Timmy Narang, along with partners Rohit Narang, Rohit Gupta and Rishi Acharya, is taking fine dining places.
Timmy Narang, along with partners Rohit Narang, Rohit Gupta and Rishi Acharya, is taking fine dining places
Azzuri Café and Mughal Chong seem to be a one stop eating experience for all. How do you keep each experience unique from the other?
I don’t think any place can do that. The emphasis is on the food itself. It all depends on what the customer is in the mood for. We have fantastic gourmet foods and sandwiches, and mocktails and cocktails as well in Azzuri. And as the name suggests Mughal Chong is a blend of Indian and Chinese cuisine for whatever you are in the mood for.
Why did did you guys zero in on Chembur? What is the target customer there?
Chembur and Ghatkopar are areas that have been ignored in many matters. New places are sprouting up in Juhu and Bandra all the time. So we thought that instead of people from Chembur going all the way to Bandra to eat, we offer them fine dining.
Are there other expansion plans in Chembur, probably a club or a pizza or gelato place?
Expansion plans for us is getting into food courts and malls. We are opening a food court in Atria very soon and many more in other large malls that are coming up. The concept of food courts and inter-branding is very novel and soon we will develop those brands into larger restaurant models.
Do you think that Japanese and continental fare are too elite for Chembur?
I would not like to say that it is too elite. The price range may not suit these areas. Also, it is South Mumbai and Bandra that has people who have the palate for Japanese fare. I don’t think it is the right concept at the moment for Chembur.
Do you think Japanese, Mexican, Italian cuisines are on the way out?
Japanese and Thai are definitely not on the way out. I would say it is the other way around. It is starting to mushroom throughout the city. It takes time for people to get accustomed to anything different.
However it is surprising that Mexican food hasn’t worked well even though the ingredients in Mexican food is very similar to Indian food. Indian and Chinese food are what people are familiar and comfortable with and still remain popular.
What do you foresee as the next trend in the restaurant business?
I think that specialised restaurants are out. Multi-cuisine restaurants, where people are given the choice of different cuisines, are the in thing More oriental choices are coming up; it’s not just Chinese, but also Thai and Japanese. All in all, dining out as a concept has really taken off in India, in particulr metro cities like Mumbai.
s_asish@dnaindia.net
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