[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Real Indian cuisine in a new leaf" ids="115982,115980,115981"]By Abdul Rahman M. Baig "I KNOW this restaurant will do good as there is a requirement of an Indian restaurant in this hotel as there's a lot of Indian culture inside Jeddah Hilton, and hence Ginger Leaf has made its way here, said Indian Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh at the Ginger Leaf inauguration at the Hilton hotel in Jeddah. Khaled Almaeena, political and media analyst and managing partner Quartz Communications, was the guest of honor at the opening of the Ginger Leaf Restaurant, catering to Indian cuisine. Mohammed Shahid Alam, deputy consul general and Haj consul, consuls Anand Kumar, Dr. Noorul Hasan, Moin Akhtar and few media personalities were among the invitees who attended the opening of the Ginger Leaf restaurant at Jeddah Hilton. Sheikh said, "I would like to congratulate Inayat Ramejan and his team for opening an Indian restaurant. The food here in the restaurant is quite tasty and well prepared. I am sure the taste of the food will attract the customers to come and visit the restaurant." Almaeena too congratulated the Jeddah Hilton management on the opening of the first Indian restaurant, Ginger Leaf, inside their hotel and added, "I am sure they will bring the best of Indian cuisine from diverse regions." He said, Indian restaurants are highly successful throughout the Kingdom as Saudis are fond of Indian dishes very much. Shahid Alam too lauded the management for their effort in launching this restaurant. "The ambience and the taste of the food will attract not only Indians but also Saudis and other nationals to enjoy the real authentic taste of Indian food made from the fabulous use of herbs and spices. In their efforts to bring authentic Indian cuisine the management hiring an expert chef from India is much appreciated." On his part, the hotel's Director of Business Development Inayat Ramejan said, "We conducted a research and found that there is no real fine dining of the Indian cuisine in Jeddah. My management felt strongly that we should introduce real fine dining Indian restaurant in Jeddah Hilton. Knowing the size of Indian community in Jeddah and many Saudis' love for Indian food, we opened this Indian restaurant." "Two chefs have joined us from India exclusively for Ginger Leaf to cater to our customers' demand of authentic Indian cuisine. We have other Indian chefs who are already working here in different restaurants of Jeddah Hilton, and they too will bring their experiences and touch to Ginger Leaf," he added. Ahmed Alkutbi, PR and marketing manager at Jeddah Hilton, said, "Indian cuisine speaks volumes about the great nation's richness whether it is in its diversity, culture, hospitality, adaptability and embracing of everything good from others. I am a true Indian food lover. I like the biryanis and chicken Tikka masala cooked by Indians." He added that our commitment is to showcase our talent in the hospitality industry. A variety of unique and distinctive dishes of the country's refined culinary tradition will be presented in this restaurant. We have brought a very talented chef from India Anil Kumar, who is an expert in preparing all kind of Indian foods from different region. We are trying to make this diversification in the food and beverage outlets as this is the need of the hour in the local market here in Saudi Arabia. Gaurav Shimon, restaurant manager of Ginger Leaf, said, "We have chefs who came directly from India and are expert in preparing Indian food. Though the demand for an Indian restaurant is huge, we will be opening the restaurant only for dinner now." Fahad Abu Sarir, jr. food and beverage manager, said, "I am a big Indian food fan. India is the land of spices and rich culture. The cuisine changes every 200 kms and so do language and the taste of food. Indian food is filled with different aroma of natural herbs and taste. We will be showcasing few of those varieties at a single point, as each region in India carries more than 100 memorable varieties and flavor. On menu will be an array of delicacies, all authentic and mouth-watering, from different regions of India prepared by an experienced chef Anil. Indian food is like classical music raga — it takes time to build up to a crescendo. We wanted to show Indians, Saudi nationals and others that people may or may not have experienced in the past the real taste of Indian food. For the power of Indian food is really spiritual." Anil Kumar, head chef, said, "I am happy to join them and want people to enjoy food cooked by me. I have been to two to three countries before coming here, so I am aware of the type of food and aroma Indians living abroad need as well as the other nationals demand. I started my career with ITC group of hotels in India and have worked for the star hotels in Maldives, Thailand and other countries. I have joined Jeddah Hilton with a new challenge and new theme of food in this restaurant. My signature dishes are Murg Korma, Butter chicken, Mutton Roghan josh, Awadhi Korma, different types of biryanis etc."
