There seems to be a new restaurant mushrooming in Bengaluru every fortnight. According to the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) India Food Services Report – 2019, the city has over 42,000 restaurants approximately. That is more restaurants than the total population of a few island nations. And this report is four years old. The number has probably gone up now. As the city’s dining landscape expands, there is a growing need for uniqueness and authenticity. New restaurateurs have started to realise that merely offering familiar dishes might not suffice in a market saturated with such options. Thus, the decision to specialise in niche cuisines caters to the city’s diverse and discerning food enthusiasts and fills a void by introducing lesser-known flavours and culinary traditions.
Moplah’s, in Koramangala fifth block, is one such restaurant. It offers Malabari (North Kerala) cuisine. Venu Nambiar, the restaurateur, says there are places aplenty in Bengaluru that offers Kerala food. So, sticking to Malabari dishes, he reckons, is a solid strategy to stand out.
Venu is not new to the food business. He has stakes in Chianti, a chain of Italian restaurants in the city. But Moplah’s is more personal for him. Being a Malayali raised outside Kerala, he visited his ancestral home in North Kerala during school vacations in the ‘70s. “Our neighbours were Muslims. They would bring home food or invite us over for iftar and other festivities. I found their style of cooking unique. They were also warm people. So, I have a fondness for their food.”
