Food : Interactive Buffets Make Eating More Fun

 Hyatt Regency, Teynampet


CHENNAI: Most folks would probably blink if they heard the term ‘interactive buffet’. But in the world of an executive chef, it’s the difference between stale, done-to-death food presentation available in a line, and the opportunity to create right in front of the customer’s eyes.

 Live stations, a phrase more people are familiar with, may have started off with basics like Chinese noodles and omelettes way back when a buffet itself was a novel concept. But these days, it’s the more the merrier andinnovative options like a potato martini bar and bamboo basket soup that often bring people back, and not just for seconds.   

Experiments You Can Customise

If you stick to dishes you know, it’s unlikely you’ll enjoy the well thought out chef experiments that Chennai has to offer these days. So live a little and let your palate do the deciding. And who’s to say that you can’t order an exciting flambé or teppanyaki plate without some instruction to your chef? At an interactive buffet, ‘custom cooking’ is the name of the game.

Live Favourites

Some of the popular interactive stations that you are likely to stumble upon the next time you go out are a fresh juice bar, dan dan noodles, dim sums, a sushi bar, a sandwich bar, carving stations, customised chats, fresh catch of the sea, barbeque, grills, roast stations, tagines, shawarmas and even ice lollies!  And very often, menus are engineered weeks in advance to suit ‘themed buffet banquets’ requested by corporate and big wigs who’d like to try something out of the box.

This also helps a culinary team to promote interactive stations, replace old stations with new ones, and keep things rolling smoothly. Moreover, it minimises wastage. Cost control with planned ingredients, both local and imported, in as you can imagine, is an important factor for all of us!    

Health Trend & Senses Determine Your Appetite

Keeping in mind that guests are more fitness conscious nowadays, there is always a salad bar with nutrition-rich combinations, sometimes on a plate, sometimes in a bowl and…if done well, sitting pretty in a shot glass. Did you know that 60 per cent of one’s appetite comes from what we see, as opposed to what we smell?

Noodle Memories

I remember when I was younger I would visit a Chinese restaurant, where the chefs would give us a live demo of handmade noodles, before it was cooked and served. It was really an amazing experience to watch, right from the making of the dough to seeing it stretched, folded and finally seeing knots being made. The knots used to get thinner and thinner and produce noodles. It became a time of bonding for me, as I would  go there to dine often just to interact with the chefs, observe their showmanship and think to myself, how can I be a master of the art?

(The writer is the executive chef at the Hyatt Regency, Teynampet)

 Express News Service

 30th October 2014 06:09 AM