Veeba presents Asian Hawkers Market III, India’s Asian food festival returns with its third edition this October. Delhi-NCR’S multi-award-winning East and South-East Asian restaurants will converge on October 21-23, 2016, for the third time in two years for a bigger and better third edition of the Asian Hawkers Market (AHM-III) at Select Citywalk, Saket.
The debutants this season include Masterchef India 5 judge and restaurateur Zorawar Kalra’s Pa Pa Ya, which will open at Select Citywalk after showcasing its modernist Pan Asian cuisine at AHM-III; Burma Burma, which has won heaps of accolades for its all-vegetarian menu after opening at the DLF Cyber Hub; Aftab Sidhu’s Jom Jom Malay, which is opening shortly at the new and revamped Ansal Plaza; Eest, the popular Pan-Asian restaurant of Westin Gurgaon; Ping’s Cafe Orient, from the promoters of PCO and ATM; Wai Wai City, the best-selling instant noodles brand’s first foray into the quick service restaurants space; and Wok Tok (The Grand New Delhi), which is making its debut with Executive Chef Nilesh Dey.
Restaurateur, Priyank Sukhija, is also joining the AHM-III line-up with his best-selling bar brand, Lord of the Drinks, which has earned the sobriquet of “the Lord of Connaught Place”. Another noteworthy newcomer is Noshi, the home delivery brand of the phenomenally successful Yum Yum Cha restaurants of Varun and Prathna Tuli.
Pa Pa Ya’s Kalra, who’s also famous for his Farzi Cafe and Masala Library brands, is full of anticipation. Sharing his excitement about participating in AHM-III, he said, “The Asian Hawkers Market is an amazing way to sample great Asian cuisine from across Delhi-NCR finely curated by a group of passionate people.”
Echoing his sentiments, National Restaurant Association of India President Riyaaz Amlani added, “It is always great to soak up the electric atmosphere of the Asian Hawkers Market. Great food, huge choice, amazing people. I am transported at once to foodie heaven and my diets go flying out of the window.”
As in the previous two seasons, AHM-III will have 21 stalls and 14 carts. Explaining the cap on numbers, Atul Sikand, founder of Facebook’s recipe-sharing community, Sikandalous Cuisine and co-founder of the Asian Hawkers Market said, “Limited numbers, small plates, easy-on-the-wallet prices and careful curation are the four pillars of our success. They ensured we received more than 55,000 visitors in the last season of the Asian Hawkers Market.”
Sikand was speaking on behalf of the other three co-founders: Sid Mathur, Director & Head of Food at Riyaaz Amlani’s Impresario Hospitality, the creators of the Social and Smoke House Deli brands; celebrated chef Tanveer Kwatra, who’s now the Director of Cuisine at the upcoming W Goa; and food writer and blogger Sourish Bhattacharyya. The live entertainment, including the famous flash mobs, as in the past two seasons, will be curated by Divij Kaul, Daniel Rajan and their team at Limn Entertainment.
Old favourites Asia 7 (Ambience Mall, Gurgaon), Jade (The Claridges New Delhi), Honk (Pullman New Delhi Aerocity), Latest Recipe (The Oberoi Gurgaon), Mamagoto, Neung Roi (Radisson Blu Plaza NH-8) and Wow Momos will be there with new offerings on their platter. Food service leaders Veeba, who are sponsoring the Asian Hawkers Market for the second season in a row, are also using the opportunity to showcase their new sauces and dressings.
Commenting on Veeba’s association with the Asian Hawkers Market, its Founder-CEO Viraj Bahl said, “The Asian Hawkers Market is the most well-organised food festival of the city. A food lovers’ delight with the best oriental cuisine restaurants, entertainment and music, it is by far the best way to spend your weekend with friends and family! Truly a way of making your life taste better, something we believe passionately at Veeba.”
Veeba and the rest of the crowd-pullers will be joined by old favourites Benihana (Epicuria, Nehru Place), whose team will be back with teppanyaki selections served with dramatic special effects; the ever-buzzy Big Fat Sandwich; Fatty Bao (Sangam Courtyard, R K Puram), whose baos have always run out at the Asian Hawkers Market; and the home-delivery specialists, Thai Crate. Asian Haus, whose chicken katsu curry with rice has been a runaway hit in the past, is back for AHM-III; so is Guppy By Ai with its famed sushi rolls.
The prolific restaurateur AD Singh, the man behind the Fatty Bao and Guppy By Ai brands, was happy to see two of his restaurants in the select line-up. “I love Oriental food and for a person like me it’s a mini-paradise!” Singh said. “We are happy that Guppy and Fatty Bao have been part of this niche, well-thought-of concept from the beginning.”
A niche coffee brand whose coffee capsules and coffee machines have seen a steady market growth, Bonhomia will serve cold and hot coffees (including its speciality, peanut butter cold coffee), apart from coffee desserts. Chai Point, tea retailer, will present its best-selling cold and hot teas, besides its famous Szechwan samosas and banana cake.
