Chef Tanuj Sahay’s C OV I D - 19 induced vacation turned into a vocation when he started a three-month pilot project of delivering gourmet burgers and authentic shawarmas from home. If you are burger fans then chances are you already know about Pronto in Gariahat that turned one recently. But what you probably don’t know is the back-story of the brand. Tanuj, who was employed in Dubai during pre-pandemic times, made his b at ch m at e quit his job and join him to propel the b r a n d f u r t h e r. And very soon he will be launching a new outlet at Tollygunge Club. Initially, with only two types of burgers and shawarmas on offer, the menu now boasts of five kinds of falafel, a good variety of burgers and sliders, pizzas, handcrafted noodles and sandwiches.
Pronto Gourmet Food lives up to its tagline with quality products and pays respect to each ingredient. “Even though we serve fast food we give it a gourmet twist. We use premium quality ingredients like our baby tomatoes are imported from Italy and cheddar cheese is sourced from the UK. We make our own bread and sauces. Only the vegetables and meat are sourced from outside,” avers Tanuj pointing out that the shawarma served in the city is not the authentic Lebanese version. “Kolkata shawarma has mayonnaise in it. Authentic shawarma doesn’t wrap mayonnaise with shredded chicken. We make our own saj bread and wrap with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, in-house pickles and a toum and tahina sauce,” explains Tanuj.
The chef also feels social media has been crucial to his business. After all, it’s through social media that Pronto has gained traction. While currently, he is concentrating on getting the brand on a strong footing, a dine-in option is definitely on his wish list.