Usha Uthup performing at Trincas
Because they know what they are, perhaps these places survived.
There was no need to manufacture an “immersive experience” he argued, because the experience was already there. You book a table for dinner, but eventually find yourself on your feet, dancing to live music. Elsewhere, dessert comes with a fashion show, while the bar transforms into a stage for stand-up. Book readings, salsa performances, jam sessions, fashion showcases and DJ sets are increasingly part of your dining experience as restaurants across the country compete to offer diners something beyond the plate. Recently we had a chat with third-generation owner and historian Anand Puri, about a night out in the 60s, where you could dress up, order a Chicken à la Kiev, listen to a live band, encounter Usha Uthup, dance, flirt, watch a cabaret show and stay for another round. They have evolved, certainly, but without dismantling the very things people come to them for. The music, the room, the food, the people and the possibility that something might happen once you walk through the door is all part of the experience. And perhaps that is the takeaway for the new crop of experiential restaurants. There is nothing wrong with giving diners more than a meal. In a world increasingly lived through screens, people are looking for the tactile and the real. A singer performing three feet away, strangers laughing at the same joke, the energy of a crowded dance floor, and the unpredictability of an actual evening out.