Connaught colosseum of cuisine

The food and lifestyle hub pays tribute to the heritage market with its looks and name.

Robert Tor Russell  would be pleased. The British architect, as Chief Architect to the PWD in British India, had conceptualized Connaught Place (CP) as two concentric circles of white colonnaded streets. Now, 83 years after it was built, the area officially gets a Colonnade, courtesy Manav Deep Singh, who has dreamt up the idea of creating a lifestyle hub within the white columns of Connaught Place, and the Akois of Imperial Hotel, who have made space for the dream. This is Singh’s first foray into central Delhi, but the F&B consultant, who has been running and curating restaurants for over a decade, is sure that the crowds will come flocking when the arcade opens in June. “CP has the only McDonald’s I’ve seen in Delhi that is packed at 11 am; where tourists pour in at all hours, attracted by Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and Hanuman Mandir. And , of course, there are the students,” he says.

It is to cater to this very mixed crowd that Singh has set up a food court in the centre of The Colonnade. The tenants are a mix of Indian and global names, all well-known and popular. Burger King, which is one of the biggies here, was apparently the first to come on board; a fact that assured many other brands that The Colonnade meant business. It’s hemmed in by Costa Coffee, Fat Lulu’s, Habibi, Keventers, Krispy Kreme, Pita Pit, Punjabi By Nature Express, Wanchai by Kylin and Wow Momo.

The Beer Café sits on the ground floor too, but outside, next to the open courtyard, which looks beautiful despite the heat waves coming off its chairs. There’s plenty of outside seating, both downstairs and up—a nugget to be stored away and acted on in the cooler months. On the first floor are Mamagoto, Café Delhi Heights and The Permit Room, which is a theme-based bar set up by the people behind Raasta. As Director, Singh says he set out to get brands with mass market appeal and gave preference to those which didn’t already have a presence in the neighbourhood.

But having got in the brands, the intent is to draw people not just to, say, a Habibi, but to a Habibi at The Colonnade. To do that, Singh has introduced small touches that differentiate this from other food hubs in the city.

For instance, diners don’t have to line up for their tokens at the cash counter when they want to order at the food court. If they have a debit/credit card, they can just choose what they want to eat at a particular outlet and swipe for it at its counter. Those more comfortable with the token system have the option of getting theirs from a vending machine, again at the swipe of a card. And once they’ve ordered, diners don’t have to stand around for their number to be called; instead everyone gets a pager that tells them when their food is ready.

The servicing of the property has been handed over to CB Richard Ellis; the in-cash management to AGS. “We don’t have the expertise; it’s best to hand it over to the people who do,” says Singh. What The Colonnade crew can do personally, it is of, course, like choosing a live band to play on certain days of the week, for extra pizazz. Wonder if Yesterday Once More will be one of the tunes it plays.

IN THE HOUSE

Burger King, Costa Coffee, Fat Lulu’s, Habibi, Keventers, Krispy Kreme, Pita Pit, Punjabi By Nature Express, Wanchai by Kylin, Wow Momo are in the Food Court.

Mamagoto, Café Delhi Heights and The Permit Room, a theme-based bar by Raasta, are located on the first floor.

The Beer Café sits on the ground floor, near the open courtyard.

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The New Indian Express
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