Last week’s cover story in BS Weekend on big restaurant launches in the midst of a global recession got me reactions, not entirely unexpected. Instead of celebrating the so-called insularity of our F&B industry, diners were only — and naturally — concerned about the outrageous prices that restaurants continue to charge, compounded by high taxes. “These restaurants have only one thing to recommend them… they are big in size,” SMSed a rather miffed representative of a lifestyle channel, about the fancy places. His grouse was price points too.
This has led me to reaffirm a conclusion drawn from observing high-end spaces going empty in the wake of the downturn: Whatever restaurateurs say, the Indian diner is more reluctant to pay top rupee now that allowances are gone, frills and salaries cut, and pink slips showing. Smarter places are, in fact, scrambling to assert their value for money credentials.
But behind the haze of PR-speak, which are the VFM restaurants in our cities? Because of the sheer range, it’s tough to establish that. For instance, what do you count as VFM — a Sagar Ratna or an Ai? While arriving at our own totally subjective list, the attempt was not to scout for any of those canteens, tiffin rooms, dhabas and such. Rather, we wanted a list of non five-star places of a certain level that you’d go to repeatedly.
After talking to some young and frequent diners, the kind who pay for their own meals without the benefit of boyfriends or expense accounts, we got around to the view that what they consider VFM is roughly a tab of Rs 600-700 per head (without drinks) for a full meal; mains in the Rs 300-400 range. After all, if you earn Rs 1 lakh a month, a bill of Rs 10,000 (for two, with liquor, not an infrequent occurrence) would still constitute 10 per cent of your salary. Which is a lot for a single meal or even two.
In Delhi, I find projects by restaurateurs Sudha Kukreja and Manav Sharma (Ploof, Chilli Seassons, Blanco, Qash Qai) usually VFM even though I have a bone to pick with the service. The duo has now opened Ignis that primarly serves modern Indian food. The average meal for two here is all of Rs 700 plus taxes. Similarly, all of Anjan Chatterjee’s restaurants are well priced though the food at Mainland China seems to have suffered lately. Then, there are Rohit Khattar’s Oriental Octopus and Chor Bizzarre brands, hard to beat for their price: quality ratios.
An informal survey threw up another list: China Club in Gurgaon, the Big Chill Café, but also the little-known Azzurro in Saket, run by a Cordon Bleu chef, with a tie-up with PVR — you get a discount of 15 per cent if you show them the film ticket. Surprisingly, Manre, that had suffered earlier from a perception that it was expensive, also came up on this list (Sunday brunch, Rs 1,500 plus tax).
In Bangalore, a survey done by an enthusiastic Radhika Misra included the popular Sunny’s for its generous portions, OnlyPlace Euro (in a bungalow at Museum Road) for steaks, Kanua for Mangalorean seafood, Mugen for pan-Asian (weekly buffet lunches at Rs 375 plus taxes), and the Global Tree Café for its “lunch 360” — where you can select as much as you like from 80 dishes.
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In Mumbai, Aditi Shah, who runs the portal www.bestof bombay.com, lists Indigo, Henry Tham, Aromas of China, Da Vinci, Soul Fry Casa and Theobrama. Gourmet food importer Anil Chandok votes for Basillico, for the chargrilled rawas (about Rs 300), Del Italia, for thin crust pizza with parma ham (Rs 450), and Mocambo Café.
I’ll wait for the hate mail — or for other “far better” reccos!