Our ever-changing menus brew pleasant surprises for food connoisseurs

Covid-19 pandemic may have hit the restaurant business hard, but that's not the end of the road. There is light at the end of the tunnel. And the ray of light comes from adoption of technology, increasing thrust on home delivery, but possibly more importantly, from innovation and experimentation. Chef-owner Pradip Rozario, an award-winning chef and former executive chef with the Taj Group of Hotels, is doing exactly that, Chef Rozario, who owns popular gastronomical joins like KK's Fusion and Mio Amore, pioneered fusion food in Kolkata nearly three decades ago. He has been satiating millions of taste buds, concocting global gastronomical delights with Indian delicacies, since then. In an exclusive interview with Bizz Buzz. Rozario shares his thoughts on what is the way forward for restaurant business in the current situation

The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry. How did it affect your business and what did you do to come out of it?

Yes, the Coronavirus pandemic has affected all major industries, but perhaps none has been more affected than the restaurant and food service industry. And we were no exception. We had a very tough time. But it picked up quickly soon after the lockdown was lifted, and phases of unlocking began. Thanks to quick reactions from the restaurants and a willingness to adjust, establishments of all sizes, locations and niches have managed to stay afloat. But with the second wave setting in, the State government announced closure of restaurants and bars, landing us in great difficulty.

Fortunately, after the first round of lockdown, we all realised this new reality and appreciating the healthcare priorities, all restaurants started working on tweaking their strategies and embracing new methodologies, new strategies. We realised that the biggest long-term change prompted by the Coronavirus pandemic would possibly be the shift from on-premise to off-premise dining. This is not to say that people won't be dining out anymore in future, but they will be relying much more on delivery and takeout than before.

We have also realised that we will have to adapt and evolve amidst the ripple effects that will be felt for a long after Covid-19 is gone, and our menus will see several different changes. I think that family meal boxes may now become more popular, especially for takeout and delivery as they are an affordable option for people who want to eat at home with their family and taste a little bit of everything. We may start promoting smaller menus because they streamline the ordering process by making it easier for customers to decide what they want to eat. The other key takeaway of the pandemic has been that restaurants will have increasingly adopt cutting-edge technology for various purposes including smoothening of ordering process, introducing digital payment, digitization of menus, among others. These will help us come out of the healthcare emergency. Mind you that smooth and efficient home delivery mechanism will be the key, in the days to come.

You now have two restaurants: KK's Fusion and Mio Amore, offering 255 covers together. How has been your journey so far? What has been your business model over the years?

My business model has been simple that offer something new and unique to the taste-bud of your customer, keep the menu changing, conceive and create new menus. These make customers keep coming to my place again and again. There is this suspense factor they don't know what they will be offered, the next time they visit my restaurant. Until, let's say five years ago, the restaurant scenario in Kolkata was nothing to write home about. But now the number of people dining out is growing phenomenally and with that the number of fine dining restaurants has also been growing fast. Now most of the leading national and international restaurant brands have opened shops in Kolkata. The market is expanding simultaneously. Even a couple of years ago, our sales revenue was not much. From there we have reached where we are today.

How did you start your journey in this fusion food space?

An Englishman would have blanched at the sight of garlic and an Indian would have felt cheated without rice, dal and chapattis. Today the glove has shrunk and it's showing on our dining tables. How did I start along this track? I always remember the Bengali gentlemen who turned up at my restaurant and demanded a khichdi. I did a spot of mixing and matching, and the result was what I now call a Lentil Risotto.

Each city has its own tastes, likes and dislikes. My dishes are put together keeping my customers in mind. Inevitably, I experiment with local ingredients like Bengali, Marwari and even Gujrati spices. Food is like fashion. There are popular trends to follow and for now fusion food is trendy and in a real sense has arrives in India.

So, what's on offer at your restaurant- KK's Fusion?

Suspense, Fusion and Yes, It's Yummy... You never know what's cooking up behind you (or at times, even right in front of you)! If you go strictly by what the menu card offers, you are going to miss out on what's actually in store for you. Step inside the KK's Fusion outlet, the plush and premium fine dining restaurant, ask for a Khichdi and you end up satiating your taste bud with an exotic Lentil Risotto!

If you think that's all, you are mistaken. Hold your breath and check this out also: Grilled Prawns (Bell peppers and prawn with Indian spices. It is a rare Indo-Italian fusion dish), Gamberoni Formaggi (Prawns in spicy cheese sauce with Penna Posta. It is a delicious Indo-Italian fusion dish to taste), Mexican Tacos (Taco shell filled with vegetables and garlic sauce. It is a rare indo-Mexican fusion dish), Escalop of Chicken (Stuffed Breast of chicken with cheese, marinated with chilly and coriander powder and grilled. spices. It is a rare indo-Mexican fusion dish), Crunchy Sugar Cup (homemade sugar cup filled with Ice cream and Rosomalai topped with chocolate sauce. It is a rare dessert fusion dish).

You always keep a photograph of your father and a picture of Mother Teresa with you. Why is that?

When our family was in a deep financial crisis and was trying to come out of it by starting a small school out of our home, Mother Teresa helped us get the affiliation and resolve a few other pesky issues. Those were difficult times for the Rozario family and had it not been for the intervention of the head of the Missionaries of Charity, matters could have easily gone out of hand.