Have casual eateries sounded the death knell for fine dining in India?

India’s culinary landscape is changing, and so is the world’s. We find out what has redefined the meaning of 'eating out’ in India

If there was ever a time in the history of gastronomy to witness the demise of fine dining, it is now, marked by the announcement that Noma–the famed three-Michelin starred restaurant owned by Chef René Redzepi in Copenhagen–will serve its last plate in 2024. The announcement comes nearly three centuries after the world’s first recorded restaurant appeared in Paris, a soup kitchen, followed by Antoine Beauvilliers’ La Grande Taverne de Lourdes in 1786. The latter was the pioneering space of fine dine traditions as we know it today, including tableside service, liveried staff, and elegant settings. 

So what happened to all those rich French Mother sauces that chef and culinary writer Auguste Escoffier spent years of his life mastering? The answer isn’t as simple as the fall of the aristocracy and the rise of the bourgeoisie. Or can it be attributed to a more inclusive culture that is paving its way in the form of accountability at the workplace, discouraging economic policies, more and more outspoken minorities, the rise of social media and greater disposable income? 

The Indian plate

It was the winter of 1989, nearly three decades ago. Bowls of beluga caviar sparkled in a quiet room at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Bombay. JRD Tata had brought to life Zodiac Grill, India’s first fine-dine luxury grill restaurant. The menu had no prices listed, and discerning guests could pay what they wished to. Fast-forward to 2023, and we find ourselves at a point where casual dining establishments across the world are glorifying pizzas and burgers. Where did the crystal decanters, escargot tweezers and gold-plated forks go? Let the record speak that more than 45 million Indians used one of the country’s leading delivery mobile applications to order food in 2021, coupled with the fact that the average expenditure was ₹ 2,600 in 2021 versus ₹ 1,900 in 2020, suggestive enough that the way the Indian diner eats out has changed.

To understand India’s fine dine offering, one must talk about the Michelin Guide that was first published in 1900. Its purpose was to motivate people to travel further distances, chasing restaurant recommendations published year after year. Over the course of the century, the guide has come to become a bible of sorts for diners, chefs and restaurateurs–some might even refer to it as a bucket list for culinary enthusiasts. India’s nominations to the guide have come in the form of the Indian Accent (New Delhi), Zodiac Grill (Mumbai) and Bukhara by ITC Maratha Sheraton (New Delhi). At the threshold of the 1990s, India saw decadent and plush furnishings at restaurants where exotic and exorbitantly-priced ingredients that travelled more than half the globe before reaching our plates made an appearance. It was only during the latter half of the ’90s when chefs like Rahul Akerkar, A.D Singh and others braved their vision by giving us casual dining spaces where a relaxed approach was encouraged in terms of food presentation, pricing, ambience and the overall vibe.

At the same time, in New York, Italy, France and other parts of the world, chefs like Thomas Keller, Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse, Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, Ottolenghi and Ferran Adria became household names, guiding a shift towards a more cerebral dining experience, encouraging diners to rethink their gilded approach to eating out and, instead, adapt a slower, ingredient-driven perspective. This shift inspired the fast-growing casual dining space in India–for now, the experience that discerning Indian diners were seeking could be found right at home, or even at the neighbouring deli that allows you to dine in shorts and a T-shirt.

Without compromising on innovation and quality, India’s culinary landscape was suddenly injected with a number of bistros, delicatessens, bakeries and patisseries that were eager to bring the Indian diner a host of cuisines and flavours that were not only new but also affordable for the rising population of the curious middle class. All of a sudden, eating out in the metros of Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi or Bengaluru was no longer limited to driving your car to a five-star hotel. The average Indian diner was enjoying maki rolls, pastrami sandwiches, steaks, souffles, meringues, Peking Duck and miso cod, all prepared in casual eateries, without burning a gaping hole in your pocket. With this, eating out stopped being simply a celebration and turned into a more regular, casual activity. Finally, restaurateurs and chefs were able to fully commit to a concept that was manageable.  

The cherry on top

Over the last decade, there has been a rise in transparency and accountability in the food industry, with social media platforms allowing for unspoken voices to finally be heard. Reports of inhumane working conditions, assault and poor mental health plagued the world of Michelin-starred restaurants.

