As Chandigarh does not find a place in Conde Nast Traveller’s ‘India’s Top 50 Restaurants’ list, one wonders why?

Here’s a reality check. One may find a Sher-e-Punjab dhaba even at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, but Punjab just missed being on the Conde Nast Traveller’s ‘India’s Top 50 Restaurants’ list!

Beyond the Chicken Neck, home cooks may be abandoning the traditional chicken curry in favour of Chicken Patiala, but when one craves for a hearty Punjabi meal in style, one thinks of Dhaba — The Claridges in Delhi.

It took 100 eminent food critics, writers, chefs, fashion designers, artists, curators and others, who know their food, to exclude Chandigarh, the food destination of Punjab, from the elite list!

The problem may just lie in the word ‘elite’. The luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller seems to be too comfortable in the big metro settings to turn its lens on Chandigarh eateries. The only one they picked up from the region beyond Delhi is NAAR, an exclusive destination dining experience curated by Chef Prateek Sadhu. Nestled at Darwa village near Kasauli, it’s at a stone-throw distance from Chandigarh but I wonder how many people know about this gourmet destination. I have never come across any advertisement nor read about it in the local media. Though it has been periodically written about by all luxury lifestyle magazines, including Conde Nast Traveller India. As elitist as they come!

So, the industry insiders, who rue the fact that it’s not just great food and good ambience that secures a position on such a list, but depends on ones networking capacity too, just may have a point.

The jury that voted for restaurants that fall in the Delhi circuit (Lucknow, Chandigarh, and cities and towns all the way up to Srinagar and Leh) had Magandeep Singh, writer and sommelier, Vikram Achanta, co-founder of 30 Best Bars India and Shivesh Bhatia, food blogger, author and food stylist, along with senior journalists Neha Prasada and Priya Rana, and lifestyle influencer Sakshi Sidhwani, executive director of Forest Essentials Samrath Bedi, co-founder of Juggernaut Books Chiki Sarkar, and director of Roli Books Priya Kapoor. MasterChef India 2016 finalist Sadaf Hussain, veteran food writer Sourish Bhattacharyya, fashion entrepreneur Pernia Qureishi and Wedding Design Company’s creative director Vedika Mohan.

None of them are from Chandigarh! That is odd considering the fact that Chandigarh has attracted all major food chains from Delhi and other metros to open branches here. Paharganj ke mashoor chole bhature? Yes, bring it on! Kareem? Welcome! The Hyatt, The Taj, The Lalit…more the merrier! But is Chandigarh just a dumping ground for the franchise-happy biggies? Seems so. Here is an example. Virat Kohli’s signature restaurant One8 Commune, which recently opened an outlet in Mohali, is still awaiting the cricketer’s visit. He is yet to see his own restaurant! With such ‘step-ownerly’ treatment, Chandigarh’s outlets have little hope of outshining their big-city counterparts.

But then, what about those indigenous ones — Ghazal, Mehfil, ShivalikView, Mountview and score of others? “We are stuck in our comfort zone,” say some industry insiders. Is this a comfort induced by Chandigarh’s limited geographical area, people’s conservative taste-buds or trouble in procuring the right ingredients?

While they admit that procuring even simple ingredients like fresh jalapeno, oyster leaf and sea foods can be a task, the good news is that there is an emerging segment which is experimental enough. If the city lacks in anything, it’s talent. “No good chef is willing to work here for more than six month,” they tell me. Not those who come from outside, not even those who the city’s numerous hospitality-related institutes are producing. Because whatever action is happening in the epicurean world, it’s happening outside. In such a scenario, dreaming of a chef-driven venture like NAAR is just that — a dream.

But then where there is a dream, there is a way. And the way Chandigarh is looking at is the pop-up phenomenon. This involves inviting a renowned chef from another city, and surrender the kitchen to him for a limited period. He curates a menu, cooks and introduces the city patrons to a new taste, a new concept. It’s a win-win situation for all three parties — the chef gets visibility, the clients get to acquire a new taste, and the owner makes a neat profit, if the sold-out tables at any pop-up event is any indication. Many feel that pop-up chefs are going to be the toast of 2025.

So, a movement has already been initiated, though the Conde Nast Traveller stamp still remains unattainable for the moment. Maybe, till we get there, some corporate house, which may or may not be related to food and hospitality, can take inspiration from Michelin, the tyre-making company (which initiated Michelin Star for restaurants), and initiate a rating system. Let’s face it — paid awards and paid reviews may bring visibility, not credibility.