Masala Library to go global in next 12 months, says Zorawar Kalra

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra is opening its doors for food lovers in the national capital soon. Zorawar Kalra – the man behind the restaurant – says it will be the last outlet in India, but he is looking forward to take the ‘desi’ spices on a global gastronomical tour.
Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, New Delhi — located at 21A, Janpath — is touted to be the world’s first sub-continental restaurant showcasing cuisine from regions like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. The restaurant was launched on Friday evening, and will be open for the public post July 18. For the first few weeks, it will only be open for dinner.
Zorawar asserts that he is planning to open at least one Masala Library internationally in the next 12 months.
“We are planning to go international. We are looking at multiple overseas market. But we don’t want to talk about it. We want to have one Masala Library internationally in 12 months. Masala Library will not open in India now but our other brands like Farzi Cafe, Made in Punjab and Pa Pa Ya, will open all over India.
“We plan to open 10 restaurants in India this financial year. After Dubai, we will soon open one more Farzi Cafe on foreign shores,” Zorawar told IANS.
Zorawar, who holds an MBA degree from Bentley’s Business University in Boston and has been recognised amongst the 50 Most Influential Young Indians by GQ India, has a location on his mind, but refrained from divulging it.
His aim is to put Indian cuisine on the global palette. And how does he plan to do this?
“By creating restaurant concepts and cuisine that makes a global mark by sparking interest amongst everyone not only Indians. With right marketing, right technology, love, passion and sense of integrity is how we will reach that goal. We are going to build great restaurants, modernise the cuisines and come up a experience that no one has offered.”
Masala Library was launched in Mumbai in October 2013. One wonders what took the team so long to get the restaurant to Delhi?
Zorawar, considered as the ‘Man with a Vision on a Mission’ and ‘The Prince of Indian cuisine’, says that the hunt for the “right spot” and “research” kept them away.
“The time was right because the one in Mumbai has made a name for itself and has retained the popularity for so many days and we are excited over the results thereafter. We were not able to find the right spot.
“It is very important for a flagship brand to have a right location and we found the right place now. We didn’t initially find the place in Delhi. It should have opened six months ago, but a lot of research by travelling the country for the cuisines of India and the subcontinent was there.
“Now we are ready. What you are going to see is the culmination of 30 years of Mr Jiggs Kalra’s effort and also almost a year and half of fresh research that went in for the building of the restaurant.”
Zorawar’s father Jiggs Kalra has been variously described as the “Czar of Indian Cuisine” and “Taste maker to the Nation”.
Masala Library’s Delhi outlet brings forward ‘Indian Cuisine – Version 4.0’. With post-modern and post-molecular techniques, the dishes might be made by using modern technology but at its core it is all about authentic Indian food with a touch of the old world.
“The menu is full gastronomic journey of the entire sub continent through taste buds, eyes and the ears…It will be a complete multi-century experience.”