Balancing Carbs in meals

My friend keeps analysisng the number of calories he has taken through out the day and it was interesting to see how he managed to keep tabs on the total carbohydrates he takes during all his meals. Till lunch what he had was Tabbouleh Salad,  Scrambed bread and a portion of clearvegetable soup. He calculated that his calorie intake was not more than 300Kcal with this really awesome helping of some tasty dishes. Essentially what he does is, keeps a balance in terms of carbs,proteins and fibres. And adds a lot of fluids on top of that. Simple isn’t it.

Increasing rentals put pressure on profitability

Delhi Restaurants are facing a new challenge with increasing rentals which are shrinking their operating margins to a large extent. Some of the Restaurants in Connaught Place have found it easier to move the venues where the rent could be renegotiated to a much lower value or where the rentals are not so high as this central Delhi hotspot. Some of the Chinese restaurants in Delhi have also founded the additional pressure of increasing prices of meat/non-veg items. Given that most customers order non-veg dishes they have no option but to revise the prices with almost 15% increase on menu prices. The Mexican restaurants in Delhi on the other hand have not had it so bad. Given that the ingredients required are from amongst the staple food grains, they haven’t seen the double whammy of inflation.

McDonalds new growth drivers

For the quick-service chain, growth is not just about adding stores; it’s also about optimising existing ones by adding business channels. Gopal, a driver with a Delhi-based travel firm often drives tourists from Delhi to Jaipur in his Toyota Innova. Most of his guests prefer to start early to beat the traffic and reach early. Most stop by for breakfast at a McDonald’s outlet in Manesar or simply use the drive-through counters at the store to grab a bite. It’s not known whether the outlet is the envy of rivals, but it certainly is the owner’s pride: industry insiders say it does roaring business in the morning for breakfast; McDonalds says breakfast at this outlet already contributes 20 per cent of its store sales. The other element of this outlet is its drive-through, which is also helping sales. No wonder, McDonalds has opened similar outlets at Dausa (on Jaipur highway) and Khatauli (Delhi-Haridwar highway)Even as some quick service restaurants (QSRs) like Dominos aggressively add outlets, McDonald’s is focusing on a host of new business channels – home delivery, kiosks, breakfast, extended hours and drive-throughs – to boost sales. Consider the potential: home delivery can lift store sales by 14-16 per cent, drive throughs by 40-50 per cent. McDonalds India Contact Number is easy to remember.McDonald’s wants to focus on these new business channels, which can add 50-60 per cent to store sales; already many restaurants have seen a spike of 30-35 per cent in sales. It’s not that McDonalds isn’t expanding. It will add 60 stores this year, and 100 next year. ‘‘Many people think we are slow. If we are doubling our turnover every three years, we are happy,’’ says Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s India (North & East).Its strategy is to improve both penetration and frequency of purchase: it expects 50 per cent of incremental sales to come from existing stores, and 50 per cent of incremental sales to come from new stores and new consumers. ‘‘You don’t grow sales only by having large restaurants, you increase sales through new business channels, by building capacity in restaurants and by setting up new restaurants,” says Bakshi. McDonald’s is fairly young in new business channels, but wants to scale them up and so there’s far greater focus on them. For instance, at the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, it has two kiosks on two floors, something it would have never considered earlier. Similarly, in some restaurants like the ones in  Restaurants  in Noida  Sector 15, Agra or Delhi’s Shahdara, it has settled for attached drive throughs which is as good or effective as a traditional drive throughs.‘‘Drive-throughs can add up to 40-50 per cent to a restaurant’s sales. It’s great USP for us. Nobody has been able to make drive-throughs as successful as we have been able to do. We are supposed to be quick in a QSR. Now, we are even quicker when you are outside, and we are able to deliver in four minutes. Drive-throughs work very well if we can deliver in two minutes,’’ says Bakshi. Around 15 per cent of its outlets have drive throughs; in future, it would like 30 per cent of outlets to have drive-throughs.McDonalds India  offers breakfast at over a quarter of its outlets, which have added 7 per cent to restaurant sales. Instead of 9 in the morning, the restaurants now open at 7 am. In some markets like Delhi, it has managed to convince the local government to let it remain open till 1 am. So, instead of closing shop at 11 pm, the stores are now open till 1 am wherever there’s potential for business. There are special locations like airports and railway stations, where the restaurants are open 24 hours a day.Similarly, the company is trying to develop kiosks as a new business channel. These could be attached (to a restaurant), detached (100-200 metres away) or independent kiosks. For instance, in Delhi’s Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj, it has a restaurant on the third floor, but a kiosk on the ground floor. The kiosks are placed in areas of high footfalls like malls or metro stations and only sell its range of desserts and drinks.While new business channels like breakfast, home delivery, kiosks and drive-throughs can add 30-50 per cent to store sales, they also bring with them additional challenges and complexities that may soon be taken up as a case study by an eminent b-school.For drive-throughs, it needs people with a different kind of training: one window takes the order and the other window delivers. While technology helps in coordination, people manning the drive-throughs have to go through a different training module.Similarly, in kiosks, it has to ensure that people are quick as these are located in areas with high footfalls. McDonalds also needs to plan its delivery cycles or look for bigger storage areas—on national holidays like August 15, many stores often take deliveries twice a day—to ensure that its backend is able to respond to the spike in sales.Clearly, growth is not about rapid expansion, it can also come by flogging your existing assets.
Source “business-standard”

Learning to Cook

Cooking can be a fun thing, if you have the right instructor/guide and if you have people who will savour the dishes you churn out. I recently started learning a few recipes by checking online available options and its amazing how I could pick up so many diff dishes from across these so many cuisines in so little time. This is exciting coz usually one cuisine or style of cooking is varied from another, and if you want to learn a new style, you would need to understand the basics, nuances of it. With recipes available online, one doesn’t have to go through that ritual at all. Just search for the dish and voila you have a step by step recipe available. So in just one week I learntVeg Briyani, Arrabiata Pasta and many salads. Now my family chooses the Salad of the Dayand like a great cook I just oblige.

Festival season starts a little late for Delhi Restaurants

It’s an annual pattern observed by most of the city eating joints. The excitement about the onset of the festival season transcends a little late into the restaurants industry. Delhi restaurants have always seen their business go through a shaky phase during this time of the year. First it’s the shradha, followed by the Navratras and most people either prefer to eat at home or go for the special fast food. Many Connaught place restaurants  in fact came up with a special navrata menu also, and these surely have a high take up, but regular business is hit so much, that even this doesn’t help. For Gurgaon Restaurants  that I spoke to, the story is not as bad, maybe becoz the people who go there are more comsompoitan and do not follow the Navratra fasts etc. But the reality is, with Festival season coming in, restaurants are mostly on a tricky gorund.

