Desi food has had a European makeover. A French-looking dish arrives straight from the tandoor in Delhi, two brand new Mumbai restaurants are serving non-messy pre-plated meals, and a Malvani Sunday brunch is coming soon. Nouvelle Indian khana just left the five-stars and is yours to taste on a budget, finds Janaki Viswanathan

The loaded banana leaf has been upgraded to a plate; not round but hexagonal. The dishes have rid themselves of the mandatory tadka. A drizzle of tamarind sauce criss-crossed by a toothpick into a dainty squiggle circles the porcelain China. The fresh lime soda that sat smugly beside a Chicken Tandoori-half was nudged off the table a while ago by Sauvignon Blanc.


Chef Siddharth sets up thalis for lunch at Maya. The thali is seen as the
original Indian pre-plated meal, and is served at The Trident Bandra-Kurla
to corporates for Rs 1,050. Pic/Vikas Munipalle

And we are not even talking five-star. The latest lot of contemporary standalone eateries across India are serving Mughlai and Malvani dishes that look European. But dig in (with fork-n-knife), and you know you are home.

India on my pre-plate
The first lesson in nouvelle Indian food? It's not fusion. Nouvelle refers to a method of cooking and presentation, in which ingredients are left raw or only slightly cooked with light flavouring and interesting garnishes.

The second? Learn to un-share.

At Indian Harvest, a month-old restaurant co-owned by Satyen and Meher Dasondi, most of the dishes are portioned before they reach the table. The menu is contemporary Indian but it skips staples like Palak Paneer and Kadhai Chicken. Their Biryanis don't come in copper handis. "Other than three base gravies, everything is made from scratch depending on what's ordered," says Satyen, while the 40 year-old restaurateur's wife says she excited at presenting Indian food in an appetising avatar.


Two drumsticks outline a single serving of Kerala's signature vegetable
dish Avial,u00a0 served at Indian Harvest in Chembur. Pic/Sameer Markande

One portion of Paneer Makhanwala at Indian Harvest, priced at a modest Rs 180, has four pieces of cottage cheese freshly grilled in the tandoor, placed in a precariously attractive arrangement on a plate layered with sauce (gravy), with pickle on the side.u00a0

The Dasondis aren't the only ones. Pre-plated meals are coming up at Anupam Mayekar's seafood lounge, Amboli Bar & Kitchen that opened doors to its guests yesterday. And it's within the average foodie's reach. A meal at this standalone Andheri restaurant won't cost you more than Rs 500.

When Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia set up Azok at Oakwood Premiere in Juhu, and Ziya, the new Indian restaurant at The Oberoi, he knew he wanted to do away with dishing out portions at the table. The concept of pre-plating is targetted at corporates. "At business lunches and dinners, you can hardly have a serious discussion if you have to keep passing around the dal on request," he smiles.


Meetha Achar Canadian Spare Ribs topped with sun-dried mango and kalonji
seeds goes perfectly with cherry beer, say sommelier Charles Metcalfe and Chef
Mehrhotra of Indian Accent, New Delhi

Meetha Achar Canadian Spare Ribs topped with sun-dried mango and kalonji seeds goes perfectly with cherry beer, say sommelier Charles Metcalfe and Chef Mehrhotra of Indian Accent,
New Delhi

The man who is credited with giving the curry bag a top-table place across the world, says the popular perception about Indian food is that most of it looks like brown stew. "Pre-plating presents it in an attractive manner; it's a lot more elegant."

On a more practical note, single portions minimise wastage, though it does obviously mean much more labour.

"Which is why only the five-stars or high-end eateries have afforded to do it, at least so far," he says.

Maya, The Trident, doesn't pre-plate but tweaks presentation. "We elevate say, a plate of kebabs with a banana leaf and also use modern serving dishes," says chef Rohit Gambhir.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
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Restaurants at five-stars like the JW Marriott, and eateries at the Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center have been at it for a while. The ITC group of hotels has 'ghar-ka-khana' for in-room guests; a pre-plated meal that holds miniature portions of several dishes.


A pre-plated portion of Suji-coated Pan-grilled Pomfret on a bed of Aloo
Tikki with a Coconut Sauce and Crispy Bhindi on the side. It's chef Vineet
Bhatia's creation served at Azok in Mumbai. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

Capital meals
Indian Accent and Punjabi by Nature restaurants in the capital have been pre-plating their food for over a year now. "Apart from the Britons, Americans and Australians, Indian food is still new for the rest of the world. Pre-plating helps expats relate to our food better," is the explanation provided by chef Manish Mehrhotra.

But Punjab Grill, the fine-dining north-Indian restaurant at the Palladium, Lower Parel, Mumbai, has no such plans. Proprietor Zorawar Kalra says they like their guests to be served robust and hearty meals.