How Fine Dining is murdering good food

Kolkata: There was a time when we were passionate about good food. This is a time when we are obstinate about Fine Dining. The difference is stark and dangerous.

Fine Dining, in my limited view, is a restaurant where everything is fine except the dining. An abundance of architecture and design - in seating, serving and every other tangible dimension. Except the matter of food, a matter subjugated to flashy form and dodgy content. Industry estimates pin this at about Rs 1000 crores annually and given the rise in disposable incomes and even more disposable integrity, it is bound to rise.

Good food, on the other table, is entirely to do with eating, whether Karim's or Dum Pukht is entirely an element of detail. Thus it is not about cheap or expensive, instead about focus or lack of it, as whitewashed customer sensibilities are easy to pamper. Currently being hijacked by calculated deceit as business minded criminals aim to end the stature of not just chefs but food history and future as well.

In case you think I am ranting under the influence of a dodgy meal, let me correct you pronto. The Out Of Home dining world for each of us, unconnected to wallet elasticity, was always about quality of eating. A kathi roll in Nizam's, the club kachori in Gupta Brothers, the golgappas in Victoria, the biryani in Royal and the devilled crab in Mocambo belonged to the same genre of identifiable indulgence - an upgrade in epicurean sensibilities connected solely to tastebuds and rupees. What was true for Calcutta is surely valid for every Indian city and most outposts of civilisation.

Then as the corporate world emerged and we became richer, the first wave of 'enhanced' dining corroborated this worldview. In the five star world, ITC and Taj curated genuine food experiences - the magicians like Imtiaz Querishi, Ananda Solomon, Madan Jaiswal, Chef Rego and early peers were torchbearers of entire gharanas. Even the city dining places - Baba Ling's Nanking, Nelson Wang's China Garden, Copper Chimney or Oh Calcutta were born out a strong cuisine-first culture - whether driven by a person, a brand or just heritage was simply a matter of detail. In the last category, folks like Neros in Jaipur, the Park Street gang, Gaylord, United Coffee House and others still thrive.

But one day, the venture capitalists took over and that was the end for adventure diners. Template, scalable if I may add, became the queen and mediocrity was lovingly cloaked by the shenanigans of the interior designers. Nowadays, the prime locations are occupied by fellows with ample funders who insist on thrusting gullible fare to even more vulnerable palates - blessed just with funds and not the sensitivity. They are taking advantage of the upward mobility of Indian customers in a very sinister way - just because a large section are first generation 'good life' applicants, prone to mistaking imagery for culinary.

In fact, that is the advantage being shamelessly exploited by this new generation of faux food entrepreneurs, taking the easy route to making non karmic wealth. This can well be called the Retail Mall strategy, wherein the inviting air-conditioning and the friendly toilets make us feel that the classic high street was just a poor memory. Think New Market, Khan Market versus DLF and any other mall - the observation will find credibility. This is no less than an inverse Bolshevik conspiracy wherein the genuine classes are being massacred by a dim-witted proletariat.

The solution actually lies in the restoration of genuine chefs,  as an institution by itself or part of sincere brand extensions. A tip we learn from the Michelin ratings is invaluable while brutally simple - the stars are awarded to specific locations and never chains. An insight that arrives from Karim's or Paradise ( Hyderabad) corroborated this pattern - each time a 'classic' brand extends its fangs, the results are usually disastrous. Templates never work for real food, exactly why the Royal China establishment at Fort in Mumbai supercedes every other aspirant in sheer seduction.

At this point, I must rest my case. The tables have indeed turned in the most sensitive matter of what else, but the tables. Business is violating the interiors of pleasure and that cannot be allowed much further. May we awake to a brighter dinner  or lunch, if you may.