Even in a challenging environment, the opening of new restaurants has been unabated. What, though, are they doing for our culinary culture, the future of Indian food and, more simply, the joy of the diner?
I’ll dwell on the scenario in Bangalore, which is the one I have the opportunity to study closely. Most launches of last year were microbreweries. Their menus are uninspired, as they play safe and stick to multi-cuisine menus, with the justification that this is what the market wants. We are in a bind here; how will diners, including pub-goers, experience and appreciate anything beyond nachos, fries and pizza if nothing more exciting every makes it to brewpub menus? So, I’d really like to see pub grub lose the tried-and-tested formula and attempt something new and refreshing.
Indian restaurants are caught between taking the butter naan-dal makhni route and being experimental. Some places serving modern Indian have made a mark, but others aim merely for Instagram-friendly plates, ignoring ingredients and provenance. The result is dishes that have no substance. Foams and dusts are just that. They cannot be the basis of a dish.
We should be seeing regional cuisines coming to the fore. Bangalore now has some restaurants that are doing a great job showcasing – and in the process preserving – the culinary traditions of Karnataka and Kerala. Even a humble Tibetan restaurant serves a bigger purpose than restaurants serving food that emerges from no particular place or time. It’s a pity to ignore the richness of Indian food, in all its diversity of ingredients, dishes and cooking techniques.
It’s also time to focus on top quality ingredients – sourced fresh and locally. We are surely over Belgian pork and Chilean seabass by now. While some chefs are investing time and effort to find and study indigenous ingredients, a worryingly large number still place convenience over quality. That must change. Ingredient-driven menus that turn the spotlight on the places where these come from and the people who grow or make them can bring freshness and delight to the culinary scene and take the Indian food movement forward.
And while it may be a farfetched dream, I would love to see the arrival of small, chef-driven restaurants with seasonal menus. That would make 2020 a great year for dining out.
