Setting the home table with gourmet delivery
Chef Amninder Sandhu is not one to be boxed into a set pattern when it comes to fine dining. A mix of nostalgia, childhood memories and travels... her new venture has a whiff of all this and more.
Recreating dishes inspired from her college days in Aurangabad, while borrowing extensively from her Northeastern roots and a robust Punjabi background, she brings warm, hearty and satiating dishes perfect for the December chill in Delhi.
Rooted in her signature style of using traditional, ancient cooking techniques, Sandhu recently launched The Dinner Box - a pop-up gourmet delivery service - in Delhi. Labelled "The Girl with Gold in her Fingers" by the legendary chef, Marco Pierre White, Sandhu explains, "My menus end up becoming chronicles of my own personal history. There are dishes on the menu that are familiar yet inventive. They are comforting and wholesome, which I personally feel is perfect for a cold winter evening in Delhi."
When lockdown began, the biggest challenge for restaurateurs was how to replicate their dining experiences in the homes of their patrons. Using feedback from customers and leveraging their own expertise, they managed to perfect the art of dining in. The Dinner Box has taken the idea a notch higher.
It brings together noted chefs from across the country with local Delhi restaurants in a collaborative format. The result is signature dishes, prepared by the top chefs of the country, all in the comfort of their own homes.
Launched by FoodInk Expeditions LLP, the initiative aims to curate bespoke experiences. The menu is executed in the kitchens of Rooh, the international Indian restaurant in Mehrauli, helmed by Chef Partner Sujan Sarkar.
Speaking about this unique concept, Chef Sujan said, "The future of restaurants lies in how dynamic one can be. Bringing great food into one’s home in a safe and convenient manner is where the future lies. Dining out will always survive, but having a gourmet experience, cooked, and presented at home, is going to be a game changer."
Sandhu launched her restaurant, Iktara, in Mumbai just three weeks before the pandemic, and it received an overwhelming response. This made her realise that chef-cooked, home-delivered food is here to stay. “Also, given the current scenario, more diners are getting accustomed to home deliveries and we feel Delhi is ready for a completely chef-driven concept.
That’s why the decision was taken to launch The Dinner Box in Delhi. Through the pandemic, collaborations and inter-industry support have become a key component for how restaurants and other industries have survived. The team at Rooh helped to bring this menu to life in a way that few chefs could,” says Sandhu, who was also the only Indian chef to compete on the global Netflix series, The Final Table.
While creating The Dinner Box, Sandhu was cognizant of the ‘fine dining’ experience that she wanted her patrons to have. She spent time creating instructions that would allow customers dining at home to recreate a restaurant-quality meal as much as they could. There are neatly laid-out guidelines on how to heat and plate each dish.
"Getting everything right at a fine dining restaurant, from the temperature of the food, to the look, mouth feel, texture and everything else is so important, and we've laid great emphasis on this aspect as a result," says the chef-entrepreneur, who has won much acclaim for championing ingredient-driven cuisine and clean kitchen practices, and creating India’s first and only gas-free restaurant.
Food Ink is still finalising the roster of chefs, but the idea is to tailor the menus to the cities they plan to launch in. The Dinner Box is a set menu with five dishes, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Diners can choose between a box that serves two or four people. Have you booked a table at home, yet?
The menu
Non-vegetarian
Stuffed Chicken Tangri with cashewnut, shahi jeera, and Kalimpong cheese; Naga Pork with bhut jolokia, bamboo shoot, charred kaji lemon; Theccha Mutton with jwala green chilies, garlic, and peanuts. The dishes are complimented by Jowar Roti, with onions, ajwain, ghee and cilantro; and Chicken and Alubukhara Tawa Pulao, eggs, potatoes, almond slivers.
Vegetarian
Wild Mushroom Kebab with truffle and saffron biscuit; Rhododendron Seekh with beetroot, sesame, yoghurt; Theccha Lotus Stem with jwala green chilies, garlic and cilantro; Jowar Roti with onions, ajwain, ghee and cilantro; and Jackfruit and Alubukhara Tawa Pulao with almond slivers and mint.
Both menus are accompanied by Kachchi Kairi Salad; Pomegranate and Mint Raita; Kharonda Pickle; and finished with a dessert of Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake, with angoori rasagulla, Kashmiri saffron, pistachio, cardamom and rose petals.