Midnight Banquet for Cinderella

A new crop of food outlets operates only at night,catering to people who crave for Indian or Continental fare in the wee hours

Advertisement professional Anushee Singh and her colleagues were working late on a project at Alaknanda in South Delhi when hunger pangs revealed the obvious it was past midnight and they had missed dinner. Our favourite pizza outlets wouldnt deliver so late and the local restaurants had shut for the night. The fridge was empty as was the grocery cupboard. One the table lay a mountain of work but there was no food to fuel us. The night,we decided,was going to be very long, says Singh. Somebody in the team had a brainwave and suggested calling one of the new breed of food outlets that operate only at night. It turned out to be a smart idea.

Late-night food delivery services are fast becoming popular with people who need nourishment at the Cinderella hour. You call us and we deliver your food hot at your doorstep within 30 minutes, says Arjun Sethi,owner of Midnight Munchies,a food delivery service in South Delhi that works from 11.30 pm to 4 am. Operating from kitchens in and around the area,Munchies specialises in Continental and Italian fare. We ordered chicken seekh role (Rs 149),hummus and pita bread (Rs199) and penne pasta in white sauce (Rs 210). It was a satisfying meal, says Singh about Midnight Munchies.

Another outlet,based in Gurgaon,is called Midnight Express which scores on the quality of food and the choice in menu Indian fare such as aloo paratha (Rs 75),kadhai paneer (Rs 170) and chicken fry (Rs 299). But if you expect them to deliver in a jiffy,you may be disappointed.

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The food is good,but youll fall asleep waiting for it, says Dipankar Ghoshal,a resident of Gurgaon. Opened in 2011,Midnight Express offers free delivery between 8 pm and 2 am. There is a charge of Rs 100 for delivery after 2 am. The Gurgaon market is huge and difficult to navigate. Finding addresses is always an issue, says Karan Anand,owner of Midnight Express. He adds that Express takes 45 minutes to deliver within 5 km and more than an hour if the distance exceeds 10 km.

Dwarka,too,is set to join the picnic when Midnight Delivery,which promises to cater from 9 pm to 7 am,opens soon. One will be able to order both food and groceries from Midnight Delivery at a delivery charge of anything between Rs 50 to Rs 150.

Dessert aficionados who have sweet cravings at night often call up Samrat Cakes. The company delivers only in Gurgaon at present,but will extend its services to the rest of NCR soon. They accept orders (minimum order is a 1 kg cake) as late as 9.30 pm to deliver fresh cake to your doorstep in the wee hours.

But who is ordering food at such odd hours? Everybody, answers Sethi,we get orders from the party crowd,nuclear families,singles,people who work late nights,or folks who are just plain hungry. We believe eight out of 10 people are thinking about food around midnight. He could be right; and not just about Delhi. Mumbai has its own set of delivery services,such as Mad Bites and Fly by Knight.

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With options galore,it seems as if midnight has just become the best time to get hungry.

Midnight Munchies,South Delhi y 8882223456

Midnight Express,Gurgaon

y 9555777040

Samrat Cakes,Gurgaon

y 9899370007,0124 2322758

Fly by Knight,Mumbai

y 9930067337

Mad Bites,Mumbai

y 8080804041/80802041041

Night Call,Mumbai