Basking in Food Nostalgia

At present, Delhi/NCR has become a hub for food innovations. From accepting the revived face of traditional cuisine to welcoming them out of the box innovations, the taste palette of town is filled with flavors. Regarded as the ‘Progressive Nostalgia’, the trend is also giving the chefs a scope to go beyond the boundaries. Here’s what the chefs have to say… 

Chef Harangad Singh, Corporate Chef, Prankster/Pra Pra Prank

There has been all the kind of cuisines in India. Today, people travel a lot and are more experimental with new cuisines. And it’s the duty of a chef to do experiments to make people try the new dishes. Progressive Nostalgia is the combination of two food thoughts where the old school flavors are recreated and are presented with a fancy twist. We have introduced many innovative dishes at our both outlets like Sāmbhar Cappuccino with Dosa Crisp and Uttapam Waffle and may more, We also have interesting dishes like Chhole Kulche Doughnut- a modern version of Chole Bhature, where chole is stuffed inside doughnuts and served with Achaari Mousse. Pav Bhaji Zinger is another example of the concept, where patty is made with bhaaji and stuffed inside pav. I feel ‘Progressive Nostalgia’ is unique, as it brings back the classics with a twist of tomorrow.

Chef Vaibhav Bhargava, Brand Chef, Molecule

Picture this – a room where you are packed with a bunch of people and a lot of food. Now, you release a whisper of saffron as you lift the lid of a Mutton Biryani, a whiff of freshly baked Oreo Cookies, the laden smell of Samosas being fried, a heady waft of just-ground coffee beans brewing, the smoke rising from Tikkas over glowing charcoal, a warm hug of a Cinnamon Apple Cake, the swirling, earthy smell of Wheat and Jaggery Halwa. Isn’t it nostalgic and tempting? Researchers have found that we equate food with memories of home, mom’s cooking, meals with friends, discoveries of new tastes, and so on – all building to a sense of food nostalgia. Food has always been one of the strongest sources of nostalgia. So, when you taste a dish like Paani Poori or Chaat, it is a childhood memory that you are transported to, which is set in motion, the process that results in remembrance of past. Today, you can find two types of people, one, for whom the longing for the taste of home is sharp, and the second, for whom it is more subtle, yet still strong. So, at Molecule, our new menu has strong traditional roots and nostalgic flavors that will take you back to your childhood memories through our creations.

Chef Piyush Jain, Owner, Decode

Living with memories and to create memories is the way of living life. The same rule applies to food as well. Progressive Food is our main USP that’s true because we are serving modern Indian food, which means cooking a basic Indian dish and present it with a western twist. As a chef and owner of this place, I try to put more focus on the food. As I believe people will always come back if you have good food and uniqueness to it and I think that’s working for us. At Decode, we serve popular and well-known food in a completely new and never-heard-before avatar. For instance, the well-known Rajma Chawal has been converted into an appetizer- a croquette served with achaari gel and papad touille. Ever heard of a baked idli? Well, Idli My Way is a baked idli sponge served with coconut chutney foam and rasam shot. The Matar Kulcha Pate is a modern take on Delhi’s popular street food- where white matar is made with Indian spices and converted into pate served with the in-house baby maska chili kulchas. Then there is the Charcoal Fish Fry (Black fish with popcorn powdered golden chips), Thai Style Chicken Tikka (Red Thai curry marinated chicken thigh Tikka served with peanut butter sauce), Deconstructed Dal Tadka; Stuffed Paneer Tikka served with Makhani Gravy and Chicken Roulade Served with cheesy Lababdar gravy and much more.

Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, Swad Desh Videsh Ka and Unplugged Courtyard

The mindset behind the menu at Swad and Unplugged Courtyard is to provide what we have missed all these years- our very own meats and vegetables. Swad, as a vegetarian restaurant works on the true ideology of street food with a modern outlook served on a table. For instance,  Dollar Jalebi with Rabri. This roadside Indian street food is served where with a panache, that is worth a try. And Unplugged Courtyard is all about vibrant space with open air and musically lit environment serving traditional Indian food in a new avatar. From Ganna Chicken to Talli e Nalli, here all the food comes from the memory lanes of Raan and Tikka with a modern twist of rum or any other ingredients. We have innovative fish curry with the craziness of soya chunks and seaweed. Our Aam Admi chicken, Butter Chicken Rice, and crispy Naan served in a potli format are worth a try.