BENGALURU: Looks don’t matter’ – whoever said this, clearly underestimated the power of human imagination and creative thinking. In the era of Instagram and Snapchat, ‘good looks’ are taking centre stage in every aspect, including the food & beverage industry. This is an era where the food and ambience should be worthy enough of a picture that people can showcase on social platforms.
This trend has pushed the creative boundaries and tickled the inner artiste in chefs, interior designers, hoteliers and restaurateurs.
Nithin Haridass, executive chef of XOOX Brewmill, believes social media platforms have given chefs a run for their job. “Consumers today are widely active and resort to these platforms to draw an opinion and make decisions. On the other side, it is a great pedestal for chefs to capitalise, the creative visual communication has become quicker and easier,” he adds.
Eye-pleasing food is what sets the tone of a meal. While the visual aesthetics of food presentation may differ from chefs and eateries, Sombir Choudhary, outlet chef at Farzi Café, points out the vital components of appealing food presentation – picking the perfect plate, placement of the ingredients, attention to detail, design and create with sauces and garnishing purposefully.
While food is one factor that makes you visit a place again, the importance of ambience has always been undermined. Payal Khanna, interior designer, Street Mama, says, “Going to a restaurant is an experience that involves all of the senses. Setting the right mood, or ambience, plays an important role in customer satisfaction and retention.”
Story telling is another aspect, which is being imbibed by some of the Bengaluru-based eateries. Sly Granny in Indiranagar was envisioned as a home of an older woman, with many quirks and secrets - a playful throwback to the vintage era of decadence, opulence, parties and fine taste. “It is important to let your space speak to your customer,” says Rahul Khanna, director of Azure Hospitality that owns Sly Granny. He adds, “The detailing of interiors is a great visual language to showcase the tonality of the brand.”
Making of a restaurant or café involves many important elements like theme, furniture, lighting, music - everything comprises the ambience. Deciding the right components makes or break a place. As Payal says, “The key of hospitality designing is to know your customer, know your concept and give them what they both need.”
Take the case of The Bar Stock Exchange, which has a cantonment/army theme décor honouring the large number of serving officers and ex-servicemen in the city. “It was important to give the look and feel of a cantonment, hence all the elements in the décor were carefully chosen to highlight this theme,” says Mihir Desai, partner and co-founder, Corum Hospitality. The interiors have installations with miniature fighter planes, an army jeep, bunkers, graffiti on the walls and upholstery resembling army uniforms - everything revolves around the theme. There is a very strong regional influence in the food too. The Bar Stock Exchange serves elements from the local regions such
as podi idli and beef chilli steak, prepared with local spices.