2009 on a platter

Pork panic
While the city grabbed headlines during the swine flu phenomenon compelling citizens from gathering at public places,the food industry faced their share of loss.

“All our staff members wanted to go back home. Even the business was not really good during the initial outburst of the pandemic. But thankfully the condition improved and even the business gained the lost momentum gradually,” says Ramesh Kadkam,manager Gaia and Isis,Kharadi. “However ham club sandwich,pork barbeque,bacon,roast pork,sweet and sour pork and barbequed spare ribs soon bounced back as favourites in our retaurant,” he adds.

During the first two weeks of Swine flu outburst,Polka Dots suffered a dip of 50 per cent in business which the management recovered soon. Another restaurant- Oh Calcutta,also faced a 20 per cent dip in the number of customers. “We had forecasted a dip,but we were sure about our customers. One thing is for sure- Foodies are more concerned about their taste buds than any kind of panic,” smiles Subrata Chakravarty,restaurant manager Oh Calcutta.  

The very fact that it was swine flu,meant that pork business was expecting a huge hit. “But we were confident about the quality of food we offer. Therefore,we continued served pork delights,” states Nandkishore Somani,executive manager,food and beverages,Sun ‘n’ Sand. 

New food styles
The silver lining under the swine flu cloud was the variety of cuisines that the restaurants in the city ventured into. From sizzlers to continental to barbeques,the paltter was full of tasty delights. were much in demand throughout the year in our hotel.

“Fresh-water fish food turned out to be the most in-demand thing this year. “We celebrated all the festivals this year with a lot of vigour. And now we are waiting to step into the New Year with a gala dinner,” says Kadam of Gaia. “European segment of food was also much in-demand this year,” says Ravish Arora,director,Polka Dots who also organised a few Geramn food festivals in the city that were amongst the most authentic Puneites have seen to date.

Opening their doors
Even as a whole lot fo five star restaurants openbed their grand doors in the citym there was also a spurt of new eateries. From the  Yellow Chilli a new delight by Sanjeev Kapoor in Koregaon Park to The sommelier,a multi-brand domestic wine restaurant in Baner to  Little Italy on University road that has a long queue for its special Orka dish made of mangoes,the eateries buckled the recession trend. 

Add to it the Barbeque Nation at Sayaji and Indyaki along with Indus Kitchen on the rooftop of the ICC Towers on Senapati Bapat Road,and you knew that good food was quite the flavour of the year in the city.