Now outsource home-style nutritious meals to a five-star chef seven days a week

Star hotels are catering to the increasing need for healthy, immunity-boosting foods that are convenient and come at an accessible price point
Qmin serves meals with immunity-boosting herbs and spices
Qmin serves meals with immunity-boosting herbs and spices

The lockdown has led to a burgeoning demand for home-style meals that are nutrient-dense and convenient to access. And five-star hotels in Chennai and Bengaluru are answering the call by adding subscription meal plans to their menus. While a couple of years ago, this might have been unheard of with only independent players in this market, and the focus of luxury hotels being gourmet offerings — the pandemic has rewritten all of the old rules. 

<em>Kitchen Takeover by ITC Grand Chola serves homely vegetarian meals</em>
Kitchen Takeover by ITC Grand Chola serves homely vegetarian meals



Simple, clean, healthy
Zubin Songadwala, Area Manager, South ITC Hotels and GM ITC Grand Chola tells us their week-old initiative Kitchen Takeover is to assist with home kitchens that are not up and running at this time. “In many of our apartment blocks, domestic help is not allowed at present. In other houses, helpers have fallen ill or gone back to their houses or we ourselves, as responsible citizens have stopped them from coming because someone in the house in unwell.” Then of course, there are those in quarantine, in COVID-recovery and the elderly. Expect all-vegetarian boxes that serve up healthy comfort food — from pongal to poha to pulao (INR 2,399 to INR 29,999 depending on your plan).

Grand Mercure Bengaluru’s Care Dabba curates nutritious comfort foods
from across the country



Peas of mind
Keep in mind, this is more than just home basics outsourced to a hotel. Menus are researched to be balanced as well as, “designed to meet the nutritional requirements of those under quarantine or in isolation,” says executive chef, Suvaranjan Banerjee, Grand Mercure Bengaluru at Gopalan Mall. We’re told that the hotel’s recently launched, Care Dabba, serves a cyclic menu that covers everything from a simple Rajma Chawal to travel favourites like Allepey Fish Curry and Bengali Kacha Amer Mugir Jhol (INR 2,100 for a single meal for seven days). Variety and nutritional quotient apart, chef Suvaranjan adds, “The idea behind this is to give our guests some peace of mind.”


Ayurveda-inspired
Qmin, IHCL’s (Indian Hotels Company) gourmet food delivery platform (includes Taj, Vivanta, The Gateway) takes things a step further. Apart from a daily menu for lunch and dinner, you could also opt for their immunity enhancement, INNERgise boxes. “These vegetarian meals are prepared with immunity-boosting herbs, spices and antioxidant-rich superfoods, in consultation with Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal (century-old Ayurveda institution), shares Sujan Mukherjee, executive chef, Taj Coromandel Chennai (INR 1,500 ++ for a three-course menu. Regular meals INR 750 upwards). 

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com