Deepa Mohan wrote:
Madhu...you say, I notice..."don't always produce great food". Are there
chains that do?
There are chains like McDonald's, and there are chains like the BJN
group. One is cheap, mass-produced food that is never great, just
adequate, but consistent. The latter is a fine dining restaurant chain,
where the food quality tends to be better, but is also more expensive.
And then there are chains like TGIF where the food is expensive, but
still trash. They don't have "chefs", only "cooks" making stuff as per
formula laid down by the company. (One of the worst burgers I've had in
my life was at TGIF, and it cost me more than Rs. 400 too.)
Banquet food (the wedding hall food you refer to) served at hotels is a
different beast. Have you noticed that the food almost never deviates
from the standard dishes you find at most weddings? The same dal, butter
chicken, sag paneer, etc.? And while it's sometimes ok, it never tastes
extraordinary. The good chefs are never put in the banquet kitchen, and
the food is standard so that any donkey can make it. The profit margins
on it are huge as well, since bulk cooking is a whole lot cheaper than
cooking small portions. On top of that, hotels charge by the plate for
it, not by the person, so anyone who changes plates during dinner just
cost the host another extra person's charge. One of my chef friends is
aghast that his sister, who's having her wedding reception at the Royal
Orchid hotel here, is being charged Rs. 750 per plate for the standard
North-Indian spread.
--
<<< * >>>
Madhu Menon
Shiok Far-eastern Cuisine
Moss Cocktail Lounge
96, Amar Jyoti Layout, Inner Ring Road, Bangalore
@ http://shiokfood.com | http://mosslounge.com
Join the Moss group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39295417270
