World on a Platter

The most common argument when one plans to dine out with our friends or family is over the choice of cuisine. Some city hoteliers seem to have got wind of such debate.

The most common argument when one plans to dine out with our friends or family is over the choice of cuisine. Some city hoteliers seem to have got wind of such debate. In an attempt to end this as well as increase the footfall of forever-experimenting foodies,they have come up with multi-cuisine restaurants.

In a growing economy like India,this could be the next big phenomenon, says Vijayan Gangadharan,director of food and beverage,Grand Hyatt,Santacruz. Dining out as a concept is no longer new to urban Indians. But peoples desire to try multiple cuisines,shows they are ready for a larger variety. Thats why Grand Hyattknown for its specialty restaurants like China House and Celinirecently decided to launch Fifty Five East. This restaurant offers interactive kitchens with impressive Thai,Sushi,Lebanese,Indian and Western menus,apart from an expansive dessert counter. This concept has been successful abroad at all our other Hyatt properties. The three-meal period concept has worked wonders with most customers coming back just for the concept, says Gangadharan. Fifty Five East is priced reasonably at Rs 1,450+ taxes on weekdays,although weekends boast of the the real deal. With lots of seafood dishes,pizzas and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages added to the list,the weekend brunch is priced at Rs 2,250 + taxes.

Even though most of these multi-cuisine destinations are designed to attract Indian foodies,some like Courtyard by Marriott have their eyes fixed on the growing expatriate population in the city. Recently,Courtyard,situated close to the Mumbai International Airport,launched two multi-cuisine restaurantsMoMo Café and Red Zen. This business hotels most popular diner MoMo Café comes from the idea of modern eating and modern living. This reflects in their range of fine dining options,which encompasses Asian,Western and Indian dishes,to appeal to the palates of the discerning business traveller and tourists alike. If you are running for a meeting and want to grab a quick healthy bite,you can dine at MoMo,which allows you to pick up a healthy snack while on the move, says Chef Sumant Vikas,executive chef,Courtyard by Marriott. Red Zen is a noodle bar offering the freshest Asian noodles,accompanied with an assortment of Korean,Singaporean,Malaysian,Thai and Vietnamese fare. Chinese food has been in Mumbai for years. If you need to attract crowds,one has to introduce a mix of other cuisines. So we have specialities like Thai Green Rice,Singaporean Chicken and others, says Vikas.

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Although buffets have been a favourite with Mumbaikars for years,Lotus Cafe,JW Marriott,Juhu,and Lake View Cafe,Renaissance Hotel,Powai,have realised that they work best with live counters. We have been specialising with local and international cuisines like Maharastrian,Konkani,Mexican and Chinese in our buffet for a while now. But live counters make it more genuine. Customers love the fact that dishes like pasta,pav bhaji,dosas,appams and momos are prepared fresh and served to them. Visual impact makes a huge difference too, feels Manish Garg,F&B director,Renaissance Hotel,which changes its menu on a daily basis.

Despite the changes we have seen in the culinary scene in Mumbai,a few restaurants are still happy trying out this trend only on Sundays. Novotel,Juhu,is one such property. It brings together an array of bestsellers from all of its restaurantsOlio,Gadda Da Vida,Sampan,and The Squareto its poolside for a lavish Sunday brunch. This tempts guests to feast on Chinese,Mediterranean,Indian and Continental spreads. And with such buffets priced anywhere between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000,its hardly surprising that many dedicate Sundays to get a taste of the world.

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