Journalism of Courage
aAmbition is possibly the only thing Indian dining spaces dont lack. Even though restaurant owners in India have the ambition to provide a world-class gourmet experience,the end result often lacks finesse. An evening-out can be ruined by rowdy children,screaming adults or waiters without any knowledge of the food they are serving. Afsha Khan compiles 10 dos and donts for restaurant owners,as well as diners,to fix those irritants that ruin your dining experience.
RESTAURANTS REMEMBER
Focus on Food
That we can get near authentic French,Italian and Chinese experiences without leaving the city limits is one of the best aspects of dining out. But many places tend to lose their appeal once the media hype dies down. What Indian restaurants currently lack is conviction, says Chef Manu Chandra,executive chef at Olive Bar and Kitchen in Mumbai and Bangalore. People running them often lose track of the fact that food and beverage is their primary concern and get carried away with everything else.
Eating also involves seeing
How often have you squinted at the menu,or even at your food? The dim sepia-toned lighting gets the surroundings all romantic,as we have seen with the pockets of darkness in the Delhi-based Spirit. Unless anyone is going down on one knee to propose,we wish for a brighter setting.
Spare the senses
While it is nice to walk into a nice smelling washroom,many of them have a very strong diffuser,which literally smothers ones olfactory senses. The dizziness induced by this may spoil the party.
Too much exposure
The new fad is to turn 7X7 feet of space into a display kitchen. Customers may like to watch their food being cooked.
But do you really need a display kitchen in a crowded space? The International Diner in Delhis Greater Kailash-1 and Toro in Delhis Khan market can certainly do without the glass box.
Kid concern
While making a reservation at Mumbais Hakkasan,youre informed very nicely that children arent allowed. If you dont want to disappoint couples and their children,you may want to come up with a game plan. Delhi-based Flavours,an Italian restaurant in Defence Colony,offers an array of kids books,toys and high chairs to keep children entertained. Mumbai-based Blue Frog brings out its Jenga,blocks and Scrabble for Sunday brunches. These keep my three-year-old occupied while the adults get on with lunch, says Nidhi Ramachandran,Mumbai based HR consultant.
Directives for Diners
Treat servers well
Its very important to be polite to servers. Raising your voice every time their attention strays to another table is,quite frankly,not cool. Such behaviour makes it very difficult to instill confidence in our staff members and make them believe that they arent peoples servants outside their home, says Gauri Devidayal,owner of The Table in Mumbai.
Keep your expectations real
Your food may be French,but youre not in France. And no matter how hard the restaurants try,there will be discrepancies. Setting your expectations straight could help. Dining out has been part of Western culture for more than 200 years, says Devidayal,adding,But in India its relatively new,so people shouldnt expect us to get it right straight away.
Check free meal cravings
Planting hair or insects in dishes when youre almost finished eating is not a good idea,even if it gets you a free meal. A popular Bandra-based restaurant with CCTVs once caught a group of ladies putting strands of their own hair in their food,before they demanded a free meal.
Let the chef do his job
Unhappy with the taste,temperature or presentation of the food? Alert your server or the manager,because with more than 200 orders to fill on a busy night,the executive chef has enough on his plate. If the chef steps out to see customers every time they ask for him,hes not really doing his job, said Chandra at a recent panel discussion. If its that easy to get the chefs attention,Id never go back to that restaurant, he joked.
Control your children
We know you love your children. But strangers cant see why can they run around restaurants,kick up a fuss and disturb other diners. I once experienced a boy who wouldnt stop playing games and songs on his parents phone very loudly, says Mumbai-based Angelica Pereira. The other diners asked them to keep it down but the parents just ignored them, adds Pereira.
(With inputs from Sharon Fernandes in Delhi)