Eat Healty and Learn How to make Your Favorite Recipe

A recipe is something like how to make something.The earliest known recipes date from approximately 1600 BC and come from an Akkadian tablet from southern Babylonia.There are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting the preparation of food.[citation needed] Many ancient Greek recipes are known. Mithaecus's cookbook was an early one, but most of it has been lost; Athenaeus quotes one short Recipe in his Deipnosophistae. Athenaeus mentions many other cookbooks, all of them lost.Roman recipes are known starting in the 2nd century BCE with Cato the Elder's De Agri Cultura. Many other authors of this period described eastern Mediterranean cooking in Greek and in Latin.Some Punic recipes are known in Greek and Latin translation.Much later, in the 4th or 5th century, appears the large collection of Recipes conventionally entitled 'Apicius', the only more or less complete surviving cookbook from the classical world.[2] It chronicles the courses served which are usually referred to as Gustatio (appetizer), Primae Mensae (main course) and Secundae Mensae (dessert). The Romans introduced many herbs and spices into western cuisine, Renfrew states that basil, bay, dill, fennel, mint, parsley, rue and thyme were all common in Roman cooking.Arabic recipes are documented starting in the 10th century; see al-Warraq and al-Baghdadi.King Richard II of England commissioned a recipe book called Forme of Cury in 1390, around the same time another book was published entitled Curye on Inglish. Both books give an impression of how food was prepared and served in the noble classes of England at that time. The revival of the European class system at this time brought entertainment back to the palaces and homes of the nobility and along with it the start of what can be called the modern recipe book. By the 15th century, numerous manuscripts were appearing, detailing the recipes of the day. Many of these, such as the Harleian MS[clarification needed 279, Harleian MS 4016, Ashmole MS 1429, Laud MS 553 and Dure MS 55, give very good information and record the re-discovery of many herbs and spices including coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary, many of which had been brought back from the Crusades.During the 16th and 17th centuries, competition between the large houses became commonplace and numerous books were written on how to manage households and prepare food. In Holland and England competition grew between the noble families as to who could prepare the most lavish banquet. By the 1660s, cookery had progressed to an art form and good cooks were in demand. Many of them published their own books detailing their recipes in competition with their rivals. Many of these books have now been translated and are available online.There are many more Recipes available online like Pasta Recipes
By the 19th century, cooking had become a passion throughout the world. Using the latest technology and a new concept in publishing, Mrs Beeton (1836–1865) published her famous Book of Household Management in 24 monthly parts between 1857 and 1861. Around the same time the American cook Fannie Farmer (1857–1915) was born and, having devoted herself to cooking, published in 1896 her famous work The Boston Cooking School Cookbook which contained some 1,849 recipes. Indian cuisine consists of the foods and dishes of India and is characterized by the extensive use of various Indian spices,herbs, vegetables and fruit. It is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society. Each family of Indian cuisine includes a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. As a consequence, it varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically-diverse subcontinent. Delhi Restaurants have various cuisines and people love to eat food their .

Lodged in the Heart of New Delhi

Civil Lines was the hub of European-style hotels in the city until New Delhi came into being in 1911. Established in 1903, the most famous among them was the Maidens Hotel — a stately hotel known for its magnificent colonial architecture and sweeping greens. Then there were the Swiss
Hotel and Hotel Cecil. The latter was owned by the famous Hotz family which owned Wildflower Hall and Cecil Hotel in Shimla.
But Maidens was where the rich, the famous and the royalty stayed till 1930s. The hotel also hosted Edwin Lutyens, the chief architect of New Delhi, during his early visits to Delhi after he was commissioned to design the new imperial Capital. And not many might know that the Maidens was a red-coloured building in its early days. Now There are multiple dining serviced andRestaurants in Delhi . People love to eat food here.Though not as grand as Maidens, the Cecil, managed by Robert Hotz, was an exclusive hotel with hundred rooms and a swimming pool. Today, St Xavier’s School stands where it once used to be “Cecil was known for its homely environment. It had large apartment-like suites, which made it a favourite of many European families that visited India those days. Many foreign journalists had permanent suits in Cecil as well as in Swiss Hotel. But Indian businessmen and families who visited Delhi often stayed in hotels situated in the walled city,” said DN Chaudhuri, 78, author of ‘Delhi: Lights, Shades, Shadows’. All the three hotels in Civil Lines were quite popular among elite British women who would often come here for idle gossip in afternoons and would return in the evening with their husbands for dinner and dance.By 1936, New Delhi got its first major hotel — The Imperial, by far the most luxurious one in the city. It was Viceroy Lord Willingdon who suggested to Ranjit Singh—one of the major contractors of New Delhi—that he should build a hotel, something that had been a part of Lutyens’ original plan.Designed by R Blomfield, one of Lutyens’ associates, The Imperial, spanning eight acres on Queensway (now called Janpath) had a unique blend of Victorian, old colonial as well as art deco style. It was inaugurated by Lord Willingdon in 1936 at a grand ball in the presence of 15,000 guests. The hotel got its name from Lady Willingdon, who took personal interest in deciding on the interiors of the hotel.“She personally decided things like carpets, cutlery, chandeliers, which were imported from Europe,” said Vijay Wanchoo, senior vice president and general manager of the hotel. In fact, it was Lady Willingdon who conferred the lion insignia upon the hotel.“It was the city’s first hotel built in the style of downtown hotels in America. It was the tallest building in New Delhi those days and quite different from the Maidens, which looked more like a housing complex from outside. Till the 1940s, the Imperial used to have offices on the ground floor to make up for the lack of occupancy. Not many people travelled to New Delhi then as there were no businesses or industries here,” said General Narindar Singh, 85, who has been visiting the hotel since 1940s.
No expenses were spared to make The Imperial New Delhi’s most luxurious hotel. Pink marble was imported from Italy; silver crockery and cutlery came from London, chandeliers from Europe, chefs from France and Italy.In the 1930s and 1940s, the hotel’s pillared verandas, plush dining rooms, tea lounges, royal ballrooms and large green lawns saw many elite, exclusive social gatherings. “The room rate was about R29. The hotel was known for its western food. There used to be weekly dances in the Ball Room. It was the place where anglicised elite like civil servants, army men and Indian princes socialised,” said Singh. One could listen to the strains of Blue Danube during lunch, or an orchestra from London would invite everyone to the floor to end their evening after the candlelit dinner.In fact, Pandit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten also held meetings at The Imperial to discuss the Partition.Apart from The Imperial, Hotel Marina in Connaught Place was another addition to the hospitality industry of New Delhi. The hotel was built by the Japanwala family (called so because of their business relations with Japan) in 1934 and thereafter managed by an Italian family till the early 1940s. The hotel first opened with 46 rooms which could accommodate 52 guests. During World War II, the Italian family went back and the management of the hotel was taken over by the families of businessmen Sardari Lal and Girdhari Lal from Delhi. “The hotel had 26 garages for guests’ cars and 52 servant quarters for their servants. It had a restaurant and a large ballroom,” says Shashank Bhagat, managing partner of the hotel.In 1934, Hotel India also opened in Connaught Circus with 12 rooms, a restaurant and a bar. Started by LC Nirula and M Nirula, it later expanded into the famous Nirula’s chain of restaurants across the country.Now a day’s  Connaught Place Restaurants have a great value and these restaurants are heavy traffic and Crowed in the weekend dayd.In 1945, Hotel Ambassador was built. Designed by British architect Walter Sykes George, who worked with both New Delhi’s chief architects Lutyens and Herbert Baker, the hotel was a favourite among travellers from across the world. It had a night club called Jewel Box where “men had to wear tuxedos and women had to be dressed in tailcoats to enter the night club. We had racks to keep the hats and umbrellas of our customers,” said Rajendra Kumar, the hotel’s director.
Source “ht”

