Celebrating the fervour of the ongoing IPl, restaurants across the city have curated some amazing cricket-themed menus. Shrabasti Mallik and Arjita Mishra find out that while some places are offering free gol gappa shots on guessing the man of the match correctly, others are offering a 15 per cent discount on Delhi’s win
Next time you are at one of the finest restaurants in the city and you come across names likedal storm bouncer, mushroom duplex ki boundary, cigar roll googly, BBQ wings full toss, hat trick paneer tikka sixer in the menu (the menu from Storm Bar and Grill) — do not be surprised. While the cricketers are batting, bowling, fielding and sweating it out on the fields, chefs at restaurants in and around the city are whipping up a storm in the kitchen. Keeping in mind the customer’s love for the sport, they have tweaked and twisted their a la carte menu and presented an entire spread dedicated to the Indian Premier league.
Shivam Bhaskar, co-owner of Number 8 Kitchen and Bar, Sunder Nagar, says, “Ours is a nation that’s so passionate about cricket — it’s almost like a religion. Also we are very passionate about our food. So this IPl we are giving cricket fans and food lovers a reason to rejoice as we are serving a special menu, ‘Cricket on Palate’,” says Shivam Bhaskar, co-owner of Number 8 Kitchen and Bar. To keep things interesting, Bhaskar, along with his chef, has named the dishes after the teams. One may even pick from amongst Kings XI Punjab chicken tikka, Sunrisers Hyderabad special biryani, Mumbai Indians Rocket and Wine poached salad, Delhi Daredevils lamb burger with smoked coleslaw and caramelised onion, team Pune Polanta cupcake, Royal Challengers Bangalore cheese platter and Kolkata Knight Riders mac and cheese.
The menu at Bellagio, Ashok Vihar, on the other hand, is named after the individual players like Shane’s flipper, all rounder Yuvraj, Watto’s slog, Brendan’s square cut, Ashwin’s carom, Harbhajan’s doosra, MSD special and Sehwag’s upper cut, to name a few. Sameer Bhalla, owner, says, “In addition to that, we are also offering a complimentary meal for two during the match hours to those who correctly predict man of the match.”
Sharad Madan, owner of Informal, says that the IPl stands for unity where Indian player play with peers from different countries and form teams. “It creates a lot of fun moments. Informal is all to support and cheer for team,” he adds. Chef Nuria of the restaurant says, “It’s time to bond over match and food. So I have created special dishes by the name of a Calmer Raina zucchini, healthy pitch, loaded pitch, Virat specialset al,” he adds. The best part of this menu is that you get free gol gappa shots if the team you bet on this IPl wins.
That’s not it. If you are at Niche on a day Delhi is playing, and wins at the end — you will get a special 15 per cent off on your food. Owner Tarun Arora tells us, “This is how we are celebrating the spirit of the IPl.”
Dinesh Arora’s Unplugged Courtyard is the only place which not only serves googly lollies for kids but also gives them the freedom to have lollies made in the way they like it.
According to Akshay Anand, owner of Hotmess, the IPl brings youth, glamour and cricket together. And for that, the chef at the restaurant has curated cricket inspired dishes like hatrick bao, power play pizza, superover yogurt rolls amongst others.
And if we are talking a man-driven sport, how can drinks be left behind. Mixologists and bartenders, too are working on some cool new drinks. At At l’Adresse Kitchen and Bar, Rajouri Garden, the chef has created a range of special cocktails, mocktails and drinks like googly gully, silly point, first slip and clean bowled coffee, to name a few. Mohit Ahuja, owner says, “Even if it were the World Cup or now, the IPl, cricket lovers enjoy watching the match with their family and friends with scrumptious food. That is why we are serving wide ball sandwich, cricket mania chicken platter, no ball nachos with salsa, fence fatous salad, captain chicken caesar salad, bowled over mutton seekh tikkas, hat-trick hummus dip with pita breads, mid wicket murg makhani, paneer tikka, Kashmiri kebab, century chocolate brownie and trophy tiramisu to name a few.”
Molecule and Bollywood Bistro, too, are not far behind. While Varun Puri has introduced special cocktails, Abhishek Vig is cheering the cricket fervour with exciting discounts on exotic drinks.
‘Come and be a part of Sandy-astic IPl live screening’ with lucrative deals on drinks is how Sandys Cocktails and Kitchen’s pulling the crowd. According to Sandy Verma, owner, the place is giving an opportunity to indulge in exciting deals and offers on drinks such as 2 pe 1 free, 3 pe 2 free, 5 pe 5 free only on Kingfisher beer and a free shot on every 6 and a glass of champagne for everyone on India’s Victory.
Points out Nida Mahmood, interior designer for Junglee Billee, “Cricket matches in India are large followers as compared to other countries. We at Junglee Billee want our patrons to feel privileged and remember their experience here as they watch the matches with their favorites along with the best offers. With one of the best seating capacities in town for an IPl match to be watched, Junglee Billee is also running an online campaign for its special customers like Bille Predicts, in which whoever wins gets various special offers and hampers.” Their offers on the drinks are irresistible — 2+2 Bira at Rs599, 2+2 Stella, one free shot with purchase of two kamikaze, a free bottle of wine (Fratelli Classic Merlot/Fratelli Chardonnay) with purchase of Rs500 plus bill, amongst others.
In the end, is it just marketing gimmickry or does it add to the bottom linesIJ Shamit Ajmani, owner of Storm Bar and Grills, answers, “Cricket is the flavour of the season. We eat cricket and also breathe the sport so the theme-inspired menu adds flavour to the tongue along with live screenings. Yes, there is an increase in footfall. But more important, the innovation makes for a smart brand promotion.”