Indian food will never be the same again!

September 8 will be a red letter day in my diary ? the launch of my new concept called Indii.

Started off early in the morning. First stop - The Intercontinental at Marine Drive to address the Press Conference called to announce the launch of Indii. We started at 12 noon sharp and I was accompanied by Harsha Bhatkal, Vinayak Gawande and Anant Gawande. There was a packed gathering of big journalists from the print, wire and electronic media. I first presented the concept. Indii will be different from other Indian restaurants in not just the kind and quality of food it serves patrons, but also in the experience it offers. It will be the place for food lovers to ?eat, shop, relax? and take home with them signature Indii food products such as sauces, chutneys, special spices and other gourmet ingredients. Indii promises its patrons Indian food that is chic and healthy in an ambience that matches the dynamic lifestyle of today. It will appeal to the young and old alike, whilst it continues to draw Indian and international audiences in its fold. My presentation was followed by the mandatory question and answer session. Most of the questions by the journalists were directed toward the health angle of Indian food and I tried to answer to the best of my abilities and in my perception I was able to be convincing. This was followed by lunch which had some great starters.

By 3 we reached the venue for the evening party. Tote at Mahalaxmi. The sky was overcast and we needed to check on the arrangements. I suggested some changes in the set up as we anticipated a larger crowd than initially expected (tell you, good thing I had this premonition as it came true!) and needed more space to move around. The evening invite read 8.30 pm and way before that a horde of photo journalists were waiting and ready to shoot! The guests started trickling in before time (a pleasant surprise for Mumbaikars) and by 8.30 we had half the guests inside the venue. And then it started?.pouring? so hard that it seemed it would never stop! The management of Tote and my team quickly got into action to salvage the situation. As far as the number of guests was concerned, they were double than our first anticipated figure.

The starters were circulated: Indian food with a twist that I had personally supervised with the cooperation and help of Anurag Katriar, COO, deGustibus Hospitality P. Ltd Just fabulous - Tulsi-Patte Ka Jhinga, Jaituni Khumb Tikka to name a couple. I moved around my guests all the time - actually whenever I could get away from the media interviews. My celebrity friends graced the occasion in big numbers. We launched the concept of Indii with a lot of fanfare ? lights, music and smoke! An impressive revolving backdrop with our logos was set up and I got onto the podium to introduce the concept and later Harsha gave the business presentation.

It was so good to have my entire family fly in from Delhi: my mother, my brother and his family, my sister. And I had many of my friends too. We were the last ones to have dinner at around 1.30 am. They had to catch a 7 o? clock flight back to Delhi and I am flying to Bangalore for my next assignment.

Great party, great food: Nalli Nihari with Brun Pav was a hit! The Kachchi Gosht ki Dum Biryani was a class apart and from the desserts a novel Shahi Tukda - served baked!!


Nalli Nihari
Kachche Gosht ki Biryani
Shahi Tukda


Till I write again?soon
Sanjeev Kapoor.