As shadows grow longer earlier with each passing afternoon and there is a slight nip in the air by evening, the Capital is all set to erupt in a celebration of art, culture and the performing arts.
Over the past few years, what has added to the vibrant atmosphere prevalent in the city are food festivals. Curated to be an epicure’s delight, these events are no longer organised by standalone restaurants and hotels. Instead, the calendar is filled with events that turn open spaces and parks into carnivals that offer not just food from restaurants across the city but also a platform for home-cooks. Riding high on the success of previous years, these festivals have now become permanent feature during Delhi winters.
Almost every weekend has a unique event lined up that promises not just good food and a great atmosphere. This year, a festival dedicated entirely to momos kick-started the season. It received such a good response that even those who had set up stalls did not anticipate it.
“I love attending such festivals. They help you discover what is available in different parts of the city without actually having to travel there. They provide a nice atmosphere to catch up with friends and even though they get crowded, there is enough happening to keep you entertained as you slowly sample what the stalls have to offer. It is so much better than a Sunday brunch, which is not only expensive but restricts you to the confines of a restaurant,” said Arjun Khambata.
From the restaurateur’s perspective, these events are good for business as they help reach out to a wider audience, who will perhaps return to their restaurant after liking something they sampled at the festival. Apart from a lot of food options available, these festivals also tend to introduce new concepts to the city.
Last year saw the presence of many food trucks that drove into the venue and built a fan following that followed them across the city. This year, the festivals promise to engage the audience further with workshops by celebrated chefs and the setting up of pop-up restaurants from abroad that will give visitors access to sample food and concepts by visiting chefs.
There are quite a few to look forward to in October.
I love attending such festivals. They help one discover what is available in different parts of the city without actually having to travel there and provide a nice atmosphere to catch up with friends. even though they get crowded, there is enough happening to keep you entertained as you slowly sample what the stalls have to offer
FOOD FOR THOUGHT FEST
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, October 17-18
Besides panel discussions featuring eminent speakers, the Food For Thought Fest will feature pop-up restaurants from Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Participating restaurants include Kabul Serena Hotel (Afghanistan), Bhojan Griha (Nepal), The Avari Hotel (Pakistan), Taj Samudra (Sri Lanka), Heritage Restaurant (Bangladesh), Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant (Bhutan) and Kasturi Garden (Bangladesh). The event, being organised by the South Asian Association for Gastronomy (SAAG), will have workshops by chefs Abhijit Saha (India), Aditya Bal (India), Nahid Osman (Bangladesh), Alpana Habib (Bangladesh), Raza Abbas (Pakistan), Asma Said Khan (U.K.), Shree Krishna Gajurel (Nepal), Ruchira Hoon (India), Tshewang Rinzin (Bhutan) and Rajiv Kumar Malhotra (India) . SAAG is a collective of hospitality industry professionals, food scholars and media influencers from the eight SAARC nations.
NORTH EAST FESTIVAL
IGNCA Lawns, New Delhi, October 16-18
The North East Festival with its tag-line — Building Bridges — is an opportunity for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim to showcase their enormous potential and tourism propositions. And what better way to connect people and build bridges than through food. While the festival will have a host of cultural events lined up, judging from the response the food stalls got last year, the cuisine from the region has found flavour with Delhiites, perhaps because it is not easily available in restaurants in the city. Unique ingredients and dishes cooked using the famous bhut jolokia chillies will be available at the festival. And to provide entertainment while you munch, some of India’s finest musical talent will be playing live at the venue.
OKTOBERFEST
Multiple venues, NCR, All through October
Events modelled around the Oktoberfest, held in Germany, have been organised in the city for a while now. However, it was usually about discounted rates and deals on beer. This year, many microbreweries and restaurants have come up with beer and food pairings to help foodies understand the nuances of pairing beer with food. They will even throw in fun events like beer pong contests and live music. Sahil Gupta, owner of Tabula Beach café, which is organising an event, said his restaurant is making it all about beers, bratwursts and celebrating the Bavarian spirit. Chi Asian Cookhouse has given the event an Asian twist by pairing beer with Asian delicacies — from soup to the main ourse. People will be able to learn a lot about how pairing works. With large varieties of beer available in the market and microbreweries coming out with their own craft versions, there is a lot to choose from.
