THE HOUSE OF CELESTE IN GURUGRAM RETURNS WITH ITS OLD CHARM AND NEW FLAIR

With the vaccine being rolled out—and despite Covid-19 cases on the rise of late—the return to a semblance of normalcy has lifted everyone’s spirits. Certain industries that were drastically hit by the pandemic, are rejoicing at the opening of doors and return of regular patrons. The House of Celeste in 32nd Milestone Gurugram, a well-known progressive Indian restaurant serving borderless cuisine infused with Indian elements, has used the last few difficult months wisely to put its best foot forward.

Launched in 2019 by Hitesh Rao of RR Consulting with Michelin-Star Chef Suvir Saran at the helm, the House of Celeste was poised for success. Saran had made a name for himself in New York City running the uber-chic Indian restaurant ‘Devi’, before returning home to Delhi for health reasons. At the House of Celeste, instead of focusing on reinventing classic Indian fare, he sought to create something unique. The restaurant quickly developed a reputation for serving food that was delightfully delicious and artfully presented.

Unfortunately, the best laid plans of men often go awry, and so was the case for House of Celeste, when the pandemic hit early last year. The forced restrictions compelled several businesses in the hospitality industry, big and small, to take drastic steps to survive. Operations and marketing had to be re-worked and new stratagems decided.

The food and beverage industry has always faced challenges due to excessive overheads and the high risks involved. Unfortunately, these difficulties were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic—eateries had to deal with several safety issues, ever-increasing costs, a significant decline in customers and myriad other problems. Restaurants in general, and the House of Celeste in particular, had to make sweeping changes in the way it functioned and operated, owing to the restrictions placed on dine-in occupancy and hours they were allowed to operate.

The House of Celeste, however, took this as an opportunity to revamp itself in a brand-new avatar. The original menu designed by Chef Saran was overhauled about a month ago. When asked if this decision had anything to do with the pandemic, the team behind House of Celeste was emphatic in its response—the menu change was simply overdue and had nothing to do with the lockdown.

Further, the team at House of Celeste began zealously enforcing hygiene and safety protocols for their workers. With an eagle eye, they ensured the work could continue effectively and efficiently. Everything from sanitisation of surfaces, changing gloves at designated times, deep-cleaning tables with fresh towels, correctly using safety equipment and inculcating the habit of wearing masks at all times, became a matter of routine. The manager’s position, difficult at the best of times, became more so, as he was tasked with this responsibility.

With the multitude of transformations, staff cuts seemed a foregone conclusion. However, the team at the House of Celeste preferred to keep their staff members on their rolls, despite the difficulties. Instead, the team optimised the existing staff structure, and pooled in team efforts to create a positive work atmosphere.

The new menu at the House of Celeste reflects a modern and innovative style, offering street foods, regional fare, grill and wood fired oven dishes, a wide selection of meats and the season’s best ingredients. Each dish centres around a core ingredient and is created to highlight contrasting textures, colours and flavours. Crafted with precision, certain dishes on the menu such as the Gunpowder prawns, Mutton ghee roast, Vindaloo pork melt, pay homage to traditional Indian ingredients enhanced with modern techniques to bring forth their nuanced subtleties. This luscious food menu is ably complemented by the many delicious cocktails on offer.

Apart from relaunching the House of Celeste with a brand-new menu, a month ago, the team behind it also began home deliveries. With consumer behaviours changing since the pandemic, e-commerce has been the mainstay of every industry, and food deliveries were a sound step to have taken.

These large-scale changes have brought in a note of positivity and things are looking up for the first time in months for the House of Celeste. However, there is still a long way to go for the footfall to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The team remains hopeful that six months from now, things will stabilise on many fronts. Let’s hope their predictions ring true.

The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles for various publications and on her successful blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla.