Supper Theatre

The concept has been around in the US and UK for some years now,with chefs like Gordon Ramsay having adopted it in his multiple restaurants his chefs tables at New York-based restaurant,London NYC,and London-based restaurant,Savoy Grill,regularly feature on the respective cities best of list. Various formidable chefs like Daniel Boulud,Heston Blumenthal and Joel Robuchon all have their own tables at their various restaurants around the world,with meals comprising anything between three and 16 courses and priced from 550 to as high as the patron is willing to go. In Paris,Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée,the formidable three Michelin-starred restaurant,whose kitchens are presided over by Alain Ducasse otherwise known as god in the food world has a chefs table opened once in a blue moon and attendance is solely by invitation.

In India,the concept of the chefs table was first introduced with the establishment of The Chefs Studio,chef Hemant Oberois gift to the dining elite at The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Mumbai in 2006. The most decadent of chefs tables in the country,organised by appointment in the heritage wing,this palatial spaces footfall includes mostly international royalty,celebrities and industrialists Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were the first guests of the first chefs table here. The attached kitchen is linked to the room with an interactive interface so guests have an up,close-and-personal look into what is cooking in the kitchen. The eight-cover tables are the apex of power dining in the country,and come with Versace-designed Rosenthal dinnerware,Ercuis silver cutlery and a coveted wine-list,at a base price of Rs 1,50,000 for a group of six,all inclusive.

Even though chefs tables exist across restaurant formats in the west,in India,the concept is still largely restricted to five-star hotel restaurants,though stand-alones occasionally host a chef8217;s table for short durations.

On the 10th floor of the Leela Palace in Delhi is the only Indian outpost of international fine-dine chain Le Cirque,which is the culinary equivalent of a Turkish milk bath. Here,chef Mickey Bhoite practises the arts of both showmanship and cooking at his chefs table. He believes that todays high-end consumer wants more than just a meal: he wants to be engaged and entertained. And nothings a better crowd-puller than food. People want to see whats happening inside the kitchen and feel part of the bustle of creating a meal. The chefs table gives them that experience. And to top it off,everything is tailored to their requirements,making the occasion all the more intimate, says Bhoite.

Delhi-based chef Manish Mehrotras Indian Accent is considered one of the crown jewels of contemporary Indian dining around the globe and frequently features on worlds best restaurant lists. After having successfully wowed diners with his innovative takes on Indian cuisine for over four years,creating an intimate dining experience seemed a natural progression for Mehrotra,who started his chefs table earlier this year. At our chefs table,we stay with the guests from the first course to the last and engage in a dialogue around the myriad aspects of food and dining, says Mehrotra,who serves modernistic fusion food such as khandvi ravioli,rice-crusted John Dory moilee,mishti doi cannoli and foie gras galawati kebab among other delicacies. The base price at Indian Accent is Rs 29,400 for a group of six,exclusive of alcohol and taxes.

In the choice of dining companions,chefs hold mixed views. I would never recommend a chefs table to people who have a business meeting as it would be a waste of both time and money, says Mehrotra,who holds at most three such events in a month. For him,a chefs table is a sort of an adda where there is plenty of give-and-take between him and his guests. Almost all our guests are serious foodies. In the course of our conversation,I get to learn so many different things about food that I wasnt aware of, the chef of over 20 years avers.

At a base price of Rs 39,000 for a group of six,exclusive of alcohol and taxes,Bhoite believes the chefs table is a more evolved form of power dining where the elite dine,

do business and entertain on a lavish and customised scale. We do a chefs table almost a dozen times a month and while there are private occasions,a large number of them are business meals, says Bhoite. The age demographics vary from a business party to anniversary celebrations to a tri-generational family get-together,he has catered to them all.

While most chefs tables have their own menus,the chefs like to have a tête-à-tête with their guests prior to their meal. While quite a few of our guests are happy just to tell us their likes and dislikes and leave the menu to us,many discerning patrons have defined ideas about what they want on their plates. We are more than happy to provide both sets with what they want, says Bhoite.

At the Vetro,in Oberoi,Mumbai,theres both a set menu and a personalised one for a base price of Rs 21,000 for a group of six,exclusive of alcohol and taxes. At Le Cirque in Delhi,dishes range from the apparently simple honeydew melon and cucumber soup to the more complex black cod paupiette and grilled chicken paillard to the sheer theatricality of a honey and orange infused duck tortelloni cooked tableside. Essentially,we set a base price,which serves as the minimum bill amount for a meal and above that,the sky is the limit, says Mehrotra,who has catered to the most unusual of requests,including a 12-course saatvik no onion or garlic meal.