Food and Wine that touch the Heart

Shanghai While there is no lack of highend dining in Xintiandi, the Ming Court at the Langham Xintiandistands out with its excellent pairing of elegant Chinese cuisine and the best local wines. The restaurant is on the fifth floor of the hotel and overlooks the Xintiandi complex, TaipingLake and the hotel's outdoor terrace, offering a bright and open vista. Still, the dining spacecan be intimate, with nine private dining rooms that can cater to between four and 10 guests ineach, and a main dining area with 24 seats.There is a lot of attention to detail. For example, each private dining room is named after nativeflora such as Ginkgo, Willow and Cypress. As a welcome drink, guests are offered regional teassuch as Anji white tea served in the dining room named Bamboo, since Anji county of Zhejiangprovince is known as the "home of bamboo".Explore here  Chinese Restaurants in Delhi The restaurant's two executive chefs execute a menu that features both Cantonese andShanghai cuisines. Chef Kwong Wai-keung is from the Langham Hotel Group's corporate officein Hong Kong and chef Tony Su, a local Shanghainese, arrives with 19 years' experience.Our meal started with dim sum, the little Cantonese snacks that "touch the heart", includingshrimp dumpling with bamboo, baked barbecued pork in puff pastry and steamed rice rolls withassorted mushrooms and bamboo pith. Traditional dishes often test the chef's skills, and thedim sum in Ming Court more than met our expectations for authentic Cantonese cuisine.For the hot dishes, we had deep-fried prawns with wasabi mayonnaise, fried Wagyu beef withgarlic and black pepper, bamboo piths and asparagus stewed with crab meat and therestaurant's signature sliced pork with dried bamboo shoots in soy sauce, served with chestnutpancakes.The last dish really amazes. Belly pork is sliced very thin and mounted into a pyramid with driedbamboo shoots hidden inside. We were loath to break it up because the presentation was sodelicate.Chef Su says the dish takes a whole day to prepare although the restaurant uses a tailor-mademould for the pyramid.The meat may seem a bit greasy but in fact, it is soft and creamy, the fat having been renderedby slow stewing.You can find Here Mexican Restaurants in Delhi . The thin pork slices absorbed the soy-based seasoning and were a perfectmatch for the bamboo shoots when eaten together with the chestnut pancakes.The fried Wagyu beef is also highly recommendable, because inother restaurants, chefs just don't use such a premier ingredient.The restaurant's well qualified sommelier, Benjamin Zhong, isalso on hand to select wines from the cellar of 300 wines,according to the guests' preferences as well as the choice ofdishes.Zhong is especially keen to recommend top Chinese wines, as he says the slight herbalbouquets cut through the richness and are best suited for Chinese food.A substantial meal at the Ming Court will cost about 400 yuan ($63) per person. The dim summenu is only available for lunch.
Sourece  "China Daily"

5-point guide to Mumbai table manners

The residents of Mumbai love to eat, drink and party. They also love to sleep, procrastinate and complain about potholes, but let me save that for another story.This one’s about their table manners, particularly while dining out.Mumbai has some terrific restaurants to visit so dig in your forks, or as is the custom here, your fingers. 1. Making table reservations is not a big custom :-Most well-to-do people think they’re important enough to be recognized and that they will miraculously be ushered to a table the moment they set foot into a restaurant, no matter how crowded it may be.Others don’t mind waiting for a table because, frankly, they are more interested in the spirits at the bar than the specials of the day.The people who actually do make reservations don’t show up, because they’ve probably made alternate reservations in three other restaurants too.These types don't feel the need to call to cancel if they've changed their mind.Or often their group has suddenly gone up from four to eight pax, because Bunty's wife's best friend is back and she's bringing her clan too. 2. Indians love to dine in groups :- If it’s a weekday, you might see groups of four. But once the weekend comes around, tables for eight or more are commonplace.If you go over four people it's considered rude not to invite the entire rest of the friends or family circle.This would sometimes include couples, their kids and babysitters too.Wailing babies are not seen as odd in Mumbai Restaurants  late at night. Neither are loud cellphone ring-tones or equally loud phone conversations. 3. We use our fingers, all of them :-If eating at an Indian restaurant, more often than not, you will see diners giving cutlery a miss and using their hands instead.According to lore, Indian food tastes better this way.Unless of course, you have hairy forearms. In which case, licking curry off them would prove quite unappetizing.I’m all for cutlery. But draw the line at pizza. Eating pizza with a fork and knife is as silly as making a table reservation.On the subject of strange restaurant behavior, I’ve seen diners so lazy they’ve asked for finger bowls at the end of a meal. At a Chinese restaurant. 4:-. Our mouths water for fiery cuisines When it comes to popular types of cuisine, Indian, Thai and Chinese rule over Italian and Continental as spicy curries and fiery sauces are preferred over roast birds, stewed vegetables and creamy Alfredos.However, don’t be surprised if you visit an Italian restaurant and see diners smearing a pizza with ketchup, chili flakes and chili oil or asking for a side of green chilies to accompany their minestrone soup.That chili kick from every bite is a bit of a cultural addiction.Click Here to Know more about Delhi Restaurants 5. Sliders, lost-balls, fighters and show-offs at check time :-But the strangest part of eating out in India has to be when the check is called for.There are the sliders who subtly disappear for cigarette or toilet breaks just before the bill arrives.There are the lost-balls who fumble around in their pockets until someone else has picked up the tab.The fighters will wrestle over a bill and come down to abuse if they have to -- a typical Indian scenario. The show-offs slide their credit card to the maître d' as soon as they enter the restaurant and simply end the meal by announcing like a mafia don that "it’s been taken care of."More often than not, women's credit cards will be politely rejected by their male companions. See it all in play at Mumbai Restaurant Week this week. Source “cnngo.com”

United Restaurants plans to raise Rs.60 crore

United Restaurants Ltd, operator of the US Pizza chain, wants to raise at least Rs.60 crore from private equity (PE) investors for an ambitious expansion. Its timing couldn’t have been better.PE firms have drummed up an appetite for specialty food chains in India this year, investing eight times more into the segment over 2010. Speciality food chains selling anything from burgers to vada pavs have been ramping up fast as more people eat out more often.Bangalore-based United Restaurants wants to increase the number of its outlets to 250 from 90 as it looks to expand within ia and enter new markets in the subcontinent and Africa. People love to eat Chinese Food .Chinese Restaurants in Delhi  have Great Business.IndReaching that target “would take us at least four years if we do it on our own. With capital infusion, it could be done in 18-24 months,” said managing director Akbar Khwaja.PE firms have invested $110.53 million (about Rs.in five speciality food firms this year, according to VCCEdge, which tracks venture capital and PE activity in the country, compared with $13.18 million in two firms in 2010. 500 crore)Deals this year include ICICI Venture’s $33 million investment in RJ Corp.’s Devyani International Ltd, which manages the KFC,  Pizza Hut  and Costa Coffee chains in India; and VentureEast Fund Advisors’ $4.7 million investment in Goli Vada Pav Pvt. Ltd last month.An outlet needs about three months to start making operating profits, said Santhosh Unni, chief executive of Costa Coffee (India). The company has 80 outlets and plans to add 60-100 annually in the next five years.Khwaja said United Restaurants has been profitable the past decade and revenue in 2010-11 rose 50% over the previous fiscal year. Click here to Know more about Connaught Place Restaurants  in Delhi. “These companies are growing fast. It’s a story based on convenience to customers, lifestyle demands.people want to eat out or order from home,” said Rajesh Srivastava, chairman and managing director of Rabo Equity Advisors Pvt. Ltd, an agriculture and food sector-focused PE fund.Investors have gained confidence in food chains, especially after Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd’s share sale in February last year. The company is the Indian franchise of the US’ Domino’s Pizza Inc.
Source      “livemint”

