The ongoing Covid 19 pandemic may well have been a nightmare for the country’s food industry, but for cloud kitchens. Cloud kitchen, which works on the concept of just delivering food, but not serving it, has witnessed an astronomical growth in India in the past one-and-a-half years.

Though people stopped venturing out to dine to avoid crowds, and office goers started working from home, the pandemic hasn’t deterred people from ordering their favourite food from outside. Thus, the new situation turned out to be a boon for chefs, who lost their jobs, or those who desired to start their own eatery. One such Cloud kitchen is Nameste Asia that delivers pan Asian cuisines at the doorstep and has flourished during the lockdown.

The eatery has come up with a new kitchen ~ Namaste Desi, specialising in North Indian cuisine. “We are delighted to launch our second Cloud Kitchen in Delhi NCR and bring a greater selection of food to our customers in the Capital,” informed Anubhav Nayar, Co-Owner and Chef, Namaste Asia and Namaste Desi. “Going back full circle, we find ourselves wanting to serve you a meal you cannot forget and make you try new flavours and dishes that haven’t been brought forward before. We hope to serve you for times to come and keep on raising the bar of in-home dining,”

According to a report by RedSeer Management Consulting, Cloud Kitchens are set to be a $2 billion industry in India by 2024, up from $400 million in 2019. Given this trend, many big hospitality brands have come up with their delivery-only brands.

The trend seems to be favourable for customers also as they get their favourite food at a cheaper price at their doorstep. The reason for lower food prices in cloud kitchens is that they don’t have overhead operational costs, unlike a proper restaurant.

We went through the menu of Namaste Desi and found it to be an eclectic mix of humble street food and plenty of homely dishes. The kitchen brings recipes from the Northern Frontier, throwing special light on dishes from their ancestral hometowns of Karachi, Lahore and Sindh.

One can choose from wholesome and mouth-watering selections of appetizers like Chargrilled Malai Soya Chaap, Truffle Malai Brocolli, Malai Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Bharwa Mushroom, Desi Ghee Ka Murg Tikka and from vegetarians it includes Kadhai Kumbh, Amritsari Choley, Paneer Makhani, Kadhai Paneer and Dal Namaste Desi.

We ordered Saboot Tandoori Murg for starters and Paneer Makhni, Murg Makhni, Ghost Nihari and Murg Kali Mirch for the main course, accompanied by Gosht Biryani and Khameeri Roti. With the pandemic still in the air, the first thing we expected from the kitchen people was a safe delivery of the food.

It doesn’t disappoint us, as the rider had taken all precautions, including sanitising himself as well as the food packets. Even though our home is a little far from the kitchen, we found the food was hot and well-packed. Of course, this is what one expects when food is delivered.

The food did not disappoint in terms of taste too. The Tandoori Murg was soft and melted in the mouth, Gosht Nihari was a little spicy and Murg Makhni was butter chicken but I loved its sweet taste. Their Gosht Biryani was well packed and up to the mark. Overall, it was a good experience, nothing less than dining at a restaurant. In other words, one can say, Cloud Kitchens will rule the culinary scene in the coming years.