BIA all set for culinary facelift

Bengaluru International Airport’s (BIA) brand new avatar with a feature-packed, expanded Terminal 1A will also be about a total culinary makeover.

In the forefront of this dramatic change with a distinctly local flavour will be the Malgudi Tiffin Centre, all set for the first passenger inside the upgraded Domestic Departure area. But the transformation wouldn’t be complete without 13 other food and beverage outlets being readied for take off by mid-January 2014.

Worldwide, most airport terminal service areas sport a uniform look driven by global brands. But this trend will clearly be reversed in T1A of the rechristened Kempegowda International Airport, especially the “Sense of Place” section of the F&B area. The Tiffin Centre will drive that sense in a very South Indian way, offering a cuisine range picked from the kitchens of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Global brands will be packed inside a second section dubbed the “Trust” branch, an area carved out by renovating the Terminal 1. A food court will be part of the third “Convenience” section, also featuring the Duty-Free outlets.

Expand outlets

Over the next six months, the F&B outlets will expand further, adding Chinese, French, Italian, and Mediteranean sections. Also on the expansion agenda is a KFC outlet, two bars (380 Degrees and Time-Out) and an Urban Food Market categorised for low-cost, domestic and international airline passengers. The international departure section will house the Eat @ Bengaluru section, featuring the “Seven Tawas” and “Noodle” restaurants. The 380 Degrees Bar will have a panoramic view of the apron and the Nandi Hills.

Besides food, the “Sense of Place” will also introduce first-time visitors to “Mithaas,” offering South Indian spice, sweets and coffee; the “Lotus House” packed with South Indian handicrafts and art, “Fabindia” and “Haute Curry” showcasing Indian ethno wear.

The only non-local outlet will be Hidesign. But this shop too will have the Pondicherry map etched on its map, and its products reflecting the essence of the South Indian territory.
This section, virtually in launch mode, will however require a security sweep before it goes operational next month. As Hari K Marari, President, Airport Operations, BIA, explained, the entire area will be cordoned off by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, who will then check every nook and corner before certifying it as “safe and clean.”

Safety and security would mean knives will be strictly out of the service area. Food preparation, as Executive Chef Murali Murthy put it, will use only electric equipment. LPG will have no place.

Once ordered, the food would be delivered in ten minutes. But for those in greater hurry, the Malgudi Express outlet will have its motto loud and clear: Grab and Fly!