The Flying Elephant
And Other
Quirky Names of Restaurants in India
I was early for my dental appointment and as I awaited my turn for a
consultation, I casually flipped through the special issue on ‘Food
and Drink” published by a leading Indian fashion and lifestyle
magazine, featuring some of the best restaurants in India. These restaurants
had strange names ranging from, “The Flying Elephant” to “Masala Library”. Thus
began my journey into the world of exotic and quirky restaurant names.
First up was a restaurant named “The Flying Elephant”. I wondered how
the restaurant derived its name, until I discovered that it is an architectural
masterpiece spanning over seven levels, which has a vertical restaurant and a
culinary theatre. A resident DJ ensures that the Elephant keeps flying on most
nights, making the name apt for this multi-cuisine restaurant at the Park
Hyatt, Chennai. The only other “Flying Elephant” I have heard of, is the
nickname given to the new AIRBUS A-380, a double-deck, wide-body ,
four-engine jet airliner.
Then there was this restaurant named “The Table” and I thought to myself,
shouldn’t it have been named “The Table and Chair” instead, because you
would need a chair to sit and eat.
Moving on, I came across one called “The Bricklane Grill” and the other
named “Brick House”, I instantly knew that it referred to Punjabi Dhabas that
we find on our highways where they prepared Rumali roti and butter naan on a
tava, balanced on two bricks.
Turning pages, I came across this place called “Sunset Ashram”, where
you would be having your dinner at the “Ashram” after “Sunset”. I
discovered that “Sunset Ashram”, is a restaurant and bar located in a quiet and
secluded stretch in the proximity of the Ashwem Beach in Goa, offering its
guests a spectacular view of the setting sun in the Arabian Sea while relaxing
themselves to soothing music and experiencing a sense of peace and tranquility,
hence the name.
“The Glass
House” was next on the list, which I guess, must have been named after the
famous “Glass House” in the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens in Bengaluru.
Continuing
to flip through the special issue, I came across a restaurant named, “The Town
Hall”. I knew the location of this one, the iconic Puttanachetty “Town Hall”
located on J.C Road, Bengaluru. Built in 1935, this place is perpetually under
renovation, ever since I can remember.
The other
names mentioned in the magazine were “Benihana” (Japanese), “Zanotta Cucina”
(Italian), “Yuuka” (Japanese), Mekong (Vietnamese), “Yauatcha”
(Cantonese), “Peshawari” (Indo-Pak), “Amour” (French), and “Arola”
(Spanish), which reminds of a veritable mini United Nations, right here
in India.
Next featured was the restaurant “Ohm”. This one stumped me for I
thought they had misspelt the name. I recollect that in school we were taught
that, ohm is a unit of resistance and we had to mug up Ohm’s law
named after German physicist and mathematician Georg Simon Ohm. Gosh, the names
of restaurants people come up with!
There was
also a restaurant named “Masala Library” which I thought served “Sizzlers”
on the Kindle Fire Tablet. I would not be surprised if the waiter walked up to
you and asked, “So, how would you like your book served Sir? Sautéed, deep
fried or poached?” In reality, the restaurant gets its name from the four
decades of research and exploration carried out by the legendary chef Jiggs
Kalra on the centuries old customs and culinary traditions practiced in Indian
Kitchens.
As a
flipped through the magazine, I came across these two Japanese restaurants
named “EDO” and “EN”, which served authentic sushi, sashimi, succulent robatayaki,
crisp tempura and artful bento meals. Let alone, Japanese, these items on the menu
seemed all Greek and Latin to me.
The magazine’s
last page featured a restaurant named the “Playboy Club”; I am going in to this
one, not for the food or the wine but you know why! Just as I was about
to enter the “Playboy Club”, I was interrupted from my reverie, it was my turn
to have the painful “wisdom tooth” extracted. Oh no, I said to myself, there goes
my peek into the forbidden world.
(This article was
originally published in Caledioscope, here is the revised and updated version).
Author’s Note: This is a humorous article with malice
towards none.
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