IPL lends cuisine a cricketing twist

Restaurants serve starters and cocktails called Sachin's Hook, Yuvi's Batting Dhamaka and Dhoni ka Desi Tadka

IPL lends cuisine a cricketing twist

Restaurants serve starters and cocktails called Sachin's Hook, Yuvi's Batting Dhamaka and Dhoni ka Desi Tadka

If you are a foodie and you love your cricket as well, here is your chance to combine both passions.

Restaurants, keen to make hay in the heat generated by the IPL, are naming their dishes after the hottest teams and players of this IPL season. One Lounge in Koregaon Park, for instance, is calling its murg shikari Yuvi's Batting Dhamaka and its stuffed paneer tikkas are now Dhoni ka Desi Tadka. Order Ishant's In-Swinger in the menu and murgh seena kathi is what is served to you. Bhajji ka Doosra, however, may come as something of a disappointment for Harbhajan Singh fans, for that is just another name for tandoori baby potatoes.

"IPL has become a festival in the country. We are celebrating it by putting up a 10x8 ft screen in our lounge and letting our staff wear IPL gear. We have also introduced a complete cricket menu," said Navtej Sawhney, a partner in One Lounge.

Sawhney has also introduced food and alcohol combos that go by the names ofu00a0 IPL teams.

So, there's Rajasthan Royals the in-house champagne and saalim raan; and Kolkata Knight Riders a quarter of Bacardi, a choice of mixer and tandoori seafood platter.u00a0

Swagat Biswas, senior supervisor, Entresol Bar, Le Meridian, said, "We have dishes like Sachin's Hook (prawn koliwada served with cucumber chutney), Bhajji's Top Spin (murgh tikka with mint chutney), and Dhoni's Dhamaka (samosa with saunth chutney). The customers are loving it."

"We have also introduced two cocktails for the IPL. The Royal Challengers a vodka base, topped with juices and Red Eye a beer base topped with tomato juice," said Md Abu Sofiyan, restaurant manager, Soho.
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"We have come up with the Knight Riders Mocktail, which is a concoction of cranberry and lime juice. Also, our Kings XI Punjab (Rosali Kebab), is being well received byu00a0 customers," says Rahul Jain, owner of Leather Lounge.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels