Each of us react very differently to any given situation. A pandemic is no different. I've seen some patients who are super careful, some who go about daily life taking whatever precautions they can and some who have given up to the frustration and simply don't care anymore. Since all of us are part of the every ecosystem, the Restaurant industry is no different. While I'm yet to see anyone who doesn't care, I was super happy to see restaurant owners come up with innovations and some have caught my eye. Yes, everyone is scrambling to get their Food to your homes, but some have gone a bit further than just that. Read on.

The Weekly Lunch by Prem's Grama Bhojanam

One of Chennai's pride, PGB as it is fondly called is run by a food encyclopedia of sorts Mr NS Krishnamoorthy (NSK). With everything made with millets, he simply served extremely healthy food in extremely tasty ways and beyond a point, the fact that it was healthy was simply a side effect. The perfect way to get healthy food inside you is not having to make it difficult for you to eat it. And he did that with great finesse. So what did he do this lockdown?

He simply put up a weekly lunch, priced at Rs 300 for one, 550 for two and he also has a pack for four I think (plus delivery). Food arrives on a Saturday at lunch time and I was ready to devour it and go to sleep, but nope, this food didn't put me to sleep. This food is very difficult to describe because it is simplicity at its best, the trick and magic not coming from exotic ingredients, but from the knowledge that this man has amassed over the years. Even if you are served the most bitter of the vegetables, you will be gulping it down and asking for more - that is how he cooks him. 

[Prem's Grama Bhojan]

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Slow Cooked Food, by PizzaDeli

Chennai's oldest pizza delivery, Pizzadeli might bring back a memory or two to the 90s kids, who might have seen a large pizza delivered by a guy on a bicycle. 45 minutes or free! 95 bucks! The owner, Bushan, going 'Peeeeettttzzadeeeelli' when you call up for the order is something I can never forget. This joint wore its Indianness on its sleeve with the craziest Indian flavours on offer. But along with the pizzas, they also serve massive sandwiches. What did he do this lockdown?

With no avenues for real slow cooked food, Bushan took that route serving up amazing slow cooked food. Chicken, beef, pork, you name it, he has it. I tried the roast chicken with Alabama sauce, just the chicken falling off the bone was a sight to behold. Served with some veggies and a beautiful herbed bread, it arrives in a nice package, that you can put straight to the microwave for a few minutes before it is ready to go. 

[Menu and prices]

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Food Packs, by Kappa Chakka Kandhari. 

This fantastic Kerala restaurant is not opening anytime soon, yet. Chef Reji says, that when he is super confident of recreating the same experience, he will open up. But in the meanwhile, he has modified his menu to suit home delivery, so there is an entirely new menu that has been curated with dishes that travel well and won't destroy the experience.

I've never heard of kallappam before. When it arrived home, it tasted pretty much like appam, but in an entirely new avatar. Chef Reji says that when he does picnics and wants appams, they make appams like this that don't dry out, compared to the fresh crisp appams that need to be eaten straight off the stove. But the most beautiful looking dish is the Biriyani Bento box. Yes, biriyani with Japanese aesthetics. Besides food from the kerala homes that KCK is known for, there are foods from other cuisines with chef Reji's touch too. 

[KCK Foods]

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Phuket Street by Benjarong

What else can Benjarong do? Easily one of the best places for comfort Thai food with occasional but excellent food festivals from around Asia, this restaurant also took a wonderful move that will not dilute the restaurant experience, but adapted it to the home delivery market.

A new brand called Phuket street. Modelled after the 7/11 ready to eat meals in Bangkok (I love those meals), Phuket Street has preset meal combos at a price that is just right. They have ensured that only meals that travel well are on the menu, so a nice fried rice with a little sauce and a nice chunky superbly done chicken breast is what I got! I'm rather excited to try all the other combos, particularly the Pad Thai! 

[Phuket Street] 

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DIY Kits, Novotel

I've been to Novotel only once and that too for a food festival, so I'm not very sure about the food there. But they decided that the best way to home deliver food is for you to do some part of the cooking! And their DIY boxes are designed to make it easy for you. I got the Eggs benedict, which is probably the most difficult of the DIY kits since poaching an egg is no mean feat for the uninitiated, but we enjoyed that weekend. Everything you need is in the box, complete with instructions. There are some simple boxes and there are exotic boxes at the pricier end, so you have a range! 

[Tossed by Koox]

These were my pick of the restaurants that offered something new during the lockdown. Did any new offerings interest you? Let me know. 

Happy Eating!