Rewind menus: New food trend that's taking the Bengaluru restaurants by storm

BENGALURU: Fancy a vintage dinner served at a five-star hotel on the eve of Indian independence in 1947?

Or indulge in the launch menu of a legendary restaurant that has transformed over two decades? Like Facebook's timelines make virtual memories, foodies in Bengaluru can now travel in time to create culinary memories. Rewind menus, celebrating an exemplary date or year, are the new trend circuiting some of city's iconic restaurants.

Take the case of Taj West End, which is celebrating India turning 70 by recreating the menu served to the guests at the Taj Mahal Palace (Mumbai) on August 14, 1947. Idea is to relive the historical moment through food when the announcement of India's independence was being made.

The four-course menu was apparently fished out of the hotel's corporate office in Mumbai. Executive chef Sandip Narang says, "Like fashion, food is also cyclic. Classic dishes are making a comeback."


Humble chai gets a fancy makeover (Image: BCCL)

A week ago, Windsor Pub in Indiranagar too introduced a rewind menu. The original gastropub, which opened in 1991 in Vasanth Nagar, had shifted its focus from traditional coastal and Coorg specialties to burgers, steaks and sizzlers to follow popular culture over the years.

However, the rewind menu allows diners to indulge in dishes from their 90s menu. The dishes are listed under specific timelines. So, you can have signatures from the 1991 menu like chilli crab and backwater fried meat. Sunday specials, typically indulged by customers back in the day after retur ning from Sunday Church, like meen curry and kappa, meat ball curry and idiappam are being served again on Sundays now.

Rahul Nagpal, consultant for Windsor Pub, says, "Legacies work successfully in the competitive food market of Bengaluru. We managed to dish out hard copies of the old menus dating back to the 90s saved by the long-standing staff of the restaurant. The idea is to reintroduce the menu to the old customer and educate the new about the legendary restaurant."


Taj West End is recreating the menu served to the guests at the Taj Mahal Palace (Mumbai) on August 14, 1947.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Oberoi-Bengaluru too is recreating the menu of its inaugural dinner on August 15, 1992. "It is about finding new ways to connect with customers and create culinary memories. The chefs have crafted a menu where each course pays homage to the 1992 original version alongside a 2017 rendition," says general manager Visheshwar Raj Singh.

History is the new cool on Bengaluru's culinary landscape, say experts. According to food photographer Soham Shoney , who tried a rewind menu recently , the concept is more emotional than just culinary . "From molecular gastronomy to reinventing cuisines -food has changed enormously . Few chefs are delightfully going back to the roots.It's nice to explore what was considered hip food back when we were kids and ate food for food's sake.Now we can appreciate it. It's the new level in experiential dining."