Delhi does not need a reason to celebrate food. And Select Citywalk, a mall in Saket is just utilising the festive season to come together for a food fair, with pan Asian cuisines. It is going to be called the Asian Hawkers Market, which aims to be a culinary journey from Tokyo to Bali via Sichuan and Yangon brought by Asian chefs in Delhi.
Right after the Dussehra festivities when Delhi’s weather is expected to be the best, various standalone restaurants will come together at one location to present the cuisines of China, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. There will be Chinjabi (Chinese plus Punjabi dishes) on the menu too. So, you will see local food entrepreneurs also test new ideas and make connections on the ground. Together, the participants will present the hawker experience, which is the backbone of the Asian food tradition, with gourmet touches to make it special. The portions will be small, so that visitors can sample different cuisines without feeling uncomfortably full, and the prices will range from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
The participating restaurants include the multi-award-winning Neung Roi (Radisson Blu Plaza, NH8), Royal China, Mamagoto, Guppy and Pan Asian (Sheraton) as well as the ever-popular Jade (The Claridges), Dimsumbros, Asia 7, En and PCO/ATM, the reinvented Sampan, and newcomers such as Yum Yum Cha (the offshoot of the trend-setting Yum Yum Tree), Chi Ni (Dusit Devarana), The Fatty Bao, Wow Momo and Chi: The Asian Cookhouse.
Also on the Asian Hawkers Market’s crowded platter are the successful home delivery service Asian Haus; the instant hit, Social at Hauz Khas Village; and start-up entrepreneur Aftab Sidhu’s The Pho Kart, which will dish out finger food from Vietnam prepared by a cook who has just returned from the Southeast Asian country.
Keeping the Asian spirit alive will be a range of entertainment options for the entire family. Apart from over four music acts playing every evening, you can bring out the Bruce Lee in you with a special martial arts game. From Hoolas, to chopsticks to arm wrestling and even dance offs, there will be never a dull moment for the three days.
The Asian Hawkers Market is the initiative of four well-known food impresarios — Siddharth ‘Sid’ Mathur, director and head of food of the restaurant chain – Social and food consultant for My Square, Select Citywalk’s food court; Atul Sikand, creator and curator of Facebook’s busiest Indian recipe-sharing group, Sikandalous Cuisine; Tanveer Kwatra, executive chef, Le Meridien Gurgaon; and restaurant critic Sourish Bhattacharyya.
Asian Hawkers Market will be held from October 23 to 25 October at Select Citywalk, Saket.
Published 13 October 2015, 15:16 IST