Looking Out for the Restaurant Faux Pas!

I can’t tell how it feels to be robbed at a place where nobody comes to your rescue, mainly because you make the plunge at your own peril. No, I am not talking about some deadly terrorist encounter. I am talking about setting a foot into a restaurant and setting the same foot out, robbed of all money and sadly, satisfaction, too.

One such encounter that I had at a restro, supposedly one of the best restaurants in Delhi, left me thinking about the authenticity of the word -‘best’. While some restaurants, like Dhaba By Claridges, Pind Baluchi, or Dawat live upto their names, others just come across as a terrible disappointment. While zeroing on a North Indian Restaurant in Delhi, here are the most common things NOT to look out for!

The old, boring food

Every North Indian Restaurant in Delhi will have the usual Dal Makhani and Shahi Paneer on its platter. How the restaurant reinvents it decides how things click with the customers. Nobody would splurge their hard earned money on a dish that can be as easily cooked at home too. New is the fad these days. Adopt it, and stick to it!

Candle lit Ambience and Non engaging Staff

Ask today’s youngsters or even elders for that matter, Candle lit ambience is a thing that has ceased to be a charmer. People these days hunt down places that could cater to their frolicky taste and enjoy their meals and drinks in a wacky manner. Quirky ambience punctuated with bizarre elements like cool feedback chits pasted on the walls strike a chord with the audience. Well that’s closely enough to leave a long lasting impression on the foodies.

A non engaging staff is a big turn off, too. Imagine an attendant who makes an unbothered expression at your orders and doesn’t nod or say yes as a token of affirmation? An engaging and a warm staff, hence, is imperative to a pleasant dining experience. 

How Planning Comes in Handy While you are Cooking

I remember waking up to my mother instructing me to have things in control at home while she was leaving for a holy trip for a few days. For days I was baffled to wake up and sleep back with a concern about what to cook buzzing all around and about the day. What to prepare is the only thing I was perturbed with. It wasn’t the case that I haven’t cooked before but planning a meal is going to haunt me for ages now. It is not solely about the taste which may decide a meal but there are a lot many considerations and thoughts which get into while preparing a meal. 

When I was preparing a meal I made it a point to make it with a right balance of taste and health. Though it was a lot of trouble I confess, to prepare an appetizing palate considering the health part of it but few tips which I learnt from a chef from the best restaurants in Delhi came to the rescue. Sticking on to the nutritious value I prepared a plan to make the supper delectable. After chalking out a strategy I decided to prepare the breakfast nutritious, lunch savouring and heavy and dinner mostly light with a dessert with some home-made snacks in between.

Here are a few tips I adhered to while I planned and prepared the meals-

-Avoid including processed and readymade food, since we don’t have any control over its make-up. When having salads do not include pickles and dips into it. Apart from adding unnecessary calories they are unhealthy.

- I learnt this from a chef of a North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon that you must revisit the list of your groceries before you actually go shopping. Generally we don’t have a fixed idea what we will be buying and therefore the unrequired fuss about what to prepare. This kind of planning becomes much important in a big set up like a restaurant where managing an inventory itself is a task complex enough. 

-Pick a leaner piece of meat for palates which cannot be cooked with a lot of oil. Choose for extra virgin olive oil to make it healthier. Pick the organic, non-polished variants of rice and  pulses. While stocking on essential herbs and exotic vegetable for extra flavours do remember to opt for whole grain bread and pasta. 

Conclusively a bit of planning and sticking to something healthy and tasty at the same time helps you sail through even through the toughest time you are having while cooking.