Coastal restaurants from peninsular India are defining gourmet chic-ness today instead of the Mughlai/ Punjabi offerings of the past
One of the biggest launches in Delhi?arguably the national capital for food?this season has been of the iconic Mumbai restaurant Trishna opening up an outlet just across the Qutub Minar. The Delhi Trishna looks prettier and posher than its Mumbai counterpart. But luckily, here is a case of frills not detracting from the food.
With more than 200 dishes on the menu?including the original butter garlic crabs, the special kalimiri (black pepper) sauce, Bombay Duck fry, prawn and squid koliwada, not to mention brilliant pomfret tikkas?Trishna clearly has the makings of a winner even in a landlocked country. As soon as it opened, and much before the PR marketing machinery could kick in, the restaurant was pulling in humongous crowds. But such markers of pop-appeal notwithstanding, the question that needs to be asked is whether its success is solely the result of amazing, fresh seafood being available in a fowl region; or is it reflective of a larger trend? I would put my money on the latter.
One of the biggest shifts in the gourmet universe in this country is happening right in front of us. And that has to do with the shift in ?power? from the north to the south! Till even five years ago, acceptable and in-demand restaurant formats focused on serving Mughlai/ Punjabi-based tandoori tidbits. The Indian palate seemed to be heavily in favour of these flavours. Seafood, especially fish, was largely absent from these mutton-chicken-paneer centric menus.
I have always been struck by Camellia Panjabi?s analysis of the Indian restaurant scene and its DNA. She writes: ?In India, the majority who eat out as part of their lifestyle are Punjabis? Punjabis are the most outgoing of all Indians; they relocate themselves as corporate executives throughout the subcontinent, and when they go out they tend to eat their own food, wherever they are? (as a result) restaurant owners are extremely wary of directing the menu away from Punjabi favourites.?
She wrote this in 2006. In the six years since, there has been a sea change, literally. As more Indians travel more and incorporate eating-out in their lifestyles, coastal food, long ignored by mainstream restaurants, is now ascending to top of the pecking order. The emphasis on health means that red meat consumption is on the decline, fish is healthier and fashionable, and in an attempt to turn to newer, more exotic cuisines, middle-class Indians are focusing on coastal offerings much more than ever before.
If you examine the kind of restaurants now opening up in the country, you will agree with the analysis of the coastal south finally replacing the north as a gourmet preference. In the past one to two years, think of any successful Mughlai/Punjabi/north-Indian brands that have established themselves in the firmament. You?ll be hard put to name even one. Conversely, look at the offerings from peninsular India. Apart from Trishna, Zambar is another rapidly expanding coastal food brand.
With two outlets in Delhi and Gurgaon, Zambar is now going to Pune next month with another two and then to other cities. The cuisine is sophisticated. Brand chef Arun Kumar, who used to be a filmmaker before he took to cooking full-time, has introduced authentic regional /community dishes. There are distinctions to be made in the kind of rasam (Kerala-style instead of the usual Udupi-style) served, kosta baigan (similar but different from the better-known Hyderabadi baghare baigan) and seafood preparations. Elusive specials such as a shark puttu (the steamed Kerala puttu has hardly made it to commercial menus before, and shark, though abundant off-Mahabalipuram has to be specially sourced) are on the menu. It is a high-quality, but affordable experience.
There are also the owner-run, single-outlet places such as Gunpowder, chains like Swagath, and five-star brands like Dakshin (ITC) and Southern Spice (Taj) finding better fame today. While the superb Dakshin has been winning accolades from the likes of Miele Guide (which bases its listings on popular voting after expert recommendations), Southern Spice has just had a makeover in Chennai and hopes to revitalise itself.
Above all, while chefs continue to crib about north-Indianised palates not taking to simply cooked but unfamiliar southern greens or only hankering after crispy dosas, vadas, fact is that there has been a change in perception. Veggies and dosas may be a challenge, but clearly selling regional seafood (including fish) is not. It is trendy, aspirational and exotic. A win-win scenario.
The writer is a food crtitic