Housekeeping

‘Outsourcing in F&B will be a definite trend’

Chef Ranveer Brar, executive chef of The Cladriges, New Delhi talks about moving the changing trends in the Indian F&B sector.

The F&B sector in Indian hotels will have a crisper look. Fortunately, or unfortunately, time and efficiency will take a front seat and displace flamboyance. In short, guests will expect a stylised yet quick and unobtrusive dining experience.

A definite paradigm in the F&B sector will be outsourcing. Nascent and basic F&B products like cookies and breads are already being outsourced. It would ultimately grow into sourcing pre-packaged ready-to-eat food stuff. Thus a consistent product done at an ISO certified setup is a definite winner in the times to come.

Show kitchens and kitchen theatres will get more refined with experience; the stress will be more on substance than the chef's performance. The chef's table of eight to ten is a good way to look at the future.

Bringing in innovations

At The Claridges, we focus on more specific cuisine than generic, in the sense that we cook and specialise in food from small provinces/regions rather than the entire country. For instance, our new restaurant Sevilla serves cuisine from Sicily, Umbria in Italy and Canary Islands and Malaga in Spain. Our innovations are directed towards enriching our guest's dining experience with a personal touch, whether it is flaming the brulee at their table or just changing their tapas selection because they had it yesterday, or just embossing their name on the Savoiardi when they ask for the tiramisu.

We have also taken the initiative to introduce edible sugar craft and making it popular among the guests. We do live sugar work at our Sunday Brunch, which includes all methods of handling sugar like blowing, pulling, casting and moulding as a means of showcasing the huge versatility of perfectly cooked sugar. We also have pastillage artifacts and showpieces on sale at our pastry shop as it is a more stable form of sugar.

As told to Praveen K Singh