I am selling the food with the concept- Siddharth Aggarwal

If there is one thing culinary experts from around the world swear by it is the Indian ‘curry’. But the curry is not just limited to India. With each passing generation, new countries and regions have added their own specialities and entered the curry genre of food. Piali- The Curry Bistro is all set to bring about a revolution around this world famous ‘curry’.

When did you planned to start a ‘Curry’ focused restaurant?

I am doing CA and I am in the last phase of completing my CA. My brother and I started our first restaurant in Roorkee by the name of Olive and the experience started from there only. I partnered with my friend Ashish Gupta who is government contractor and we together started this restaurant.

What made you choose CP over other locations?

At first I thought of starting a restaurant in East Delhi, but after seeing the expenses and rentals I think to go with Connaught Place as this place has high footfall as compared to east Delhi. CP is very good market and now it is growing. It was stabilise from last 10 years but from last two years restaurateurs like Umang Tewari and Priyank Sukhija have changed the face of the place.

Why are you focusing on curries as your main serving?

As curries is India’s favourite our focus will be on world curries- Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, all the famous curries from all over the world will be our focus. Different types of curry have travelled from around the world and evolved over the ages. This is why we decided to give a little more attention to the curry by making it the dish in focus at Piali. Assam curry, Bihari Fish Tikka Curry, Bengali curries are some of other top curries that will be our speciality. We have 20 starters, Pasta, Pizza and a high end bar serving beer along with it.

Why did you choose Delhi over Roorkee as you are already running a restaurant there?

I am operating a restaurant from last 3 years and my last restaurant is also doing well. In Roorkee it is only the family and the IIT crowd. Everyone is not ready to get into the bar. However, in Delhi if there is no bar restaurant will be no success.

What is the total investment done to start this restaurant?

We have put about 2.5 crore to start this restaurant. The total investment is done by Ashsih and me.

From where do the roots come to enter the business?

My family is a business family in Roorkee and we sell utensils and crockery related stuffs. And, we have supply of raw materials like brass, aluminium. So, I think it was in blood that got me into the food business.

What is the size of the restaurant? And, how is the designing done?

The size of the restaurant is around 2000 sqft. It is a 70 cover casual dining restaurant. I am not selling the concept. In fact, I am selling the food with the concept. Designed by Heena Hnada from Design Board Gurgaon the restaurant has most contemporary architecture, with wooden furnishings, an artificial fireplace and incandescent lighting.

What is your expansion plans?

I have already planned if this restaurant hits the market I will open another soon. I think Satyaniketan could be target location. In next five years I am targeting 10 outlets.