“I am afraid our records don’t stretch back that long and we were unsure of the exact day and month of the opening. So, we have decided to keep it more as an anniversary year, celebrating 80 years of Kwality in Connaught Place,” says Divij Lamba, 33, and grandson of the legendary PL Lamba, who began his family’s culinary legacy in 1940, hand-churning Kwality Ice Cream from the same location where the iconic restaurant by the same name stands today.
“My grandfather would hand-churn the ice creams, wrap them in paper, and then go door-to-door selling them by the piece, and so Kwality began from very humble circumstances. The whole family naturally has a deep emotional connection with the restaurant, considering it all started from there,” shares Lamba. Indeed, Kwality Restaurant in Connaught Place became the linchpin of an empire of eateries that once included the ice cream brand by the same name (the family having sold their interest in the brand to Hindustan Unilever a decade ago), and still includes Kwality in Delhi (which is also the hub for their vaunted catering service) as well as the flagship Gaylord restaurant on Mumbai’s Marine Drive, which shares a similarly storied history, and outlets of both brands in India and abroad.
After spending nine months on renovations in 2018, the restaurant reopened to the public drenched in the nostalgia of having served generations of Delhiites as well as visitors to the capital in a setting which includes classic silver service, live piano music-spiked high teas, and age old colonial dishes served on elegant Villeroy & Boch and Narumi fine bone China.
“We have gone to great pains to preserve Kwality’s essence, leaving a large part of its age-old menu unchanged, and doing our best to curate the surroundings and walls with original artwork and black and white photographs from the period of its inception,” elaborates Lamba, adding, “Though we have faced our share of challenges given the unprecedented times of the global pandemic, we are doing our level best to preserve and continue the service we are known for, along with the strictest adherence to all precautions. We hope to welcome our 80th year of existence with renewed vigour and energy.”
Indeed, despite Kwality having been through, and thrived in spite of, some of the most tumultuous events in India’s modern history (including the very emergence of the nation in 1947, years after its name in its iconic font had been adorning the vast commercial circle that is the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi), the COVID-19 pandemic may perhaps be the most unprecedented crisis.
“We are a cross-generational restaurant, and unfortunately our largest demographic, which is a mature clientele that has been visiting the restaurant for decades and subsequently introducing their children, grandchildren and beyond to the same, is the most susceptible to the virus. Perhaps, we have been worse affected than most restaurants that are seeing some footfall from younger patrons,” explains Lamba, adding, “Our catering vertical is pretty much down to zero, because given that we used to cater to weddings with thousands of guests, it doesn’t make economic sense to open operations for just 50 people, unless it’s to keep the morale of the staff up and infuse minimal cash flow.”
However, with the news of successful vaccines on the horizon, and the hope of things picking up over the next few months as the same are distributed, Lamba is positive about the future. “Hopefully, all this time away would have just increased our customers’ zeal for visiting us again, and we are ready to welcome them back,” concludes Lamba, with no doubt that Kwality Restaurant in CP is very much going to be around to celebrate its centennial.