30th April @thefinelychopped on Instagram
‘We need new modern Indian restaurants which are about regional food, served without re-interpretation or re-imagination. The food that people want to come back to.’ I said this to K while dining at Tam Vi in Hanoi. The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide (not the same as having a star), serving homestyle food from North Vietnam and featuring a traditional, yet chic ambience. Tourists make a beeline for it, and getting a reservation is not easy. We loved the meal that we had there.
Most of the celebrated modern Indian restaurants in India are attempts to experiment with Indian food and create dishes that are unfamiliar to us.
However, if we want our food to be internationally popular among those who enjoy eating, not just experts and commentators, then we need to serve the kind of food we love.
I saw an example of this in the recently opened Chandigarh branch of Ikk Panjab by restaurateurs, Rajan Dipika Sethi, when their creative partner and my friend, Vernika Awal invited me to the launch.
You can’t comment on the food during a launch preview, but it did seem promising. The theme was food from ‘undivided Punjab.’ The design of the place, based on Rajan’s childhood memories, was vibrant and classy.
Here’s wishing them all the best.
Watch this video for more details:
Ps: They don’t serve tandoori chicken. It’s too ‘new age’ for them!
Address:
Ikk Panjab, S.C.O. 51, Madhya Marg, Sector 26, Chandigarh, 160019
#hosted
(Indian food, Punjabi food, Chandigarh restaurants)
