They say imitation is the sincerest flattery. Going by the number of restaurants ‘inspired’ by the Bukhara, the ITC Hotel’s iconic brand has reason enough to feel very flattered. Be it rival ventures that have Bukhara written all over them, blatant rip-offs in smaller cities like Chandigarh that have emulated the north-west frontier concept down to the copper tumblers, or even ITC itself, which has duplicated the Bukhara ethos across the country but under a different name— Peshawari — the restaurant has been copied in multiple ways.
But what others have not been brave enough to do is remain unchanged for 45 years. Incepted in 1978 at the ITC Maurya, Bukhara was a brave concept to begin with, in offering a very selective menu that focused just on what one may call starters. With kebabs and grilled foods as the mainstay and only the famed Dal Bukhara in the name of curry, the experiment was a huge hit. Forty-five years later, it continues with the same menu, the same décor and the same flavours.
A pit stop for global celebrities and heads of states, there is a reason it has remained eternal, and not stuck in a time warp. Forty-five years back, Bukhara had its genesis on principles that are buzz words for restaurants today. Sustainable, slow cooked, natural, farm-to-table, traditional…
As chef JP Singh, who has been with the restaurant since the early years, says, “Bukhara essentially offers food meant for nomads. These tribes of the north-western frontier region cooked food over fire at the end of the day. Similarly, at Bukhara, the tandoor is the medium of cooking. With a minimum of spices and seasoning and even oil, the food is simple, with the flavour of the high quality meats, paneer and vegetables shining through.”
Precision in selecting produce is essential here. The meats have to be of a certain cut and weight. The large prawns of a certain size, the paneer with a specified fat and moisture content, all of which ensures consistency in quality.
It is due to this focus on consistency in quality that Bukhara remains a solitary affair. In an effort to cash in on Bukhara’s popularity, ITC did experiment with standalone Bukhara restaurants abroad, at New York, and Singapore, but shut them all down. “At that time, availability of Indian ingredients abroad was a challenge, unlike today. And, as we did not want to compromise on the quality and standards of Bukhara, we decided to close down the outposts,” shares corporate chef Manisha Bhasin.
Today, the original restaurant in Delhi stands, as it was decades back. “We never felt a need to change anything. The food is a hit, and the decor, with its stools, is now symbolic of Bukhara. Moreover, even a single change would open the gates to more, so we have maintained everything as it originally was,” says chef JP.
As you step into the cavernous interiors, where diners— aprons tied to their necks—are expected to use their hands to eat amid a decor that is rustic and basic, the luxury continues to be where it always was—on the plate and on the palate.
