2020 will be the year which we all would like to strike off, though it’s not easy. This pandemic has hit us all and there isn’t any industry which was not affected by it. Since we are associated with F&B, all we do is talk about it. But the reality is every industry has faced it, whether it’s pay cut, layoffs or furlough. Now when you have the question of survival in front of you, you don’t think about luxury, and eating out is luxury for many of us.
I have been to many hotels in the last couple of months and have spoken to a lot of industry people and everyone agrees that unless business travel starts, ( which I don’t think is going to be soon) we will not be able to get back to the state where we were before the pandemic hit us. Right now, the biggest question in front of us is on how to survive this pandemic!
I know this situation is not at all good and many of our lives are dependent on it but posting rosy pictures and getting away from the reality isn’t going to help us at all.
So, until we don’t take measures, create awareness and ensure that everyone is on the same page and ready to fight this, we will not be able to get over it.
I don’t know how much delivery is going to help us, because if 50 delivery brands existed before covid-19, there are now 500 brands in the market as a lot of chefs lost their jobs and they have no other options but do something to survive. Since the number of customers hasn’t increased and their source of income to has gone down, it’s not easy for a delivery business to survive.
Events are not happening as most of the corporates are still operating from home and due to budget cuts, there are hardly any corporate events. Weekend getaways are going good but it’s not helping much since the price they are offering is almost a throwaway.
When lockdown started, we weren’t sure of how long it will last. Initial months, all of us enjoyed cooking our favourites dishes, including the dishes we used to eat during childhood. It was a discovery phase of new skill, hobbies, experimentation and trying hands-on kitchen became a trend. But after a few months, everyone got bored and started missing going out and eating our favourite dishes at our favourite restaurants. We all started looking for recipes of restaurants which we missed.
Now when the lockdown is almost over, there is hardly any recipe video or pictures being posted on social media, because we all either bored or there is no interest left.
Here are some places that I would love to share:
AKU’s burgers were something I really liked! Initially, during the delivery, their patties weren’t good, and buns were soggy. But when I went to their outlet and tried their fresh burgers, I loved them. They make some of the finest burgers in town.
Guppy is our go-to place and we have always enjoyed the food here! Our first lunch after the lockdown at Guppy and we loved it.
Chef Pawan is a versatile chef and I never had any bad meal at any of his restaurants. We went to One 8 for the first time at Aerocity. The buzz is slowly coming, one 8 was packed and so was the dhaba, but rest were struggling.
Chef Manish at Indian Accent came up with interesting Indian chaat tasting menu. Picking up chaat from different parts of the country and serving them in a modern style, keeping the traditional flavours intact.
We also went to Crown Plaza Rohini to stay over the weekend and were impressed with Executive Chef Ashish exclusive menu, which can be ordered/planned.
Some of the places which failed to impress were Sly Granny and Brown Fox Coffee Roasters.
Yeti was exceptional and after so many years in business they still serve excellent food and that’s incredible.
Finally, I went to Shibuya and I loved their food. Their ambience is also very impressive, and I am looking forward to visiting them again.
Olive was as usual impressive and Chef Dhruv continues to impress me; meal after meal and that’s the reason Olive always has a spot in our Delhi’s 10 Best List.
Finally, after a long wait, Syrah, a middle eastern cuisine restaurant opened at Hyatt Regency Delhi and is stunning. Food is excellent and cocktails are fantastic.
I am very optimistic about the future and looking forward to exploring new food destinations in 2021. Though I know that there might not be many launches this year, I also believe that restaurants will learn from this and try to focus on improving the quality of food and standard of service.
Safety and the precautionary measure will continue to be the most important factor when customers decide to dine out.
