Want to eat out during the Pujas but scared to venture into crowded restaurants amidst the pandemic? Fret not. A new company promises to not just bring world cuisine to your dining table, but also to transform your living room as per your theme of choice.
So a Durga puja theme party could have artwork out of shiuli flowers on your table, hath pakhas hung up on the walls and fairy lights in warm tones of red and gold. If you prefer a cosy date night with your beloved, the TV room could be done up with rugs and warmers, dining space would be candle-lit and the passage to the bedroom would be covered with rose petals.
“The first step is to ask the client their budget,” says Amandeep Singh, a BC Block resident who has started Delish Dreams. “Based on that we do the break-up of how much to spend on decor and food. Our team then goes over to check out the house so details can be sorted.
For the decor, the company has vendors who either sell or rent out items. The decoration usually takes five hours. They take over extension cords and an electrician to fix the lightings.
Delish Dreams has its own cloud kitchen in AB Block but for such experiential orders, they send over a chef to cook at the client’s house. “Actually the kitchen area becomes our biggest challenge as a household kitchen isn’t meant to prepare meals for 30 heads. Plus there could be domestic helps strolling in and out doing their thing. So we take over semi-cooked dishes and do the final bits there. So guests get served hot fritters or fresh-from-the-oven pizzas while chatting,” says Singh, who started this venture after a four-year stint in the hospitality industry.
The team takes over utensils, induction cookers, OTGs etc and once ready, the dishes are served by liveried waiters. The tables are set as per the theme along with matching crockery and cutleries. They can also set up a buffet system.
“My years in hospitality have taught me that eating a good meal is more about the experience than anything else. Five other restaurants will serve the dishes you make but customers will come back to you if you can give them a good time,” Singh says. “So far we have done up homes for propsals, date nights, welcome home parties, but we expect to do good business during the pujas as people are scared of Covid but still want to meet friends.”
Their staff, by the way, is vaccinated. They do thermal checks every morning and report wearing masks and face shields. The average cost of a party like this with decor, food and service for four to six people may cost about Rs 18,000 but the budget would always be customsied.
The company does not serve Bengali food but their target group is cosmopolitan who, Singh feels, would like to try new dishes. “Mediterranean cuisine is picking up, as people realise how much more it has to offer than Shwarma and Humuus. There’s Jawaneh, which is chicken wings marinated in a herb called za’atar, Manakeesh, a middle eastern take on pizza with herbs like za’atar and thyme cheese...”
He also raves about their oriental menu, that includes Mushroom and Truffle Cheese Dumplings and Gyoza with Spicy Peanut Sauce. This is a Japanese dumpling that is steamed on one side, fried on the other. They also serve Mexican, Italian, American cuisines.