Nothing like a sunday Brunch!:Vir singhvi

Why you like Sunday brunch (the meal, not this magazine, silly!) says a lot about who you are. If you are a hotelier or a restaurateur, you like Sunday brunch because it represents a great opportunity for profit. You construct the meal around low cost ingredients such as eggs and bakery products (muffins, waffles etc.) and then charge a huge amount, throwing in champagne or sparkling wine which you have procured at enormous discount from some wine importer.If, on the other hand, you are not a restaurateur but just a lazy sort of fellow, you like the idea of brunch because it allows you to get up late, linger over the Sunday papers with steaming cups of coffee or tea and to then move directly to lunch without the intervening inconvenience of breakfast. And if you are a high-energy sort of person who misses the excitement of weekdays, then brunch gets you out of the house, into a crowded restaurant and allows you to indulge in the warmth of human contact. In my experience, people who love brunch are much better off in Asia than they are in Europe or America. In France, they don’t believe in brunch. French people demand a full-fledged Sunday lunch. In Britain, restaurants couldn’t be bothered to turn out a good brunch. In America, brunch is a popular option but it is usually a rip-off. The chef takes the weekend off so one of his minions is put in charge of the brunch service. The minion is told to work on a low food cost basis, so he looks for ways to make eggs seem more interesting (variations on Eggs Benedict, fancy omelettes etc.), offers a limited menu of four not-very-exciting options and then sits back while the bartenders whip up Bloody Marys or Mimosas (made with packaged orange juice and sparkling wine). This kind of brunch is popular at some New York restaurants because:
a) it allows the restaurant to say that it is open on Sunday even though all the good chefs have taken a holiday;
b) it allows guests to say that they have visited fancy restaurants (Sunday brunch is usually cheaper and it is much easier to get a table for brunch than it would be for dinner any other day); and
c) it appeals to the lazy guys who like the idea of a peaceful, quiet Sunday. Asian brunches, however, tend to be over-the-top, high-energy, extravagant affairs. They are nearly always buffets (which is not the case in America or Europe). They offer a range of cuisines. The top chefs are usually present in person at the buffet counters to make sure that everything is perfect. And hotels and restaurants vie with each other in providing the best and most luxurious foods.
Years and years ago, at the late, lamented Compass Rose on top of the Westin Stamford (as it was then; it is called something else now) in Singapore, I marvelled at the lavishness of the brunch: as much Sevruga caviar as you wanted, gallons of Veuve Clicquot champagne, live foie gras stations and nearly every cuisine you could think of. In Bangkok, all the top hotels do lavish brunches. My favourite (though I have not been for years) used to be at the Intercontinental on Ploenchit (the hotel used to be called the Royal Meridien when the Sunday brunch began) with its chocolate fountain and its acres and acres of buffet tables laden with food from India, China, France, Thailand, Germany, Japan etc. Even in Delhi, the Sunday brunch is an excuse for restaurants to go over the top with their offerings. On most days, Machan at the Taj Man Singh is a perfectly nice coffee shop. But on Sundays, it suddenly ups its game with all-you-can-eat caviar, fresh oysters, whole lobsters and cases of champagne. Likewise, 361 at the Gurgaon Oberoi offers you a choice of champagne at its all-inclusive Sunday brunch. My guess is that in India at least (I don’t know about the rest of Asia), the restaurant Sunday brunch is not a brunch at all even though we may call it that. It has its origins in the tradition of a very big Sunday buffet lunch, a special meal when you ate a lot because you knew you could sleep the afternoon off.
I remember being taken, as a child, to such clubs as the Delhi Gymkhana where an elaborate Sunday buffet would be laid out and the crème de la crème of Delhi’s military and bureaucratic elite would gather to swap stories. None of those people thought of their meal as a mere brunch. In many cases, it was their biggest meal of the week. Perhaps this was a Raj tradition. In the days when Spencers’ ran the grand old Connemara Hotel in Madras, a large banqueting room would be given over to Sunday lunch and old Spencers’ cooks would produce an elaborate buffet of South Indian dishes combined with the food of the Raj. (When the Taj group took the Connemara over in the 1980s, it committed the criminal act of shutting down the buffet and operating a disgusting American-style coffee shop instead. The Connemara is still Madras’s best hotel but it ain’t what it used to be.)At the Bombay Taj, the Sunday buffet in the Ballroom, overlooking the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea was such an institution in the Sixties that you would find the great and good of Bombay helping themselves to Salad Currimbhoy, Roast Lamb, Dhansak and Bread and Butter Pudding while Goody Seervai and his orchestra played.Sadly, that buffet died a natural death and though I recall an attempt to revive it in the early Nineties with modern Hemant Oberoi touches (six kinds of olives in the salad section etc), it never quite caught on and, these days, the Taj makes more money from letting the Ballroom out for banquets than it ever did from the buffet.If you see the so-called Sunday brunch as a revival of the Raj tradition of the big Sunday lunch – which is how I see it – then its most successful recent avatar was the buffet at the Raj Pavilion at the Windsor Manor in Bangalore which combined ITC’s traditional strengths in the Indian food area with astonishingly faithful recreations of the Anglo-Indian cuisine which Bangalore was once known for. I haven’t been back recently but no doubt, it has gone the way of all other Sunday buffets and become hipper and more modern. Speaking personally, I have nothing against modern buffets but it is worth shopping around because, while all hotels charge the roughly the same amount, you can get considerably more for the same price from some hotels than you can from others. Apart from the basics (good food, service, ambience etc.), here are some things you should look for: high value items (good quality meat, seafood), champagne or premium spirits and last, but not least, good music. I used to regularly praise the Machan brunch because it had lots of expensive foods (I think the Taj actually lost money on some items but kept them on for reasons of prestige), good champagne (Laurent-Perrier NV) and an amazing singer in Stella Pinto. Its rival in the value-for-money stakes is the brunch at Zest which is buzzy, packed, lavish and grand. Click Here to Know more about Connaught Place Restaurants. Last Sunday, I found that Machan now had a new rival. The Maurya has had the bright idea of combining its two rooftop restaurants, My Humble House and West View, and offering a brunch that allows you to travel between both places and eat what you like. I thought the Humble House food was better (great dim sum) but the West View buffet had lots of caviar, lobster, foie gras, free-range corn-fed chicken, Wagyu and other luxury items. But what swung it for me was the music. At West View, old faithful Peter Mehta has been joined by Becky and they make a great duo. At Humble House, two Naga sisters, Sede Kenn and Ase Kenn, sing beautifully. On a nice day, as the golden sun pours through the glass windows at Humble House, and as the music gets going and the champagne rushes to your head, it is easy to believe that all is well with the world and that it is going to be a beautiful Sunday.Explore Here Restaurants in Delhi
Source “Ht Brunch”.