No study of trends can be complete without the mention of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was instrumental enough to mark permanent shifts in the eating habits of diners across the world. Did the pandemic then simply hasten the death of fine dining in India or was it already suffering from the absurdity and irrelevance of dated, overpriced dishes, and the management’s refusal to move with the times? This writer would concur, and so does Akerkar. “The pandemic played a role in giving opportunities to home chefs to hone their skills; it gave people a sense of togetherness and the realisation that you don’t need much to have a good time. With cooking at home, people started to value their heritage and traditions, realising that there is a joy in sharing food. People were tired of the same edamame dumplings and began seeking innovative, cerebral food in a more friendly atmosphere, like haute cuisine without the intimidating frills that otherwise make the diner uncomfortable.”

The business of taste

To be fair, even before the pandemic, culinary enthusiasts began to see through pompous, elite dining establishments. Most food lovers were happy to have the option of a Michelin-starred restaurant alongside a more ‘authentic or local’ dining experience. With that shift, popular listicles and guides began to mention hawker stalls and other casual-style eateries on the ‘world’s best’ lists, confirming that casual dining is serious business. Take, for instance, Mumbai’s Masque coming up with the ‘Tailgate’ concept where gourmet burgers and fries were served to customers in their parking lots during the pandemic. 

Yash Bhanage, founder and COO of Hunger Inc. Hospitality that owns establishments including The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and Bombay Sweet Shop, offers a refreshing take that might hold most Indian restaurateurs accountable for being hesitant in bringing the Indian diner an original, committed concept of fine dining. “I don’t believe fine dining in India will die; I believe we, as restaurateurs, need to build a better product and experience. At Hunger Inc., we are bringing the country a ‘fun fine dine’ concept in the next few months, focused on exemplary service that is personalised and an experience that is memorable.” 

It's not a digression to take a step back to address a possibility that India never really did have a fine dining culture in the first place. Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent says that in his experience, “Indians are most comfortable spending ₹ 1700 per person for a good meal, which makes it very challenging to commit to a fine dining concept. The problem is that we have also been very vague about the meaning of fine dining in India. We have restaurants claiming to be a fine diner without ever adhering to any of its etiquette or business acumen.”

Ambiguity in concept-building coupled with the value conscientiousness of the Indian customer is addressed even by Akerkar. “Until the Indian consumer isn’t willing to pay a good price for a meal, we will not see international brands and chefs committing to a space in India.” Adds Mehrotra, “It is very difficult to create a brand like Indian Accent. It requires taking risks and understanding a business. Our country lacks original thinkers willing to take risks in the culinary space.” 

If an end is also a beginning, then is the end of fine dining the beginning of a new casual dining? Aditi Dugar, restaurateur and founder of Masque and other brands, shares, “We’re seeing the growth of a segment that is joining the gap between casual and fine dining: the same quality of food you’d get at a ‘fine dine’, but in a more relaxed, friendly setting with approachable service, minus the white tablecloths, so to speak. I think it’s an inevitable and welcome change, especially in the Indian market, where, for a long time, that segment didn’t quite exist. I don’t think either format will ever fully cease to exist; rather, it will give rise to more options for consumers, which I see as a positive.”

On home turf

In the last few years, the culinary landscape in the country has witnessed the rise of establishments like Bombay Sweet Shop—a modern Indian sweetshop that pays homage to the country’s traditional sweets;  Sorano in Kolkata offering beautiful Italian food in a relaxed ambience; Navu Project in Bengaluru; the team behind Indian Accent (India’s entry for a Michelin star) giving us casual spaces like Hosa and COMORIN; and a rise in bespoke gastropubs like PCO and Sidecar. Mehrotra is excited about 2023 when he says, “There’s a rise of fine casual dining in India, and in 2023 we will see many more of these.”

Akerkar adds, “Maybe this is the millennial way of living–simpler luxuries in a sense of commune.” Young entrepreneurs like Bhanage offer some respite and promise when he shares the sound thinking and deep analysis of their upcoming concept built on “patience, exemplary front-of-house service and business acumen. We need to understand and hone the variables in India before building concepts.”

Promising yet ironic is what Auguste Escoffier described fine dining as: ‘keeping it simple’ or focusing on minimalism and seasonal ingredients. Going by that, maybe we simply strayed too far for a few decades and are finding our way back to the roots of good food and cooking. Maybe the new style of casual dining is finally the haute cuisine we should have always had.

Also Read: These restaurants and food ventures are putting the spotlight on unique global culinary traditions

Also Read: This 40-seater café in Ladakh is a favourite among food lovers and celebrities alike

Also Read: These home chefs in Lucknow are keeping the fascinating world of Awadhi cuisine alive