10 HEADS FESTIVAL
Dhanchiri Camp, Gurgaon, October 22-25
The festival promises to be a smorgasbord of event that will also include a gastronomical experience called Foodistaan. The event promises to curate an experience that will have food from across the country and abroad. Participants will include famous restaurants as well as street food. There will be gourmet and wellness bazaars as well as a farmer’s market and a spice fair. Foodistaan has been curated by Chef Saby (Sabyasachi Gorai). There are plans to have pop-up restaurants/bars from abroad to set up during the festival. A part of the festival is an event called Toddyfest, which will have a number of drinkables and arena dedicated to cocktails, wines, beers and mixology.
ASIAN HAWKERS MARKET
Select Citywalk, Saket, October 23-25
The Asian Hawkers Market, promised to be a market that will take visitors on a culinary journey from Tokyo to Bali via Sichuan and Yangon.
Over 20 of the city’s restaurants and some from outside will come together to celebrate Asian cuisine — from the Far East and South-East Asia. The pop-up kiosks will offer a sample of cuisines from China, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The participating restaurants include Neung Roi, Royal China, Mamagoto, Guppy by ai, Pan Asian Jade, Dimsum Bros, Asia 7 and En. There will also be some of the newer kids on the block like Yum Yum Cha, Chi Ni, The Fatty Bao, Wow! Momo, The Pho Kart and Chi: Asian Cookhouse.
The organisers say the restaurants will try to present the hawker experience, which is the backbone of the Asian food tradition, with gourmet touches to make it special. The portions will be small so that visitors can sample different cuisines without feeling uncomfortably full and the prices will range from Rs.100 to Rs.500.
Restaurateur Sid Mathur, one of the four organisers of the festival, said: “We have taken the time to research design, music and entertainment concepts, and shops selling general merchandise — all with an Asian element or influence. We are certain there will be something for everyone.”
Atul Sikand, the founder-moderator of Indian recipe-sharing group, Sikandalous Cuisine and co-founder of the Delhi Gourmet Club, summarised the philosophy driving the Asian Hawkers Market: “After Indian, we love the cuisines of the Far East and South-East Asia. Delhi especially is in love with the colours, textures and aromas of these cuisines. Our endeavour is to celebrate this romance and help Delhi-NCR’s Asian restaurants get their place in the sun.”
THE GRUB FEST
Ambience Lawns, Gurgaon, October 23-25
After having 70 restaurants participate in their previous event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which saw a footfall of around one lakh food enthusiasts, The Grub Fest is back with its second edition at the Delhi and Gurgaon border to convert the sprawling Ambience Lawns into a foodie-heaven.
Participating restaurants include Punjab Grill, Zambar, Olive Bistro, SodaBottleOpenerWala, Social, Indigo, Indigo Deli, Royal China, Fio, Town Hall, Smokey’s BBQ and Grill, À Ta Maison, PCO, Urban Pind, Dao Dimcha, Koyla Kebab, Holy Smoke, B Bar, The Backyard, Zizo, Zerzura and Room Service, among others.
The festival will have a luxury zone by The Leela, Gurgaon, that will offer a super fine dining experience. An international chef will put together a unique experience that will include a pop-up a Japanese and Italian cuisines restaurant as part of this experience.
The festival will also have a #GrubExplore initiative, in which people from the food industry and other guests will get to attend special evenings to enjoy fun-filled events like mixology sessions, food tastings and more to engage people through gripping contests and can’t-be-missed giveaways. It will include demonstrations and workshops by chefs mastering in Arabic, Iranian, Naga, coastal, Kashmiri and Bengali cuisines.
A farmers market will also be part of the festival, complete with fresh farm produce, and organic and pro-environmental preparations being sold in the bazaar.
Visitors will be able to shop for organically produced vegetables, homemade jams, namkeens, wine ice-creams, waffles, cupcakes, honey, aam papad, gluten-free cakes and biscuits. The festival will also give an opportunity to small businesses, start ups, blogs and tech savvy entrepreneurs in the food space to showcase their products and skills.
The festival will also travel to Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Dubai and London after the Delhi event.