The Gujarati food and Cuisine

At a time when more and more Restaurants in Delhi  are looking at foreign shores for inspiration, it is a delight to come across one that looks inwards. Saatvik at Select City Walk in Saket offers Indian food in an Indian ambience the Indian way. Though the restaurant hosts a food festival every month, this month's Gujarati food festival deserves greater attention, firstly because you do not always get to taste authentic Gujarati food and, secondly, even when we do get it at fairs and exhibitions, the ambience is more of street food than the real Gujarati fare. Under the circumstances, Saatvik deserves a lot of credit for paying attention to its ambience with a dash of clay and hay on the walls besides colourful ribbons, flags and the likes. One can, for a moment, think one is sitting in Bharuch rather than Delhi.Food, too, retains the actual Gujarati flavour — spices being on the lighter side and a pinch of sugar in almost every dish creating a distinct and unique combination of sweet and spicy. Sugar and spice is the essence of Gujarati cuisine.One can start with snacks like khandvi and dhokla, which are served with a tomato chutney, and move on to dahi ka shorba. (Buttermilk tempered with curry leaves and spinach, it is supposed to aid digestion.) Moving on to the main course, a thali is served with five different dishes consisting of makai na bharta (American corn kernels tossed in chopped masala), undhiyo (assorted seasonal vegetables paired with muthiya), Gujarati kadi dhokali (a fusion of traditional Gujarati kadi stewed with crisp dhokla), traveti dal (a combination of three different dals) and bhakri (Guajrati roti made with whole wheat flour). There's also rice pulao. In the dessert section, aamrakhand (mango flavoured sweet creamed curd cheese) is provided, which again combines sweet and sour. Explore here to know more about Connaught Place Restaurants  in Delhi.
Source   "thehindu"

A Brief on Demand Of Various Cuisine in India

The demand for international cuisines has increased manifold in Delhi in the last decade because of the exposure that its urban population has been getting to various cultures from across the world. "Whether it is in Bollywood, career choices or personal networks, Delhi's turn towards a globalmetropolis makes it the perfect place to experiment with food," says Smita Singh who runs Elma's, a small English-style tea room and patisserie in Hauz Khas Village. Delhi has seen a huge influx in its expatriate population in the last five years or so, one that doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. As the adage goes, the first thing to be experienced (and eroticised) in any new culture is its food. Here, it has been a two-way exchange as the city's expats have fed as much to it as they have eaten.Shani Himanshu of The Grey Garden in Hauz Khas — a restaurant that experiments with international ingredients, trying to cook them in an Indian context, if not necessarily an Indian palette — finds that "people are willing to try new styles of cooking, as well as ingredients that have been foreign to them till now." Consumers are no longer satisfied with only desi-Italian and Chinese food masquerading as international cuisine. They want to eat — and learn to cook — authentic cuisines starting from risottos to paellas, from sushi to Udon noodles and pork and kimchi.nd where there is demand for food, there has to be supply of ingredients. Yungsu Park, owner of BG Food Mart in Safdarjung Enclave, a Korean specialty store, points out how "all kinds of people come to the store, Koreans and Indians alike." She adds, after a few seconds, "I never realised Korean food was this popular in Delhi and I've been living here for more than ten years. People even come up to me and ask me to organise cooking classes." Park, along with a few Japanese ladies, plans to start brunch classes to teach basic Japanese and Korean cooking techniques.Where there are focussed stores like BG Food Mart or the popular Yamato Ya, also in Safdarjung for Japanese ingredients, there are also various stores across cities that are now extensively stocked with all manners of imported ingredients, from Breakfast Pop Tarts to gluten free cereal, from meats to herbs and spices used in cooking European cuisines. Stores like Gourmet Food Mart in Select City Walk, Saket to Le Marche in Khan Market and DLF Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj are stocking every possible exotic ingredient that the diverse expat population and food-enthusiast desis would possibly need. Restaurants in Delhi  Provides all kind of food.Live Organic, a small store in Gurgaon, specialises in organic food ingredients. The little store that can hold only six people at a time has enough room for all kinds of organic and/or gluten free grains, pulses, spices, candies, juices, cookies and even cow's pure ghee. Manpreet Kaur, owner of Live Organic, ran the store for two years out of her own house before moving to her current location in DLF, Phase 4 in Gurgaon. "I started this business because I've always been passionate about eating healthy," she says. Live Organic doesn't keep any imported products and stocks fresh vegetables every Wednesday. In addition, they also organise a small farmer's market once a month, with fresh produce that the farmers come down to the market and sell themselves — no middlemen or retailers. Another organic store, Dubdengreen is the result of a lifetime's effort for Jayashree and Ganesh Eashwar, both organic farmers. The brand has an online store and delivers products straight to your doorstep. Click here to know more about Restaurants in Saket .  Delhi's love affair with food has certainly taken a global turn in the last decade. And now, so have its grocery stores. We can only hope for more restaurants and stores that serve us something different, something new and something exotic.
Source “HT”

Country Chicken enters India, to open More outlets by 2015

Country Chicken, an Australian chain of fast food restaurants, is planning to enter the Indian market with around 300 outlets by 2015, to be set up at an investment of around Rs 200 crore.The company has tied up with Chennai-based Star Quick Service Restaurants (P) Ltd as a master franchisee for its nationwide central processing plants and outlets in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana.“We have plans to set up around 300 outlets through franchisee route in India by 2015. Our plan is to build the brand in India around the concept of healthy and dry chicken,” said Rama Krishna, CEO, Country Chicken India. He added that the company would focus on leading metros and tier 2 cities to set up shops.The first phase for setting up 120 outlets in the southern and western states in the country, starting from Tamil Nadu, would be completed within the end of 2013. It would set up 35 outlets in Tamil Nadu by 2014.Setting up of the outlets would be partly funded by the franchisee partner, while the rest would be invested by the company itself, he said. The prices would be fixed at par with the current pricing scenario in the organised fast food restaurant chains . As  Restaurants in Delhi  have huge Crowed .The company would set up central processing plants, where almost 75 per cent processing of the dishes would be done to ensure standardisation of food taste and quality.In the Phase I, it has plans to set up at least four processing plants, one each in Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.Out of this, the Maharashtra plant is expected to be the biggest plant for the company in India, said Rama Krishna.The Phase II and Phase III of expansion would look at establishing presence in central and north India and Phase IV would be expansion to north eastern part of the country.The Quick Service Restaurants segment, which are popular as fast food restaurants, currently has a size of $1.9 billion (around Rs 8900 crore) in India with around 4,000 outlets from various companies at present, and is growing at 41 per cent annually.By 2016, the number of branded outlets in the segment is expected to grow towards 21,500 and the company eyes to play a major role in the segment by the time, he added.It would provide both the original recipe of Country Chicken along with some Indianised recipes thruogh the outlets. There would also be prominence for vegetarian foods, unlike the company's outlets in other countries. It expects almost 20 per cent of the sales revenues to come from the segment.Country Chicken, established in Australia in 1994, currently has around 450 outlets in various parts of the world, including New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, United Emirates, Russia and Fiji.Click Here to Know more about  Restaurants in Connaught Place.
Source  “Business-standard”.

