Journalism of Courage
With restaurants introducing special menus for children,eating out in the city is turning into fun time for parents as well as kids.
Roshni Kumar goes out for lunch with her family every weekend. Over the years,it has become a bit of a family tradition. In the first few years of her marriage,it was a simple and romantic affair a quiet lunch with her husband. Then,Kumar had two children and both have grown into fussy eaters at ages six and nine respectively. Ordering food becomes a torment as her children object to whatever Kumar and her husband want to eat. The most common thing we hear is I dont want to eat the veggies and no matter what we order,the kids sulk throughout, says Kumar. She assumed peace would prevail if she allowed the children to order what they liked. But all they wanted was burgers and noodles,which isnt my idea of a nice lunch outside, she says.
Kumars dilemma may soon be a thing of the past,as city restaurants are coming up with the perfect solution a separate menu exclusively for children. Restaurants such as Yellow Chilli,Bounty Sizzlers and The Eatery are all now part of this trend,some with kids specials marked on their regular menus,and others with an entire page dedicated to children.
At Sanjeev Kapoors Yellow Chilli,a separate page titled Kiddies Menu has classic hits such as wedges and chicken pops and frankies. When parents come to the restaurant with their children,they shouldnt have to compromise on what they want to eat,and at the same time,the child should be happy about what hes eating, says Shabnam Bal,general manager,marketing,for Yellow Chilli.
The kids meals generally come in smaller portions,fitting a childs appetite,says Bal,and most of the items are cooked quickly and can be eaten easily as well. Kids are the most impatient customers when they are hungry. Their meals are cooked very fast so that they can be served before the children get too hungry, she adds.
At JW Marriott on Senapati Bapat Road,the restaurants serve a selection of items that are all-time favourites with children,such as burgers,popcorn,and mac and cheese. A lot of parents travel with their children these days and it has become important to make the children happy, says executive chef Shubendu Kadam. Kids generally go for pastas,noodles and burgers. This is all fun food,without too many spices and with all the things that a child loves cheese,potatoes,meat and ketchup, he adds. Chef Kadam has designed the menu in a way to ensure that most items do not need to be eaten with cutlery and is easy to manage as finger food.
A similar philosophy is at work at the cafe in Bibvewadi that is solely dedicated to children,and quite fittingly called Kids Cafe. It serves sandwiches,milkshakes,pizzas and desserts such as brownies and chocolate cakes to its young patrons. The menu has been designed specifically keeping children in mind,in an effort to serve food that is appealing to them and easy to handle, says Pankaj Upadhyay,CEO at Kids Cafe.
The Eatery at Four Points Sheraton,Nagar Road,goes a step further with its kids menu and has items named after popular cartoon and comics characters such as Mowglis Chicken Burger and Popeyes Flying Saucer a spinach and soft cheese pizza. The menu is themed around children and everything they like. Even the names are based on cartoons because children connect with it immediately, says Chef Sanjay Mitra. The one-page menu at The Eatery also comprises a separate section for desserts with items such as Snow Whites Fruit Jellies and Barbies Eat n Mess (a vanilla sponge cake with strawberry syrup,fruit and chocolate bits).
The menu will soon expand to a separate card for children,says Mitra. We keep changing the items and adding more to the list as and when children demand something. The next thing I am going to add to the menu is fish and chips,because so many kids have asked for that, he says.
According to him,a separate menu for children boosts their sense of independence,allowing them to choose their own meal and reading off their own menu. At the same time,its also a way for chefs to make them eat healthy things without resistance. All the kids items,such as the pizza,have vegetables like spinach or peas, he says.
