Dum Pukht, ITC Maurya, New Delhi

Date: (D.M.Y):

24.03.2018

Duration: (HH:MM:SS):

00:13:24

An interview was conducted with Azaan Qureshi, Junior sous chef at Dum Pukht, ITC Maurya, New Delhi as per the details mentioned above. Below is the transcript of the discussion that took place, where „Q‟ is the question being posed by the interviewer, Ms. Priya Jyoti and „A‟ is the answer given by the interviewee, chef Azaan Qureshi. The interview was recorded and then transcribed later. The transcript is precise and accurate documentation of the interview.

START OF RECORDING Q: I am Priya Jyoti, I am doing my thesis on Visual vocabulary of plating in premium dining restaurants in Delhi, NCR. So I have a few questions to ask.

How visual aspect of food that‟s affecting the dining, the visual metaphor of food that‟s there, plating, it‟s the first visual contact of the diner that‟s there?

A: If you are talking in context to today‟s time, the first visual contact of food is not actually/really the plate, the first contact of food happens through the medium of apps, mediums of making reservations. That would be something similar to like people using zomato, tripadvisor for the foreign guests who are unaware about the food, so that basically gives you a mental picture to start with, so you need to have that right in order to meet the guests expectations as to when they come here, so moving on from that how important is the visual appeal of the food that I would say it is the must and I think the first 30sec I would say is basically the, its more or less the deciding factor to somebody as to how they are going to appreciate food or not.

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Moving on from that right now the thing is that Indian cuisine is never really been about too much of theatrics, compared to what we see now. Unlike before, its more of, we are trying to make our food look more European I would say, which is of course not okay as if a European restaurant comes to India it not going to start serving its butter sauce in a bowl, it will still give you in a plate, so I think we should not get there.

Q: So, what‟s your idea about fork, or spoon or knife in context to Indian cuisine ?

A: I think typically …I would say, aaa….first of all its an entire lecture in itself to talk about eating from your hand, its highly beneficial, it also changes the capacity of your appetite as well. People think that, you know this guy he eats with his hand. My hands have been into less chemicals than my silverware that I am feeding myself with. So more or less its good to eat with hands and the real way of eating Indian food.

Q: So would you like to put it into Indian fine dining, somewhere in the future ?

A: I wouldn‟t say it‟s a bad thing to be eating with fork, spoon and knife. But one should not do it for the heck of doing it. If you comfortable eating it, not for somebody else, do it for yourself.

Q: Studying about the history of fine dining, there was an era where manners were getting defined; there we had a boon of using folks and knives and in the manners in which you had to use it. If we connect to the Indian context, both are different parameters as such?

A: I think one of the world‟s largest dynasties, the Mongolians, they were the ones to rule most of Asia as we know it. They use to eat with hands, and that 110

pretty much describes the fact that we eat with our hands compared if I see it in past as in recent times. The medieval times itself there was no fork and knife, and I think that is the only natural way to eat food. But again, I won‟t say it‟s a wrong way to eat with soon, knife or fork.

Because it‟s also a way of inviting a person who‟s not coming from your country and making them feel comfortable. So, because as we sit in DUM PUKHT we get a lot of foreign clientele, and they eat it and this is an extent that one should go to Indian food, instead altering the food how it is. And I think this is the maximum that one should go to.

Q: In terms of plating, how do you draw out your plates ? or a word that defines your plates ?

A: My food, my plates I would say are more soulful and homeful, and the other word would be, they are dramatically Indian. So here at DUM PUKTH, we serve all the food in our entrees, it‟s called silver service, the food comes from…directly from pot to the plate. In other restaurants, where you would see it comes preplated, from restaurants to the table. So it‟s more or less like home, how there is a casserole at your home and you serve food, it‟s just a server who‟s serving you the food, that‟s the only difference so it‟s pretty much in.

Q: Do you see a shift in the customer‟s perception also, In terms of how they are asking for food on the plate itself?

A: I think that would be little bit more or less from our generations, or people who are younger to us. The millennial guys as they call them. So they have a different perception of food, anyways we don‟t entertain too young children but we don‟t see too much young crowd here as well. There is young crowd, but that young crowd would be in comfortable 30s than more or less in 20s.

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Even in Indian accent for that matter, you could find some really young people there.

Q: What are the 3 mains to plating? a word you would define towards plating?

A: Didn‟t get the question?

Q: According to you what are the 3 main elements towards plating? Like we have – color, texture, balance, harmony or layout/ arrangement.

A: If I was to say that it should look beautiful, then it should more or less look twice as tasty.

Q: so you prefer taste over presentation?

A: Any day! One of our best dishes doesn‟t look that great, if you see. I don‟t know even if there is a simple…. there is of course a certain perception with everybody as to how, what is perceived as beautiful? But I find NIHARI okay as how it is. But if you see it otherwise, NIHARI is not something which is very appealing to people because it is not one piece with a drizzle of sauce but it‟s with lot of sauce and one piece. So for people, it just totally depends on how you perceive it. And I think taste is twice more important. For a repeated guest I would like taste to be there than anything else.

Q: To end up with How do you relate the element f design with food?

A: I think that Indian cookery is as complex as French cookery, or rather you can say its even more. The only difference is that French cookery, they have taken their cuisine to the level where it‟s a measured cooking and we are still 112

on the level where its instinctive cooking. So, I think that, yes ofcouse that there‟s a need, there‟s a need to make a standard for young people to understand it because once they understand I think they will try it more, they would have better understanding of the same food. Otherwise its just fine.

Interestingly, when you walked into the restaurant I was talking to my colleague that yesterday there was a family; there were 2 kids who must be in 10th or 12th and one husband and wife. So the husband and wife, they ordered very typically normal food, they ordered some daal, and one kebab for themselves. The kids were like they wanted to eat the biryani. So somehow the elders they ate and they were done with it, both the kids they couldn‟t enjoy the biryani. Actually it‟s a lot to do with what you are eating normally as well. I cannot go and eat a burger at McDonald‟s then judge a burger that possibly being still made in Hamburg. Because to know the best, I have to start eating the best, for me to put it on that level. Otherwise what my mom cooks is the best food as it‟s for everybody else. Also you need to understand your food better to be able to appreciate it better.

Thank You Q: Can I take a picture of yours?

A: Yeah definitely.

Q: Is the light level is same?

A: We are doing it as an initiate for earth hour. So this is I initiative for earth hour.

Is there anything you would like to have?

Yeah sure! I will surely have dinner.

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