The Hindu Business Line : Mardi <I>grass</I>!

So you thought meatless restaurants were stick-in-the-mud, minus chic décor or cocktails! How about trying out ethnic and Mediterranean sizzlers at a vegetarian coffee-shop or eggless salads at an upscale bar? Health freaks, orthodox communities, foodies and even some omnivores are filling up the coffers of speciality vegetarian restaurants like never before.

Veggie and suave

Blending wining with meatless dining, the Revival Hotel group opened a bar at its vegetarian restaurant in Mumbai. "The bar not only adds to the grace of the restaurant but also draws foreigners entertained by our Indian guests," says the hotel director, Kamlesh Barot. Visitors often find themselves rubbing shoulders with leading businessmen and politicians in Revival's Parisian interiors.

While the traditional Udipi restaurants in Mumbai hold their own, there's however a dearth of vegetarian outlets in the silver service category. Moreover, the bird flu scare and the scepticism surrounding seafood post-tsunami, have seen more restaurant goers opting for vegetarian food. Sighting an opportunity in this, the four-star Days Inn group recently opened Olives, a vegetarian coffee-shop with wooden furnishings, in Chennai. To woo nocturnal foodies, Olives is open 24 hours and offers an array of Indian and continental cuisine. Even meat-eaters are flocking to the coffee-shop, observes the restaurant Captain, Garfield Nicholas.

Five-star veg

Five-star chains have done their bit to tickle taste buds the meat-free way. "The market for vegetarian food has definitely increased, as customers are becoming more global and knowledgeable," says Daniel Patterson, Executive Chef, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa. About 25 per cent of Sambar (Hyatt's vegetarian thali restaurant) clients are from the international segment. A south Indian couple runs the restaurant to give it an ethnic touch.

"Foreigners try these menus, since such food is limited in the overseas market and they rarely get to experience a thali meal," points out Patterson, adding that the clientele is mostly in the 25-35 age group.

Taj's speciality restaurants — the Italian Trattoria, Konkan Cafe and Thai Pavilion — and Hyatt's Italian Da Luigi have included several vegetarian dishes on their platter.

Flavours of lasagna and pesto seem to tantalise a growing number of veggies. Over 30 per cent of Revival clients opt for Italian varieties, including barbecues.

ITC Sheraton is also reaching out to vegetarian gourmets: "We have a range of specialities that go beyond traditional Indian dishes, as more restaurant goers avoid meat for health/ religious reasons," explains Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC Welcomgroup.

Cultural preference

Tradition continues to hold sway over restaurateurs and their clients. At Revival restaurant, for instance, 75 per cent of the patrons are Jains. Quips Barot, "The cooks are believed to have prepared more non-root based vegetarian dishes in a month than they would have churned out in their entire career!" Olives also offers a Jain menu (sans onions and garlic) to widen its client base.

Hoteliers brush up on regional preferences to avoid culinary faux pas. While lacto-vegetarianism (vegetables and dairy consumption) is common in western India, fish-eating vegetarians dominate eastern India. Ananda Solomon, Corporate Chef of Taj Business Hotels, explains: "Some by birth are vegetarian, preferring only certain types of vegetables. Others become vegetarian or prefer eating vegetables only on specific days. Even a couple of westerners have embraced vegetarianism."

ITC's Manjit Gill ensures that dishes ordered by staunch vegetarians are eggless. "The best results are only possible when vegetarian chefs do the vegetarian cooking," he opines. Chennai's Olives also steers clear of eggs since many clients are from orthodox vegetarian communities.

`Healthy' option

For the waistline-watching restaurant goer, there's reason to cheer. Health outlets offer a variety of low-fat vegetarian food. Dieticians and experienced cooks churn naturopathic and organic dishes out of earthen vessels at Cholayil Kadalivanam, a Chennai-based health food restaurant. "Restaurant consumers are looking for healthier choices — high in nutrition, yet low in fat and cholesterol," says the marketing manager of Cholayil, L. Sasikala. Their herbal juices and salads have drawn corporates as well as other clients from different parts of the country. "A low-fat vegetarian diet, combined with regular exercise, helps reduce blood pressure and can control, or even eliminate non-insulin dependent diabetes," she adds.

Revival Hotel has set up a salad bar called Dressings and the entire menu is prepared using Pufa (polyunsaturated fatty acids) lipids. The fare includes the Fondant soup (a light countryside soup) and the Spanish Gazpacho soup (with zero-cholesterol cream extract). The Park Hyatt Resort in Goa has seen a rise in demand for Ayurvedic cuisine, which is strictly vegan and eggless. Ayurvedic practitioners provide a customised menu for customers, who are on a detox holiday. "For the rejuvenation experience, one needs to have an appropriate diet along with a suitable spa treatment," says Patterson.

Picture by R. Ragu

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