Terror alert haunts city: Restaurants, malls feel the effect

NEW DELHI: After the Delhi high court blast, it seems people in the city do not want to take any chances. The terror alert for Tuesday may have been shrugged off by many but when it came to stepping out at public places, people preferred to be cautious. Footfalls at malls and shopping complexes took a plunge and dining out was left for another day. The thin crowds were testimony to the fact that not many wanted to indulge in bravado. During the peak hours of the evening, Khan Market, usually crowded with people, had a deserted look. There were few pedestrians and window shoppers, and restaurants typically packed with customers had most of their tables vacant. Rajiv Lal, manager of the popular Urban Cafe , too, noticed this shift after the blast last week. "Since the blast on Wednesday, our footfall has gone down by about 20%, and today it is down by about 25%." The glass doors at the cafe had pictures of the two suspects of the recent bombings. Ravi Kiran, manager of Watermelon cafe , said their business had suffered by 30-40 % as well. Other markets in the city also saw the effects of an anxious society. Saurav Suman, manager of Pebble Street  Restaurant in Delhi  (New Friends Colony) , said: "Customers went down by 10-15 % after the blast, and there are very few today. Usually we expect a packed restaurant, but that is not the case today."
Mansi Singh, a housewife, also said the red alert "scared" her. "I had to go to many crowded markets today but changed my plans because it is dangerous to venture out today." Abdul Kabir had come to Delhi with his family for just one day, all the way from Satna in Madhya Pradesh, completely unaware of the red alert. "Now that I know, we will head back now only instead of staying through the night," he said, as he strolled around India Gate. The place, too, was practically empty, with more vendors than visitors. Even the city's plush malls were not spared. Pathways were empty, shops were desolate and salespeople looked out longingly for customers, cafes were bare of customers except for the odd few tables here and there. The shift manager of DT Star Cinemas, Nitin Mehlawat, was certain that there was no impact on business , but the on-the-spot availability of tickets for every movie suggested a different story. Click here to Know more about  Connaught Place  Restaurats . M D Rehan, manager of PVR Select Citywalk, too, said business was as usual, but there was nobody buying the abundant tickets available, and no lines of people waiting to buy their popcorn and cold drinks. Manav Tyagi, manager at a shoe store in the same mall, said: "Since last week, business has gone down by 50-60 %, and it is even slower today . Not many people have been coming to the mall."
Source “TOI”

Pullman seeks Asia-Pacific expansion with 27 hotels in pipeline

Pullman, a brand by Accor, has lined up 27 hotels in the Asia-Pacific region that are currently under-development. Since the brand's debut in Asia-Pacific in 2008, Accor has opened 21 Pullman hotels and resorts throughout Asia Pacific.According to the company release, earlier this year in February, the brand debuted in Indonesia with the opening of a hotel in Bali. The Pullman Bali Legian Nirwana has 351 rooms. The group will also open the Pullman Jakarta Central Park in Podomoro City, Jakarta; while another property in China, the Pullman Lijiang Resort and Spa will come up in April 2012. It comprises of 130 rooms and villas.In Vietnam, the launch of the Pullman Danang Beach has been pushed back to next year. The property will feature 197 guest rooms, four restaurants and extensive leisure facilities including three swimming pools. Accor has already entered Asian sub-continent through India with the 285-room Pullman Gurgaon Central Park in New Delhi. Indians are opting to go through a restaurant’s menu and book a table from any computer. Restaurants in India  have a Great Dining Services When you think of food trends it is easy to look at New York, London and Sydney, but the latest trends in food and beverage has roots embedded in the sub-continent's food culture. Great food starts with fresh ingredients. The diversity and demand for cuisine in India means the ingredients have to be harvested overnight, purchased from the markets in the morning and prepared for the menu on the same day. One of the latest trends being talked of in health food circles internationally is transfats, artificial fat also called trans fats is added to processed foods to give them texture-but increases the risk of coronary heart diseases. Unlike other fats, transfats are neither required nor beneficial for health. For these reasons, health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of transfat be reduced to trace amounts.Online Table Reservation Service is Fast.You can get Here the List ofRestaurants in Delhi.

Source  “travelbizmonitor.com”

Yum! Brands eyes Rs 4,600 cr from Indian ops by 2015

Yum! Brands Inc, the US owner of the KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants, expects its Indian operations to be around Rs 4,600 crore ($1 billion) by 2015. With plans to open a total of 1,000 outlets across brands in India by then, the company will also invest Rs 460 crore ($100 million) in the next four years. We expect our business in India to grow four-fold [from present] by 2015 with a turnover of Rs 4,600 crore [$1 billion]," Yum! Restaurants India Managing Director Niren Chaudhary told PTI. With that kind of a revenue growth, India would start contributing meaningfully to Yum! Brands globally, he added. Though India is a very small market for Yum! Brands in terms of revenue generation at present, the firm is making strategic investments in the country. "Our business in India is seeing tremendous growth across brands...From now onwards to 2015, we will invest $100 million here," Chaudhary said. Yum! Restaurants India currently operates close to 400 restaurants mostly under KFC and Pizza Hut brands and three Taco Bell outlets for Mexican food"All our brands are growing at double digit rate both in terms of sales and number of transactions...KFC for instance has grown 70% in terms of sales in the last one year," he said. As it looks to deepen ties with India, Yum! Brands is also looking to contribute to the society through its 'Yum's World Hunger Relief programme'. "Globally, we have raised $85 million for the United Nations' World Food Programme [WFP]. From India alone, we have already contributed Rs 2 crore since 2007, and hope to raise for funds from both corporates and our customers going ahead," Chaudhary added. Explore Here Restaurants in Delhi

Source       “Business-standard.com”

Eat Your Favourite food in Delhi Restaurants

Delhi is the capital of India . Owing to the migration of people from across the country, Delhi has grown to be a multicultural, cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Delhi into a major cultural, political, and commercial centre of India.Being a popular tourist destination for the international and domestic travelers, Delhi is home to wide range of restaurants. Apart from all other things, Delhi is famed for its special variety of food. Interestingly, people come to Delhi even to savor delicious food offered by it various restaurants and eating joints. Much has changed over the years and the action is all based around where one can find more residential colonies or shops or offices. Delhi Restaurants seem to be around Connaught Place, Greater Kailash, Noida Sector 18, Gurgaon, Punjabi Bagh and Rajouri Garden.Conaught Place has been the traditional hub of retail and corporate action in Delhi, given its centralized location. This is where people used to go for their weekend shopping and time out. With South Delhi evolving Greater Kailash esp GKII market also became popular especially for pubs, café and fine-dines. In the Manor Hotel, Indian Accent is one of the popular Delhi restuiarnts. This is moderate category restaurant where you can savor lip smacking Tandoori Scottish Salmon with blue cheese nan or Vindaloo Masala. It offers truly unique menu. Another moderate variety restaurant is SmokeGrill offering something for even the pickiest of eaters.For the budget eaters, restaurants like Suruchi and Shudh Restaurant are just excellent place. Despite low prices, food offered there is of high quality and great taste.You can get a quick guide to the Delhi’s Restaurant from BookMyRestaurant.If you Book a Table via BookMyRestaurant then you save time and money Both.You get discount on each Booking.  Restaurants in Delhi are serving non-vegetarian food and veg-dishes also. You can find each cuisine and manage your Budget accordingly.

