In which we serve

Anoothi Vishal on the best tableware and crockery options for different Asian cuisines.

Veena Arora, a Punjabi-Thai and "mother-chef" at one of my favourite restaurants in Delhi, the Spice Route, sighs when I ask her about what tableware, traditional, innovative, pretty-somethings, to stock up on if one was to entertain at home, serve a traditional Thai meal, perhaps.

"These days we all use Borosil... prepare everything beforehand and microwave...except, of course, the stir-fry." That's practical advice from a harried working woman. But if you do want to go the whole hog, serve up Japanese, Chinese, Thai, a spot of Vietnamese, Burmese or Korean, there are ways and ways of making stylish presentations.

Because, after all, unlike our own qormas, curries and dals, dressed up at best with some fresh, chopped coriander, much of pan-Asian cuisine is about visual aesthetics.

Each country has its signature tableware. In Thailand, Arora tells me, everyone would traditionally drink (water) from a common silver bowl with a flat bottom. And rice would come in a dish shaped like a victory cup, made of a silver alloy.

In Japan, you'd come across wooden sake cups, often square-shaped, and lacquered Bento boxes. And Chinese crockery, of course, will never live down its red-and gold-dragons stereotype. But it is enough to invest in a few of these quaint items "" perhaps a typical Chinese tea set or pretty chopstick rests picked up from your local Tibetan market (in Delhi, Majnu ka Tila is worth going to, I am told). Let these become the talking point.

Since textures and colours are important in Asian food (think sushi), plain white crockery is often best-suited; certainly avoid prints though if you think plain is boring, opt for colour on the edges.

At Wasabi in Mumbai, India's best Japanese restaurant, the customised crockery (from fcml) has a green bamboo stem running along the edges. Bigger-sized plates (with enough space for a spoon and chopsticks) are usually used though it is a good idea to get spaghetti plates (or the large soup plates in a European service), especially if you are going to be serving Thai curry.

Use individual rice bowls instead of serving it off a flat plate and keep small (1/2-inch) plates/bowls for soy sauce or chillies and vinegar. But what you must definitely have are Chinese teacups and a common teapot. Different countries prefer different materials; in Japan, stoneware is more common, for instance, than fine china "" any will do.

Interesting designs are now available, say combing pottery with cane handles that I saw at Aahar, an ITPO-organised fair. In Delhi, the Kochchars, who supply to the Nikko hotel and the Oberoi, say they will allow you to pick up such odds and ends from their showroom (Safdurjang Enclave) at retail rates (Rs 75 onwards).

Then, there should be chopsticks and chopstick rests at each place though not, if this is an only-Thai affair since only spoons are used for Thai food "" use steel soup spoons.

But back to the chopsticks: the real thing, of course, are the wooden ones (good quality ones are coming into the Indian market ironically from Thailand; Rs 40 a pair), but these can get discoloured and you may go with cheaper disposable bamboo ones (Rs 5 a pair). But do avoid the plastic stuff (Rs 10) "" it looks really low! Also don't forget the soup bowls (lacquered with covers, if you are serving miso).

Serving platters in interesting shapes (square and rectangular generally work better) are now available "" everything from trapeziums to boat-shaped ones. Flat surfaces work best (a little larger, 12 inch platters instead of the usual 10.5 inch ones are used by the hospitality industry) since "gravy" is limited and the need for "dressing up" more.

But if you are serving sushi though, keep the platters smaller for obvious reasons (5-6 inches). You can also pick up kimchi dishes, condiments bowls and wooden bowls for salads. For bamboo tablemats, pick up Indian ones from the state emporia (Nagaland, Sikkim et al) for about Rs 150 a set (six) instead of the more expensive imported ones.

Sudha Kukreja, Delhi-based restaurateur, has a handy tip: check out the spring and Diwali fairs at embassies for genuine stuff sold by expats. But there are many stores too. fcml (two retail stores in Delhi) has dedicated lines called the "Nikko" (fine china; Rs 900-1,025, full dinner plate) and "Patra" (high-end porcelain; Rs 175-200 for a dinner plate) for Asian cuisine.

So does the Bohemian Crystal Company (in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Goa) "" Narumi is their bone china line. Feathertouch and Ismo (imported from Japan by a Mumbai-Delhi company, Bharti Enterprises) are other brands.

And there are many other importers and local manufacturers who primarily supply to the hospitality industry but don't mind the solitary buyer. That, and Khurja. Happy scouting!