LUNCH WITH BS: A D Singh

Are you being served?

A D Singh's Olive restaurants have set a record in remaining trendy long past the sell-by date for most other restaurants.

India's poster boy restaurateur wasn't about to bite the bait that we go slumming for Lunch with BS. His comeback was a toss up between Delhi's award-winning Orient Express and the uber chic Travertino. If I wasn't about to get Olive's expensively dressed A D Singh down and dirty over chaat and chola bhatura, a stylish meal at Travertino seemed more in order. But AD messaged from Bangalore to say he'd heard there was a truffles festival on at San Gimignano...

Truffles are expensive mushrooms pigs go rooting for, but if that's what AD wanted, that's what we'd serve him. Cleverly, he made it ahead of schedule for a little tete-a-tete with the chef, so by the time I arrived, he'd already arranged to be served a portion of pork insalata misti with shavings of truffle (the festival was over). I was persuaded to try the lobster ravioli, and we asked for portions of fresh salad by the side, and with freshly baked bread before us, the decks were clear for a chat that AD, clearly, had already rehearsed.

For those few on Planet India who haven't yet eaten at Olive (Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore), a summary: the three restaurants with an annual turnover of Rs 16-17 crore serve "Italian cuisine with Mediterranean musings" in an atmosphere that has retained a buzz despite restaurants in India famously nose-diving months after they have opened to record crowds. Promoter A D Singh (though he only owns 40 per cent, the rest being split evenly between singer Sagarika Mukherjee, her husband Martin D'Costa and restaurateur Henry Tham) launched the brand, believing "I'm a visionary, a dreamer and work closely on the product and marketing, leaving the detailing to the chef".

While we break bread and say no to wine "" AD is off drinks "" he gets down to some serious talking. If he's pat with his spiel, it's because he has probably delivered variations of this to potential investors. Olive has grand plans in the making, and we shall talk about them over our lobster and pork, but in the outdoor patio where we're the only diners, AD is in corporate mode and has a six-point agenda for discussion.

One. "I worked very hard on the product," he says "" researching, studying the market, analysing trends.

Two. "My architect, Nauzer Wadia, is a genius, and he has created timeless spaces," AD says of the Olive experience. "The design transcends all geographical boundaries "" you could serve Japanese cuisine here as effortlessly as Italian cuisine."

Three. The lean, good looking restaurateur has filled his restaurants with lean, good looking people. "I'm doing what I love and my customers are my friends." But the effort has gone beyond his own brand equity to train (and retain) his team and build a family ("That's the kind of boss I am") so diners are treated to a "warm" experience. "We possibly may not have the best staff in terms of education and training, but they're certainly amongst the friendliest."

Four, and this is significant because he mentions it so late down the scale. "We serve good food and wine across the country," says AD "and though not all our chefs have been universally liked, we've been able to create consistency in a decent setting." Critics have been less than generous with their praise for Olive's food, but the restaurants are full "and the numbers are significantly higher than those of Italian fine dining restaurants in these cities".

Five. The US pioneered restaurants as happening places, but in India very few have been able to sustain that buzz. "Olive is a leader in this," smiles AD, as he's smiled through thousands of Page 3 parties that keep getting hosted there; "we've actualised the trend in India."

Six. To retain that freshness, AD has presented his restaurants "as a platform for lifetime experiences like art, fashion, music and wine. Our events and activities engage us with our customers and keep us in their minds."

It's clear San Gimignano's chef could give Olive a run for its money on even a good day (such as when Prince Michael of Kent was a guest at the Delhi outlet), so AD says, "In the long term food is critical and is part of our sharp focus." But if there's one thing he isn't excited about, it is the concept of chains. "Each Olive is a boutique experience, which is why I loathe to grow beyond these three cities." It is also the reason he has refused to standardise menus or recipes across the three restaurants.

But grow he fully intends to, this time through corporate financing, and by next year he hopes to be able to announce a slew of high-end products, creating new brands in specific market niches. Such as? AD isn't telling yet, but he says the spaces are obvious "" more restaurants (though not Olives), bars, boutique hotels, spas. For now, these will be in the same cities as his restaurants, following which he might attempt an international foothold. "For me, it's all about understanding trends," he explains. "Like a year and a half ago, I realised Delhi was ready for foie gras, that price didn't matter here, though Bangalore remains price sensitive."

Our conversation is now more general "" about how an elegant bar in Delhi is an oxymoron (95 per cent of all liquor sales at Olive Delhi are at the tables), how expat communities contribute to the Olive success (50 per cent in Bangalore, 30 per cent in Delhi, 10 per cent in Mumbai "" on account of its location), how the theme nights at the restaurants are also their busiest dinner nights. Then, I ask AD what he likes cooking most. He blushes, "I don't cook," he says. Not even a little? "No."

Can he at least toss a salad? He nods negatively. No wonder Olive's promoter is also its most frequent diner.