Growth of Restaurants in India

Stand-alone restaurants in India are popular with foreign travelers as well as Indians as self-indulgence and a desire for cuisines propels people to splurge on food Shyam Lal, 48, can't read or write but he can cook. He knows his pancakes from crepes and can offer you anything from a dosa to a pizza and even hummus. His culinary expertise, though, hasn't come from travelling or studying abroad but he has learnt these dishes over foodie conversations with foreign visitors who'd stop by at his tiny eatery in Dharamsala.Food culture in India is as complex as the tapestry of its heritage. The diverse culinary rituals, wide range of cuisines and the varied cooking techniques make for layer upon layer of an overwhelming yet enriching experience. No holiday is complete without good food and India makes sure it offers a wide selection.Growth of restaurants in the country has put on the table not only diverse local flavours but a huge variety of international cuisines. Indian food choices are a gastronomical delight with each region offering its signature cuisine. "Eating out today is considered an experience; it has always been a way of life for Indians. It is a way of socialising in the community where people meet new people in a preordained ambience, while savouring decadent delicacies. Restaurants in Delhi also have great Crowd.In the current times, restaurants have taken over the task for social gatherings, offering novelty and convenience at the same time. Independent outlets therefore continue to dominate the industry in India. There are a total of 1.5 million eating outlets in India and the number is expected to grow very rapidly in the near future," says Samir Kuckreja, president, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI)and CEO and managing director, Nirula's.The growth of the tourism industry has also been a positive factor behind the growth of Restaurants in India. An increasing number of foreign tourists prefer going stand alone restaurants. This was reiterated by M.D. Kapoor, secretary general, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), who says, "It is evident from statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism that there is an increase of foreign tourist arrivals which was 6.06 lakh in November 2010 as opposed to 5.28 lakh in November 2009 and 5.32 lakh in November 2008. A 14.7 per cent increase has been noted between November 2010 and same period a year before. Foreigners enjoy the local and authentic traditional food and as a result they can be credited to the tremendous increase in the number of eating joints, restaurants and fast food centres at prime locations throughout the country." If this impetus continues to be, more restaurants are expected to mushroom across the country, even in the small towns.While India's culture and vibrancy makes it a popular choice amongst foreign travellers, domestic tourism is not holding back. Eating out and visiting restaurants are a source of family or social entertainment for domestic tourists. "The dining out culture has emerged with huge infrastructural growth, widening middle class in the cities owing to a strong economy, marking this change in the lifestyle" explains Vyoum Ghai, promoter, the Panchshila Rendezvous and joint secretary, NRAI.With international restaurant chain entering the indian foyer and increasing the competitiveness, special attention is being paid to hygiene and cleanliness. Being assured healthy and wholesome food options and quality outlets is a significant crowd puller. Restaurants are located near tourist attractions and offer wide variety of dining options ranging from fine dining to value-for-money food. International players in the Indian hospitality industry have raised tourist expectations.


Source “India Today”

High Rentals eat into Restaurants margins

NEW DELHI: It's a double whammy for restaurateurs. Not only are they bogged down by rising food prices, high rentals are fast eating into thin margins. Rentals for restaurants have gone up 40-45% over the last year-and-half, and for a number of standalone restaurants, it is getting unsustainable.For a restaurant, business is good if rentals are below 15% of their revenues. In case of many restaurants, it is much higher. "We expected rent to be 10-15% of our revenue in our business plan. Right now, it is 33%," said Satyajit Patnaik, managing director of Ummami, a newly set-up world cuisine Restaurants in Gurgaon. For a young business like his, a 30% hit on margins is killing. "We are just about managing to break even," he said. Rentals for restaurants are disproportionately high, which leads to a number of young restaurants closing down regularly. A large number of entrepreneurs trying their hands at the restaurant business are providing that extra leverage to landlords to demand more. "With such unsustainable rentals, it is like working for your landlord," said Saeed Shervani, president of the Hotels & Restaurants Association of North India and the owner of Rodeo'sRestaurant in Delhi . But larger restaurant chains have kept their real estate costs low by going in for a revenue share model with landlords. "That is a much more sustainable model," said Riyaz Amlani, managing director of Impresario, which operates brands like Smokehouse Grill, Cafe Mocha and Salt Water CafA©. In a typical revenue share model, the landlord gets 80% of market rental or 15-18% of top line, which ever is higher. "We are trying to keep out rental cost at 10-12% of revenues," said AD Singh, owner of Olive Bar & Kitchen in Mumbai and Delhi. In the past one year, with about 40-50% higher cost of food, wages too are up 22% for restaurants, said Shervani. While there is a general shortage of staff in the hospitality industry, Patnaik points out that with a large number of new hotels, restaurants like his are regularly loosing staf f and have to invest in hiring and retraining new employees. To counter all of these inflationary factors, firms are working overtime to come up with ways to improve revenues. The first has been increase in menu rates by 15-20%, and they have been lucky with people willing to pay higher rates.


Source  "Economic Times"

Bangalore metros mock coach may soon become a cafeteria

Bangalore is a foodie’s paradise. so many concept restaurants, lounge bars, pubs, cozy snack places, fast food joints, theme cafes, and fine dining places. Bangalore Restaurants  offer the best service. Restaurants using train themes are in vogue in the country. Bangalore Metro too will use this trend to its advantage; its dummy coach at the Anil Kumble Circle is being shifted to CMH Road in Indiranagar and converted into an eating joint.Insiders informed that preparations were in full swing to convert the coach into a cafeteria and that it will be situated near the traffic signal. A worker at the site too confirmed the development.A private contractor has been assigned the task of packing the coach and shifting it to CMH Road. “We have plans to put it to good use. However, we first need to shift the coach to CMH Road station,” said BLY Chavan, spokesperson of Bangalore Metro. However, he neither confirmed, nor denied the possible chances of the coach being converted into a cafeteria.Last July, BMRCL had put the coach on display under the tracks of MG Road near Kumble Circle, to let people have a look and feel of the metro train. There were plans to auction the coach or to simply put it in the depot near Vijayanagar station on Reach 2. However, talks of the coach being converted into a cafeteria seem to be plausible, as it can be put to good use.Explore Here Chinese  Restaurants in Bangalore


Source "dnaindia"

Metro Cash and Carry opens its first wholesale distribution centre in Punjab

Bangalore-based Metro Cash & Carry (MC&C), India, one of the global leaders in self-service business-to-business wholesale, has now entered Ludhiana, Punjab, by setting up a wholesale distribution centre there. Restaurants in Bangalore has Great Business .This will be its seventh outlet in the county. The company made an investment of approximately Rs 60 crore for the Ludhiana wholesale centre. It is spread over four acres and has a selling space of approximately 60,000 sq. feet. The centre offers a tailored assortment of over 10,000 articles (food and non-food) to business customers in Ludhiana, including hotels, restaurants, caterers, traders and small offices.Our Ludhiana wholesale centre will offer customized solutions to meet business needs of the market. We tailor our assortment to the needs of our registered business customers and most of our products are sourced from the local suppliers," said Rajeev Bakshi, managing director, Metro Cash & Carry, India. The wholesale centre will be open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm for the convenience of its professional customers, he informed.MC & C will also conduct training programmes to support various target groups including traders, chefs, restaurant owners, caterers and dhabas."Through these initiatives we aim to build a platform for engagement with our customers in Punjab," Bakshi said. The Metro's customer centric approach is based on offering complete solutions not just for products, but also for customers through customized services and special loyalty benefits. In order to meet customer expectations, it has re-built the assortment with Punjab customers, increased focus on sourcing products locally, and ensuring easy availability and other services like delivery through third party. Metro Bandhan is one such exclusive loyalty programme, offering a range of privileges and value-added services to regular customers.It rewards regular customers for purchases made, through specialized services and by helping them grow their business. It has also conducted some customer engagement programmes for each customer group in Punjab. This includes the recently launched "Dhaba support" programme to help dhabas become more competitive and customer-friendly. Under this programme, Metro has trained dhaba owners on issues such as stocking, cleanliness and personal hygiene. The "Metro Trader Support and Partnership" programme was organised for traders recently and another programme called Chefology, a training and knowledge sharing programme, was held for the HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and caterers) segment. The company plans to organise several such training programmes consistently in the future.Click here for Indian Bangalore Restaurants. Metro Cash & Carry entered the Indian market in 2003. The company already has six wholesale distribution centres, including two each in Bangalore and Hyderabad, and one each in Mumbai and Kolkata. Each wholesale centre creates over 150 direct and 150 indirect job opportunities in the state.


