Buffet equipment should blend into the cuisine and enhance the décor, not take away from it, says Arjun Abbi
Think of a fine-dining restaurant. Let us assume a high-end Chinese restaurant for now. Whether it is one of the many local joints at Tangra or one among the five-star hotels in Colaba, they have made huge efforts to create that authentic oriental experience for their guests. It is not just the Chinese food, right from the brand name, logo design, door carving, interior decoration, lazy susan dining tables, oriental pattern carpet, silk draped fabric, lemongrass incense, etc., there is that distinct Asian theme running across the entire outlet. The management goes all out to successfully activate all the sense of the guests and provide them with a wholesome overwhelming experience. I applaud them for their effort. They are doing practically everything possible so that their customers can enjoy their food.
Now let us turn around and analyse a high-end ‘cocktails and dinner’ event happening at a banquet hall or outdoor garden next door to the fine-dining restaurant. The host has spent a tremendous amount of money in transforming the location into a beautiful and exciting space so that his guests can meet, drink and enjoy a sumptuous meal together. When we look at the meal itself it is wow, 20 odd dishes of multi-cuisine Indian, Chinese and Continental fare created by several talented chefs coming together for a single evening. On paper the whole plan is perfect. Except for one thing, the actual dining experience, the centrepiece of the celebration, is generally nowhere close to the neighbouring fine-dining outlet.
Overlooking tableware
In my understanding, there is really only one disconnect here. It is that horrendous line of dull stainless steel chafing dishes placed one after another on a bed of four x six tables draped in satin linen. When serving themselves, guests do not even realise when the dal makhani dish finished and the chowmein started. The wholesome experience of pan Asian cuisine or North Indian cuisine is over. All the work that is put into triggering the sense to create a wholesome experience is reduced to multiples of nine litre gastronome pans. Almost all dishes, however different from the other, are served in the same identical industrial eyesores.
Not only does the traditional chafing dish ruin the experience of the cuisine, but it also takes away from the décor. Among beautiful fresh flowers, waves of expensive draped satin, mood lit shades of orchid, plum, violet and soft instrumental tunes of the orchestra is hard chrome chunks of fuel burning food warmers. Isn’t the foodservice equipment a bridge between the food and the diner? Should it not be designed to enhance the experience of the cuisine and the décor? I am not sure as to why one insists on spending so much money on the location, setting, decoration, ambience and food – but continues to overlook the tableware.
Being creative
The buffet presentation is a critical component of the event. It is what activates the senses of the crowd, draws them to the spread and then enables them to fully indulge in the fare. It is a prop with a purpose. Fortunately, some of today’s leaders of banquet and catering organisations recognise this fact. Few and far in-between, we sometimes catch glimpses of gorgeous food presentations. Their buffet is a feast for the eyes and not a mundane row of steel chafing dishes, but sleek themed dishes that really explain the dish even before the cover is lifted. These outlets that caught on to the importance of this trend have zipped their way to the number one and number two positions.
Such has been the power of food today and for a good reason too. The hosts spend close to 50 per cent of their budget on the décor of an event. Their aim is to have a fairy tale like ambience when their guests walk in to the party. It is about flawless arrangement of beautiful lighting, props, flowers, furniture, linen and music that has to come together to entice the evening. So then why should an unappetising buffet display ruin the setup? Given that the invitation is almost always for ‘cocktails and dinner’, the buffet should actually take centre stage in the fabled setting. The traditional clumps of food in a chunky gastronomic food warmer lit by two foil covered fuel burners just don’t cut it anymore. The buffet has to be romantic and enticing. The equipment needs to describe the cuisine, its quality and its taste from far away. It needs to match up to the combined talent of the event designer and the cuisine chefs. It has to seamlessly bridge the gap between the two and add to the overall experience for the guest. Anything less just does not cut it anymore.
Setting benchmark
A new Indian design company called Skyra has made this their mission. They have partnered with a panel of revered Indian chefs to identify such issues in food and beverage service. A team of industrial designers sit down with the chefs and work with the industry to design and develop solutions for problems that are specific to Indian cuisines, events and behaviours. They meet several times each year to develop, fine tune and tweak the products to perfection. Each item in their collection is a solution to a major industry problem. Buffet props that can actually keep the food warm and also be the tools for a gorgeous presentation are finally in the market. Cuisines can be differentiated by equipment and each can be experienced at its own level. And best of all it can add to the décor and create a seamless flow from the fairy tale décor to the delicious dinner.
(The author is a hotelier, restaurateur and caterer. He owns and operates Holiday Inn Jaipur, Vikram Hotel Group, 24hr Lounge and Cafe 1440, QSR outlet Wokstar and catering service Asian Haus)
