hospitalitystyle.com

(July 2008) posted on Fri Jul 25, 2008 EDT

A tired restaurant for the horsey set in Bangalore’s Taj Residency gets energized with natural colors.

By Jenna Glatzer

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The dress code for Graze reads "smart casual." A year ago, that wouldn't have been the case. In its previous incarnation as The Jockey Club, the specialty restaurant at the Taj Residency Bangalore was anything but smart or casual. It was popular enough, but its formal Old-World feel and literal equine art references were not attractive to 30-year-old to 55-year patrons hungry for new menu options and a social "see-and-be-seen" experience. Nor did the restaurant fit with the easy, modern elegance of the newly renovated 166-room hotel. In the race for market share, The Jockey Club was pulling up short.

Known as a pioneer in foodservice (from introducing new cuisines to India to winning its first Michelin star for Quilon at London's 51 Buckingham Gate earlier this year), Mumbai-based Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces wasn't about to settle for second place. It  gave Los Angeles-based HFS Concepts 4 a budget of $700,000 and 18 months to reinvent the dark, cave-like restaurant as a contemporary fine-dining experience with a lot of European sophistication and a bit of Asian flair.

Both Graze's concept and execution had to have a multi-market draw, according to David Dunphy, executive vp, architecture and design, HFS Concepts 4. Unlike in the United States, much of the hotel restaurant traffic in India comes from locals, not just hotel guests. Graze's patrons would be high-end professionals and socially prominent people, and Taj Residency wanted an upscale yet informal restaurant for them.

To cater to this savvy, social market, HFS Concepts 4 played up a shared dining experience. There's a communal wine table with one of the largest selection of wines in the city displayed in cabinets on either side. The "chef's table" invites guests into chef de cuisine Steven Liu's world. From this privileged position, they can sit and interact with the chef over a custom-prepared meal, sample a tasting menu accompanied by specially chosen flights of wine, or just watch the chef at work.

Fresh thinking paid off. "Both the chef's table and communal table (which are rarely seen in the city) have been well appreciated and are regularly used by guests. In fact the chef's table is usually reserved well in advance," says Rohinton Commissariat, director of sales and marketing at TAJ Business Hotels.