Many of us know that the lockdown
has been extended for a minimum of 15 days more and hence the saga of not being
able to head out continues. The delivery service started by a few restaurants
has surely provided some relief to those itching for outside food but is it
anywhere close to the experience of eating hot and fresh at the restaurant
itself? Well, the answer is No. But what we can easily say is that
eating home delivered food from your favourite restaurant while you Netflix and
chill is also an experience that is unmatched. And what more, even the restaurants
are making a lot of efforts to deliver the kind of food that you can enjoy at
home simply because not everything they make is perfect for home delivery. Some
of the dishes need a special temperature while serving, while others have a
particular kind of presentation needed to give you a wholesome experience and
some dishes actually need some exquisite ingredients that might be a challenge
to find during the lockdown and yet the restaurants are trying really hard to
deliver you the kind of happiness you expect to satiate your cravings.
“I cook only a small menu using the
fresh pick from the market and fresh catch of the day. Meats are cooked
above 90°C, ensuring it is very well done. We are not serving rare or
medium cooked meats these days. Amidst the lockdown, serving certain dishes as
takeaways / home deliveries has its own limitations as items like prawn stuffed
papads, rissois, croquettes, cheese stuffed mushrooms are best enjoyed at the
first serving whereas preparations of prawn curry, sausage pulao, chicken
cafreal, chicken chilly fry, pork chilly fry even when are re-heated do not
lose its flavour and texture and can be enjoyed with the same taste and
charm,” stated the much acclaimed culinary expert Chef Peter
Fernandes, who runs his restaurant Peter’s
Kitchen in Pilerne.
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While on the other hand, Denzil,
Managing Partner, Fat Panda feels no change as such since they have been used
to doing home deliveries from earlier times and hence their menu is more or
less in accordance with the needs of the times. “Our menu is the same; not much changes since we have been
doing deliveries ever since Swiggy came to Goa. Also, we haven’t hiked our prices or made a special and exclusive menu taking
advantage of the situation. We believe in consistency and being loyal to our
customers.”
“People are ordering lots of
salads, smoothies and sushi as I can see. I think it’s a personal choice. We just have stronger protocol
with vegetable washing and storage and we also now toast all breads
including burger buns,” shares Irina Kozlova, who runs Goa 108 restaurant
in Morjim.
“Wok & Roll is delivering
happiness by a specially curated menu, keeping in mind the convenience of
takeaway and home delivery, using freshly procured
ingredients and local preferences.
“These dishes are delicious when
consumed at home or at the restaurant once the lockdown ends. We have also
included some seafood delicacies due to demand and are cooking at high
temperatures to ensure safety and hygiene of the food,” said Asheen Lobo,
Partner, AAJ Group.
“Considering the limited resources
available both in terms of ingredients and manpower, we have pruned our
menu. We are offering a mix of homely dishes like butter chicken and gosht
biryani and are now introducing specially prepared immunity booster dishes like
broccoli lemon chicken broth / roasted beetroot spinach and chicken wrap.
“The idea is to work with minimum
resources, both in terms of manpower and ingredients. Also, we
need dishes that can be durable for a longer period and won’t
lose its texture in takeaway or delivery,” shared Saurabh Khanna,
GM, Park Hotels.
To conclude, we can say that
restaurants and hotels are doing a wonderful job churning out these special
menus with limited resources and giving you a chance to break the monotony of
home cooked meals and enjoy the restaurant style food from the comfort of your
home.
