This is the first of my YOUTH BRIGADE #youngatfood collection. Just love the way the youth are taking over business , love the way they, the educated breed is getting into entrepreneurship , not scared, not challenged but determined to try out life as a restaurant owner. They amaze the industry , they keep the stalwarts on their toes with the new concepts , science of cuisines they offer to the customers , they cater to the audience which would matter the most in the coming years , they are the catalyst to change for the industry .
The questions i am studying are - are they passionate ? Are they in it for the fly by night feeling of business ? Do they get into restauranting for the easy money ? Are they carrying ahead the legacy put together by their fore fathers ? Will they be able to retain the glory of the past ? would they be able to carry the recipes ahead ? Could do a thesis on this .
What came out of my first study was that yes they are passionate , they are educated , mildly experienced , determined , experimentive and dead serious . Spork and Spoke is one such baby in the restaurant business .
Spork and Spoke - Satya Niketan - What a buzz this place has i think it has two colleges , an mountaineering institute and other educational institutions , it has PG 's Hostels and residents staying in abundance . From 8 in the morning to late at night it is flooded with the youth in all shapes and sizes hehehehe. a treat to be there. Quite similar to hudson lane in DU . Good decision to opne a restaurant cafe in this area , challenging also as there is good competition. May the best win .
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| Kunal & Hitesh |
Kunal - Worked in the kitchen with the following hotels a.
Hyatt regency, new delhi b. Hyatt regency, jacksonville riverfront (Trellesis)
c. Le Meridien,new delhi (The One)
Hitesh - Worked with
Le Meridien as a trainee for 6 months in all major department (F&B service,
F&B production, Housekeeping, Front Office) , Worked with Hospitality
Solution(A company based in Noida which provide everything to hotels or
restaurants except cement & steel) as a procurement executive , Worked with Asian Haus(Foodcraft India Pvt
Ltd) for 1.5years as a Manager(Operations)..
Kunal-Comes from a Business family where we setup biotech ,
micro bio labs in school colleges and industries and helping science grow.
Hitesh- Comes from a joint family(Ladwa, Haryana). Dad
worked in italy for 22 years (Now settled in India with a small business), Mom
Housewife, Elder sister(Post Graduate M.C.A. Preparing for bank P.O. exams),
Elder Brother(Works in Germany, Stuttgart) (All in one put all the savings
& loan frm bank to open Spork & Spoke)
Kunal - F.H.R.A.I - I.H.M which was affiliated with Ecole hotelier de Lussane,
Switzerland
Hitesh - MMIHM(Maharishi Markandeshwar University
which is a Demmed university
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| Chef Dipesh |
Dipesh comes with 15 years of experience , the guy doesn't look that old wonder what age he entered the kitchen , but he does a remarkable job for a multi cuisine outlet like this . I loved the team all wearing nice new uniforms totally enthu about the jobs , beaming away .. lovely feeling Kunal and Hitesh .
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| Trendy Interiors |
Easy to understand interiors , unassuming , comfortable ,self designed , imaginative , bright , spelling out the spirit of youth in every corner. Loved the energy these guys have put into the restaurant . Surely the youth brigade is taking over .
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| The Menu |
Before the Class , Middle of the Class , Lunch Break , Soota Break , Date time ans then Dinner time . Thats how the menu has been designed . Its a carefully designed menu based on research done by the two wit the students .. basically they have incorporated What the College students like to eat at different times ..
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| Khao Suey |
Kunal has a Burmese connect in the family and this was their home style Khao Suey . he spoke with so much confidence about it , really impressed me . Normally people copy and fumble when you cross check ingredients with them on the khao suey , but my friend kunal had it all engraved into him by his mom . she apparently cooks the fish and sends to the restaurant everyday .. nicely done gravy .
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| Keema Pao |
The boys are so proud of this that as i sat down to eat they both insisted i tried the keema pao as it is the most popular dish of the eatery .. and they both pounced on to me together "Sir . First try the keema pao" heheheheheheh and yes nice spicy chatpata keema pao. and now i know why it is a hit with the Junta of the colleges .
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| Thai Red Curry |
Dipesh rules .. his experience in the Eastern kitchens was well showcased with this dish .. brilliant red curry , loved his plating .. totally well balanced thai curry in a hurry .
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| Atho |
Yet again a recipe from Kunals home .. the street food of Burma ATHO a very basic dish i last had was in Chennai .. yes Chennai hehehehehehe . thick noodles tossed in veggies , coconut gravy, topped with peanuts .. it is indeed yum . The Burmese have another dish called Letto which is similar but made with rice .This is a hit with the youth.
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| Chicken Curry their way |
Now this one has a story and trust me a good story .. i had finished eating and relishing all the above dishes .. suddenly this young friend of mine Hitesh comes with the chef Dipesh and says wil you not try our chicken curry , I was like bas bhai bas cant eat more .. they insisted so i gave in . Sorry about the pictures phone screwed up . But trust me it was the best dish of the meal .. A bsic chicken curry , with a hint of butter chicken , a hint of daal makhni .. yes all o f the gorgeous flavors in one chicken curry served with simple steamed rice ... it was truly fantastic and definitely worth killing yourself for .
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| Chokolava Cake |
This is Kunal's baby a trained pastry chef aur kya karga .. i was zapped when they told me the spoon is also made of chocolate .. made my life a bit tough .. had to eat the warm desert like in speed before the spoon also melted .. and yes i managed . Great chocolava cake by kunal a must try .
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| They Care |
What a lovely gesture .. flavored water , a hand sanitizer (free of cost ) shows their concern for hygiene and also that they care . Great idea Hitesh and kunal. They have a number of board games on the floor to keep everyone busy .
Q& A session withthe Youth Birgade -
Why did you keep this name ? Because
we have created our menu in such a style that it can be eaten with a Spork instead of a fork and a knife. And the meaning of Spork & Spoke is
CHIT CHAT OVER FOOD
How do you manage to keep the prices so low ? Well the prices we buy our material is the same that everyone else buys it at .. just that our overheads are low and secondly we are in a students zone so we have to be easy on the students pockets .
Whats the funda behind Spork & Spoke ? Concept: quirky
name, with lively ambiance providing fun to the guests with the board
games,books & make them #YoungAtFood with a passionate team being head by
kunal and Hitesh with a mix of rock, retro ,deep house, commercial Hindi with a
touch new Hindi and English music
Who do you dedicate this adventure too? Hitesh : Arjun Abbi sir , he is my mentor and i owe everything to him . Kunal : My Mom , she is an inspiration .
