The Fatty Bao has finally opened its doors to food lovers in Delhi. Chef and partner of the popular chain Manu Chandra shares details with Rupinder Kaur about new additions to the Delhi menu like Nigiri
What was the idea behind bringing The Fatty Bao to DelhiIJ Why such emphasis on the Asian cuisineIJ
The Fatty Bao is fun, trendy and chic. It is new Asian dining with a fun, inventive bar experience. In the past few years, we have seen a lot of manifestations of Japanese, Chinese or Thai fare, and there has been a demand for the same. Now, however, we intend to cater to an audience that has been exposed to this and give them something beyond the regular formulaic cuisine they have been used to. The Fatty Bao is a manifestation of our love for Asian fare, a sexy bar and a melds of attractive interiors with carefully calibrated concepts of cuisine and cocktails. Delhi has a vibrant dining scene, and post a very successful launch in Mumbai, it was only natural to bring it to the capital city.
Why pick a RK Puram mall when Hauz Khas Village, Shahpur Jat and CP are like a foodie’s MeccaIJ
Delhi has many vibrant food zones, and food malls are doing very well here. We look at revitalising markets, and when we opened Monkey Bar in Vasant Kunj and CP, we led the move towards these destinations. The spanking new Sangam Courtyard at RK Puram is a brand new destination and offers a great experience to anyone who wants to dine out. It is bang in the middle of a great location, offer entertainment for guests through the Cineplex and also has a great mix of F&B brands coming in. It is a perfect location for a brand like The Fatty Bao.
How different is it from
Mumbai and Bangalore branchesIJ
The DNA of the brand is always the same — no matter what the location. We have always had Anshu Arora doing the interiors with her eclectic style sensibility. We have some very surreal murals by Ayeshe Sadr and Ishaan Dasgupta of 211 Studio. We have some wonderful signatures on the menu, which are common to all, like the Ramen and Baos, but we also have some brand new additions for Delhi like the range of Nigiri and Fatty Pho Ramen. We always like to offer something new and different to the dining experience in each city. In terms of the space itself, this is the largest Fatty Bao.
Have you kept the local flavours in mind while creating menusIJ
The Fatty Bao is not relegated to local flavours per se, as the emphasis is on Pan Asian cuisine from across a lot of parts of South East Asia. Thus, while we have added some new dishes, drinks and desserts on the menu for Delhi, the cuisine does not have local elements inimical to India.
We see Ramen and that makes us happy. Any particular reason why you wanted it in the menuIJ
The Fatty Bao is about bold, soulful Asian flavours, thus the emphasis has been on bringing those exact flavours on the menu. Ramen as we all know, meld many flavours in one hearty bowl; almost a meal in itself and are new for many Indian diners. Since its quite a new phenomenon, it also gave us the opportunity to get creative and try a plethora of inspired versions.
Asian regions are behind the food inspirationIJ
There are many inspirations from Malayasian, Japanese, Chinese, Singaporean, Korean, Indonesian and Vietnamese cuisines in terms of sauces, condiments, pastes, ingredients and at times classical dishes themselves. In addition to this, street foods of these regions too have been a major influence.
What about your clienteleIJ Do you see them more willing to try out new flavours and dishesIJ
The fact that we have about a week’s wait list at both our Bangalore and Mumbai outlets does outline that we have managed to attract a fairly eclectic crowd across various demographics. We are very competitively priced, so we attract a wide range of people who are happy to experiment with the set of flavours we offer or turn to a classic dish.
photos Kunal Chandra