The 11th edition of IPl is in full swing and restaurants and cafes are gearing up to introduce experimental drinks and delicacies inspired by the cricket sub-culture
Cricketers are demi gods in India and they often have to bear the brunt of their popularity, becoming the subject of funky recipes and cocktails. It is the only sport where all age groups, from a child of five to grandfathers, are glued to the television screens with their hearts in their mouths and chanting prayers for glory. A tournament that began in 2008 with eight teams, the IPl season has begun its 11th innings and with it, restaurants and cafes have come up with out-of-the-box ideas to bring in fans. There are offers on beer, food menu named after various teams like Kolkata Macher chop, Delhi butter chicken samosa along with Run Machine Kohli and Dhoni Mr Kool cocktails. It is creating a pattern similar to football in Western countries where friends get together and enjoy the match on lED screens in sports bars, pubs and restaurants. It is a trend that is catching up among Indians as well and the food industry is tapping into this gold mine.
Monkey Bar has designed a special IPl menu at its outlets in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The menu celebrates diverse flavours of India in the true spirit of T20 cricket. From Kolkata Macher chop to Hyderabad Nagarjuna chilli chicken roll to Delhi butter chicken samosa to Rajasthan dahi ke pithore and Punjab’s sarson di shammi — dig in to a special T20 tournament-inspired small plates menu. Chef Manu Chandra, who has conceived the spread, said, “Our full toss menu celebrates the versatility of India in the true spirit of T20 cricket which is a coming together of cricket teams from across the country. Rethinking pub food with an Indian influence and our own twist to it is what we’ve always been known for. This menu brings together reimagined local favourites from around the country and some surprises with dishes inspired by the regional offerings from each cricketing team. So we are offering Mumbai Malvani chicken tacos (multigrain flour thali peeth tacos with Malvani style chicken sukka and coconut chutney), takes on Chennai-pulled pork paniyaram (pulled pork served on a base of fried vellai paniyaram) and Bengaluru prawns chilli, butter garlic (Bengaluru style butter garlic sauce tossed prawns served with crispy chips).”
The Junkyard Cafe has introduced mocktails and cocktails with funky titles like Beware of Indian Players, Sixer Pack and Power Punch. One can also avail offers like shot on shot, a complimentary drink on centuries. Umang Tewari, owner, The Junkyard Cafe, said IPl “stands for unity when Indian players pool their talent with peers from different countries. It creates a lot of fun moments. We are all in it to support and cheer for the teams. Along with the expansive lineup of mocktails and cocktails, people can enjoy special dishes including Calmer Raina zucchini, Healthy Pitch, loaded Pitch and Virat specials. The response to special meal deals is always brilliant which motivates us to keep on doing something new for customers. The hospitality economy flourishes during the IPl.”
Cafe Out of The Box has dishes from across the world. Udit Bagga, Director, said, “This is a season of high demand. Thus, we have specially curated menus that comprise more finger foods to go with beer. As it is summer, the menu also has coolers and mango-based dishes and drinks. With international customers coming in to watch their favourite teams and players, we offer a fusion of national and international dishes. In terms of alcohol, beer is the most preferred drink while watching matches. Hence we have special offers on beer buckets and starters to go with it.” Bagga added, “Over the years there has been a growing interest among customers who come in huge numbers to watch matches of their favourite players at restaurants and cafes. They prefer this outing instead of sitting at home and watching the matches because we have a giant screen at all our outlets which make it a one of its kind experience, it is almost like a mini theatre. We have also put in the flags of all the teams at our outlets and the staff wears a special uniform rather than their regular ones to enhance the overall appeal.” He felt that in the past two years, the business has drastically gone up. There is more demand and supply of food and beer. Earlier December used to be the most profitable and highly selling month but due to IPl, the month of May is giving a tough competition. Karma Kismet is offering their customers the art of cocktail fixing apart from live screening of matches. There’s an occasion of merriment for beer lovers as well as cafes are offering interesting offers which are hard to say no to.
Priya Vasudeva, marketing head, The Beer Cafe, said “Cricket is India’s most beloved sport and the IPl season has brought the excitement of cricket enthusiasts to a fever pitch. In previous years, the loud and cheerful sports fans thronged our outlets and cheered for their favourite teams and players, creating a loud and cheerful vibe that enhanced the ambience for all our patrons. Therefore, in anticipation of this year’s cricketing extravaganza, we have decided to surprise our patrons with amazing offers to add a thrill to IPl screenings. Customers can receive a pitcher, a tower, a bucket, or a pint of beer, and what’s on offer will keep changing during the course of the day, inspired by the dynamic action on the pitch.”
Mealodrama has launched a cricket-drama meal for the semi finals. The game-inspired menu includes dishes like Bring It On India pizza, Cricket Pitch Platter, Raina Calmer Shots, Arancini Balls Platter and more. Owner of the bistro Rahul Sawhney concluded, “It is always great to see India winning and during IPl it’s India’s win either ways which ever team wins. We have launched the special menu to celebrate this unconditional win. Economy and market definitely boom as the game generates a lot of viewership among people. It is the kind of sport which people enjoy in groups while cheering for their respective teams. This community feeling is our great catchment area.”
Tarun Hasija, owner, Friction The Drinkery said, “We have created a cricket Pitch platter that has a pitch of green cabbage, fish fingers as wickets and Arancini balls. People get to choose from Mumbai Indian straight driver, Kohli shooters, Run machine Kohli, Dhoni Mr Kool, Hardik googly, Dhobi helicopter. And dishes like Caught Out (beer battered fish finger with jalapeno tartar sauce), Spinner (homemade battered chicken fried strips with spicy mayo dip), Batting Order (chicken satay with peanut butter sauce), Sixer (marinated chicken morsels), Googly (cheese stuffed mushroom caps), Bouncer, No Ball (salt and pepper veggies), Stumps (vegetable rolls) et al.”