A Vinyl Bar, India's First Cloud Kitchen Convention & Saying Goodbye to K Rustom & Co.
A look at the industry’s biggest news and newsmakers over the summer.
Summer in India saw record heat temperatures, a heat wave and a rise in the cost of living from atta to LPG.
The fallout of the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to hit global food supplies. India is one of the top producers of sugar and they recently announced a ban on exports for five months, arguably because of rising food inflation. This comes after a ban on wheat exports. A report by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on climate change and food systems says India’s food production could drop 16% and the number of those at risk for hunger could increase 23% by 2030 due to climate change. In other sad news, Mumbai’s iconic ice cream parlour K Rustom & Co lost a case against its landlord, the Cricket Club of India (CCI), and have been asked to vacate the premises soon.
Elsewhere, the hospitality industry continues its forward movement, with the launch of new ventures and collaborations. The online marketplace now has an e-commerce store dedicated to frozen food, courtesy food tech start-up FroGo. Elbuor & Nomou, collaborated to introduce plant-based, diabetic-friendly ice creams across India. If Mordor Intelligence report’s figured are to be believes, it’s a pet’s life in India. According to them, pet food constitutes half of India’s total pet care industry, valued at a whopping Rs 8,000 crore annually. Dogs are the most popular companions, constituting 85% of pets.
Here's what else made news these summer months.
Spirit Stories
The Single Malt Amateur Club led India’s first-ever overseas whisky trail for a group of Indian whisky aficionados in April, aptly called Singapore Sling.
Summer saw the launch of some special drinks and products: Gateway Brewing Co released Toffee & Caramel beer and Wine Gose Beer; Sleepy Owl X NOTO ice cream released a limited edition Chocolate Coffee Fudgsicle; Sleepy Owl, meanwhile, introduced cold coffee cans in Classic, Salted Caramel and Hazelnut.
Bira recently announced Mission To Zero, which is their aim to become India’s first net-zero beer company, ie net-zero carbon emissions and brewing the greenest beers on the planet by 2025.
Spirits company Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD) won the ‘Distiller of the Year’ at the Icons of Whisky India 2022, instituted by London publication Whisky Magazine. Lifestyle brand Salud Beverages also won big at the London Spirits Competition: their Salud G&T 2.0 Lavender won Gold, while Salud G&T 2.0 Cucumber and Salud Sonic walked away with Silver.
The newest gins in India include Sipsmith, a London dry gin from Beam Suntory; Pumori Ascent — a limited edition cask-aged gin from Fullarton Distilleries; Trading Tides — a collaboration between Stranger & Sons and Australian distiller Four Pillars distillery — available in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Goa.
Reach for the Clouds
April saw the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI)’s Mumbai Chapter host India’s first Cloud Kitchen Convention. The month also saw the visit of chef Massimo Bottura for a culinary collaboration, which included exclusive dinners from his three Michelin starred restaurant Osteria Francescana.
Andheri saw the launch of SHOTT, a family entertainment centre with simulative games, adventure sports, party banquets and a restaurant and bar. In Khar is The Moon Village, a yoga studio, café and co-working spot. Mumbai also saw the launch of Piper’s Pet Bakery, serving gluten-free cakes with coconut oil and homemade peanut butter, cake-sicles, muffins, donuts, cookies, pizzas, and brownies. In Colaba, in the bungalow that was once home to Indigo, is Neuma. The new restaurant is co-founded by Karan Johar, and has Rishim Sachdeva (former Olive chef) as consultant chef. Cloud kitchen Pistabarfi delivers traditional Indian sweets in packaging that highlights Indian artists and art forms.
Pune has Soy Como Soy, a restaurant spotlighting Nikkei cuisine, Peruvian ingredients moulded by Japanese techniques. Delhi has the first international chapter of Cosy Box, a famous Cannes restaurant. In Gurugram, Kainaz Contractor and Rahul Dua (of Rustom’s) launched a street food-themed spot, Bhawan. Record Room is India’s new craft beer and vinyl bar located in Bengaluru. There’s a listening station for a private experience, a gin garden, and coffee bar. Kullu saw the launch of Kadipatta, a restaurant offering South Indian food. Maverick & Farmer opened in Bengaluru offering a farm to cup café experience. Artisanté is a confectionary brand from the founders of Java City Café who launched with Chocolate bars and a Hot Chocolate range.
Coming soon to Mumbai’s Jio World Drive will be the award-winning restaurant, Indian Accent.
Goan Bites
Goa’s hospitality buzz continues, unabated. Local chef Gracian De Souza opened his restaurant, The Village Bistro in Arpora, offering reimagined European bistro food with some Goan touches. In Assagao is Sake, a Japanese restaurant serving sushi on crack and kaya toast. Nearby is Avo’s Kitchen, a Goan restaurant from the founders of the popular Peep Kitchen. In Panjim’s Fontainhas quarter, a heritage building now houses Vedro, where chefs Maia Laifungbam and Sanchit Behl (ex-Roboto) are doing fun Indian food including a smashing slow-cooked beef short rib. Delhi-based Sly Granny opened an outpost too.
In the spirits’ space, Moonshine Meadery brought their mead to Goa in May. Along with the limited edition ‘Hopped Mead’, they also launched Sidr Honey, a single varietal honey sourced directly from beekeepers. Coming soon is a gin featuring hemp, called Satiwa.
New Beginnings
Two of India’s most celebrated chefs turned heads when they left the restaurants they had become synonymous with: Manu Chandra with Olive and Thomas Zacharias with The Bombay Canteen. Both have now moved on to new pastures. Zacharias launched The Locavore with the aim of ‘telling diverse stories about regional Indian food, featuring producers whose work we believe in, and fostering communities of like-minded people’. Chandra launched Single Thread, a bespoke catering venture in Bengaluru. The venture had their first big event in Paris where they cooked the inaugural dinner at India Pavilion at the 75th edition of Festival de Cannes 2022.
Book Stories
Author and culinary consultant, Saee Koranne-Khandekar launched her new book, From My Oven, which looks at the theory and science of baking, technical aspects, ingredient substitutions, and how to deal with problems. The book has its genesis in the digital book she created for a fundraiser during the pandemic.
Joanna Lobo is an independent journalist from Goa who enjoys writing about food, her Goan heritage, the freelance life, and other things that make her happy. Follow her on @thatdoggonelady.
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