Source  "Fbnews.com"

Pizza Market in India to Grow Rapidly accordingly CAGR

“Indian Fast Food Market Analysis”, provides extensive information on the country’s fast food market, besides discussing the growing segments like Noodle market, Pizza market, and others food markets. Thus, it provides valuable information about the Fast food companies and provides necessary insight for investors looking to enter this market. Moreover, the report features forecast for fast food sales in the country. The forecast is based on the correlation between past market growth and growth in base drivers, such as middle class, urbanization, cultural shift, and lifestyle changes. Due consideration is given on competitive landscape to enable clients to understand market structure and growth prospects.The Indian fast food market has been witnessing rapid growth on the back of positive developments and presence of massive investments. The market growth is largely fuelled by the rising young population, working women, hectic schedules, and increasing disposable income of the middle-class households. Some of the unique properties of fast food like quick served, cost advantage, etc are making it highly popular among the masses. Thus, India offers enormous opportunities for both domestic as well as international players according to our research report, “Indian Fast Food Market Analysis”. Rresearch identified that, Indian domestic pizza market is growing rapidly with number of foreign brands entering into the sector to seek business opportunities. In the current scenario, Indian consumers are increasingly shifting towards varieties of Pizza offered by the well-known brands. Further, huge untapped potential in rural and semi-urban areas, quick investment recovery, simple equipment and small investment to open a pizza outlet also contributes to the development of domestic pizza industry in India. Delhi Restaurants are offering the service. Thus, the domestic pizza market in India is estimated to grow with a CAGR of around 26% during 2011-2014.However, there are some bottlenecks, such as lack of proper infrastructural facilities, and increasing presence of local street vendors and restaurants which refrains players to expand and invest into fast food market within a specific budget. All these drawbacks must be addressed to ensure smooth growth in the Indian fast food industry and also in Indian Restaurants that is poised for substantial growth in the coming years.
Source “sbwire.com”

A View to Authentic Italian food in India

 His passion for cooking drove Italian  Canadian Enzo Renda to create the first Eggspectation in Montreal  in 1993 to prove that eggs were more than just a breakfast food. He brought the concept to New Delhi five years ago and has been so encouraged by the response because, as he says, "India is changing by the minute", that he has now branched out to introducing fine Italian dining at a golf resort in Greater Noida.Aiming to establish a harmonious relationship between the resort and the restaurant, Table Reservation setting has been kept casual and classy with sociable atmosphere. Intangible pleasures as flavors, senses and emotions are directly reflected through the most selective menu personally created by Renda. "Actually, there is a little touch of my mother's recipes in most of the items on the menu," Renda explained.The bar menu is distinct and unique to some of Italy's famous Wine  bars. Nestled in the stairwell against the backdrop of a two-storey high wine display, the bar offers a wide selection of wines and a large variety of appetisers and some items from the main menu. "Well, we'll be importing all our ingredients from Italy, from mozzarella cheese to tomatoes to what have you. The meats we will source locally but thanks to the herbs we will use, the flavour profile will be authentic," Renda asserted. The chefs, however, will be Indian and will function under the watchful eye of Renda who will increase his visits to India to three a year once La Brezza opens before the inaugural Indian Grand Prix at Greater Noida in October. So Importance of  Noida Restaurants becomes high.Chef Gomes, who oversees Eggspectation at the Jaypee Vasant Continental, will be in overall charge of La Brezza and will be assisted by two other chefs from the same hotel. "They know the way I think. They know how I cook. They follow my instructions to the T. They have a passion for cooking," Renda declared of the trio. What then brought him to India? "India is English China, without the controls. The growth is evident all around. India is changing by the minute, and my instinct of seven years ago is showing results sooner than expected," Renda said in an interview. Admitting that Indian laws are difficult, he also noted that change is under way and reforms were on the way. Noting that salaries are increasing by 20 to 30 per cent Renda was confident of seeing a greater number of Indians trying out outlets like his. "The future lies where the middle class increases, a move that triggers all the way to the richer population." At the same time, he conceded that food was not the easiest of businesses, and India does not make it any the easier. "We spent a lot of the time in the initial years convincing people we worked with here," Renda said, adding they are far more receptive now. "Indian brands are getting into niches, and will need to compete with western brands, for which they will need western consulting," .
Source "Toi"

Different types of Delicious food Items in India

As we all know that there are different culture in India .Many People from different Religion live together. Food is also a also different Choice.Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. Authentic Indian Food ranks and Chinese cuisine as one of the great culinary traditions of the world. The culture of India is an amalgamation of these diverse sub-cultures spread all over the Indian subcontinent and traditions that are several millennia old.Foods tend to be flavoured with spices such as cumin, coriander seeds, and turmeric, which with a few regional exceptions, are traditionally not associated with much of Chinese cuisine. In the 1970s, India dramatically increased food production, finally allowing this giant country to feed itself. But government efforts to continue that miracle by encouraging farmers to use fertilizers have backfired, forcing the country to expand its reliance on imported food. Of the 118 countries on the global hunger index, India ranks 98th, with 214 million people going hungry. Millennium development goal 1, which looks to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and provide food securityby 2015, is miles off. The secret of fine Indian cooking is the inspired use of spices. A common accompanying to most Indian meals is dal, or lentils, valuable for their high protein content. Dozens of different kinds, innumerable methods of preparation and a wide range of accompanying ingredients create a bewildering variety. A selection of pickles and chutneys - sour, hot and sweet - accompanies every meal. Chosen to complement the main course, they stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. Mango and lime are common pickle bases, while fresh mint, coriander, ginger and coconut are also used. Sweet chutneys of mango and tomato are often served. Papads, roasted or deep-fried savoury crisps, accompany meals in all parts of the country. Usually made of rolled and dried rice or lentil dough, they have a delightful crunchiness. Among the daily products used Indian cuisine, ghee, clarified butter, is a traditional cooking medium with a unique full flavour. Rising prices have now restricted its use to special occasions. Yoghurt, known as dahi or crud, integral to Indian meals, is used as a marinade, as a tangy base for rich sauces, and is also served to counter rich or spicy food. It is sometimes lightly spiced and mixed with vegetables or fruit to create the soothing raitas of the north and the pachadis of the south. Churned and salted or sweetened dahi also makes a refreshing summer drink called Lassi. Paneer, similar to cottage cheese, is a favourite source of protein among vegetarians in the north. South Indian food, also predominantly vegetarian, is popular throughout India for its zesty flavours and generally low cost. People in Bangalore India love to eat these foods.  The crisp, paper-thin, pancake-like dosa, served plain or stuffed with lightly spiced potatoes, steamed idli ad deep-fried doughnut-shaped vadas are served together piping hot with a mustardy sambhar and a more bland but equally delicious coconut chutney. Dosa, idli and vadas, a popular breakfast combination, are all made of a slightly fermented rice and lentil batter. Upma, crumbly semolina cooked with curry leaves and garnished with nuts, is another southern favourite. Less well known but equally delicious are dishes like the thick avial stew of Kerala, cooked in coconut oil; kaottu, in a coconut and chickpea sauce; and rasam, a thin peppery soup, all served with mound of rice saturated with ghee. A paan is often served at the end of a traditional Indian Food. Paan consists of a betel leaf smeared with catechu (a tannin-rich powder), lime paste (not the fruit) and fragrant essences, wrapped around shredded betel nut, cardamom, aniseed and other ingredients, all secured by a clove pierced through the folds of the leaf. Given the acclaimed digestive properties of the package, it is a perfect and sometimes necessary finale to a rich Indian meal - and definitely and acquired taste.