BENGALURU : Covid-19 has changed the way we eat out. The restrictions around dining in at restaurants has thrown up new challenges for the F&B industry. At the same time, it has provided an opportunity for restaurants to offer home-delivery options for people looking for a break from cooking at home. Besides standalone restaurants, star hotels are offering limited menus that are available for home delivery or takeaways with the appropriate hygiene compliance. Most of them are offering free delivery within 3-5 km radius, with additional charges for longer distances.
The Oberoi hotel’s home delivery menu has options of salads, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, Indian mains and desserts. This week’s menu has Easter specials such as Clove-studded Maple-glazed Easter Ham with grilled pineapple and granny smith apple sauce and the Stuffed Leg of Lamb with berry pilaf and glazed onion jus. Orders are required to be placed a day in advance and the food can be home delivered basis a minimum billing value.
The Leela Palace home delivery menu with Indian, Asian and Western dishes is available for pick up or through apps. Of special mention is the Lebanese Chicken healthy bowl, Lamb Dum Biryani, Classic Lasagne Bolognese and Asian Stir Fry in a choice of vegetable, fish, chicken or tenderloin.The Taj West End’s menu includes dishes from their restaurants such as Blue Ginger and Masala Klub. A few options include Fresh Rice Paper Roll with Water Chestnut, Vietnamese Spicy Red Curry with a choice of chicken, prawn or vegetable and Stir-fried Vegetables with Hot Bean Sauce. From Masala Klub you could choose a dish of Patiala Gosht, Paneer Khatta Pyaaz or Lucknavi Subz Biryani. There are Asian and Western set menu options available too.
The Den hotel had started a packed box delivery service a few months ago catering to offices and homes in their vicinity in Whitefiled. People can now order Indian, Continental and Asian meal boxes, which includes a salad, starter, main course, rice, bread and dessert at `550 all-inclusive.
The Shangri-La has put together a range of chef’s specials from b Café. Indian small plates include a Warm Quinoa Salad and Aloo Ki Tikki; appetisers include Dahi Ke Kebab and Awadh Ki Shammi; main dishes include Indian or Western preparations of poultry, lamb, seafood or vegetables; with desserts including Tiramisu and Black Rice Payasam.
The Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru Hebbal has a limited delivery menu and of special mention is the Lumbini Dal, the Marriott Burger and Croissants. The Park has launched a Happy Meals programme, available at a weekly subscription price of `2,100 all-inclusive for the vegetarian menu and `2,450 all-inclusive for the non-vegetarian menu.
Two standalone restaurants are doing something different. Little Italy is supplying a do-it-yourself pasta kit at `799+ across their four outlets. It includes 500 gm of pasta, sauces, herbs and cooking instructions. Bengaluru Oota Company, on the other hand, specialises in the Gowda and Mangalorean cuisines. The format of this restaurant is via advance table reservation only and the menu here changes daily depending on the availability of the fresh produce. Thanks to the lockdown, you can now savour their dishes at home from a daily changing menu.The writer is a hospitality professional, food lover and travel enthusiast