FIVE-STAR BIRYANI AT STANDALONE PRICES DELIVERED AT HOMEITC

It is not enough for five-star hotels to explore the home-delivery route without taking into account the new demographic that they have to court. In the present constrained market, where only online shopping propelled by deals and discounts seems to be on a rock-and-roll gig, the biggest lesson to be learnt is that people are seeking more for less. The air of uncertainty unleashed by the pandemic has reduced people’s discretionary spending power, so even have to wake up and smell the coffee. The smell is that of an instant brew and not the nuanced aroma of a single-estate coffee.

I was therefore delighted to find out that the ITC Hotels, digging into the gold mines that its kitchens are, has launched a collection of ten biryanis and pulaos—drawn from across India and uniformly priced at Rs 625 for its vegetarian offerings, Rs 750 for chicken and mutton keema, and Rs 825 for mutton—I was qute impressed by the generous chunks of chicken and mutton, which are stinted upon by the mass vendors.

Each biryani or pulao comes with either a mirch aur baigan ka salan, or one of three listed chutneys, and a gulab jamun (poetically renamed Shahed-e-Jaam in the Dum Pukht tradition). The add-ons definitely are welcome and, as I like to joke, the boxes in which the food arrives can be put to many good uses.

The package also comes with the possibility of the biryanis and pulaos on offer changing at regular intervals, although I hope and pray that the Metiabruz Biryani, developed by the chefs of the deposed Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, during their master’s exile at Metiabruz in the Hooghly river port area of Kolkata, stays forever with its signature boiled whole egg and potatoes steeped in the biryani’s masala. With so many biryanis to offer, India and ITC Hotels can never run out of ideas. I foresee a lot happening.