Fine-dine restaurants make room for single diners

When you walk into a restaurant, the first thing you are asked is how many are dining with you. And when you tell them that you are alone, it gets awkward; sometimes you may even get ‘the look’.

Thankfully, some restaurants in Bengaluru are now welcoming single diners and serving portions meant for one.

High-end restaurants are now curating specialised menus or modify their existing a-la-carte menu. This concept works out really well for corporate executives and travellers who might not bring someone all the time or choose not to be wasteful.

ITC Gardenia and ITC Windsor have meal-for-one option at all their restaurants. They have a concept called ‘WelcomMeal’ for the guests who stay at the hotel, where diners get the best of everything available on the menu served in a bento box. The prices for single-dining outside guests and WelcomMeal start at Rs 1,500 (plus taxes). The culinary initiatives follow their responsible luxury policy. At J W Marriott, there’s a structured menu available only for the guests. They customise the menu to your choice, provided you are staying at the hotel.

Some high-end restaurants are also adopting this concept. Yauatcha at 1MG Mall has a ‘Taste of Yauatcha’ offering for lunch where you get tea along with a five-course meal with items like soup, salad, dim sum, stir-fry and dessert. It’s available in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options at Rs 988 and Rs 1,088 (plus tax), respectively. For dinner, if you want to know more about Cantonese cuisine, they have a ‘Supreme Taste of Yauatcha Experience’ that has a six-course set menu. Priced at Rs 1,388 for vegetarian and Rs 1,488 for non-vegetarian, these offerings are available only from Monday to Thursday. 46 Ounces Brewgarden in Electronic City gives you tiffin boxes for lunch. Available from Monday to Thursday, you can choose among ‘Delhi Darbar’, ‘Oriental Express’, ‘Southern Spice’ and ‘Global Palates’. It’s priced between Rs 299 and Rs 349.

Stand-alone restaurants have budget meals meant for one option. From one slice of pizza to small portion starters, the options are growing. XOOX Brewmill in Koramangala offers appetisers for one, priced between Rs 150 and Rs 180.

You can choose either a rice curry meal or idiyappam kotthu meal in vegetarian or non-vegetarian options at Rs 345 and Rs 395 respectively.

While the single-diner philosophy is aimed primarily at those who are at work, it also seeks to cover those who go in a group, but have specific preferences.

Uchit Vohra, executive chef, ITC Gardenia, says, “The idea is to encourage individuals to enjoy a meal on their own, even if they come in a group.”