Food or art—the visual appeal of plating

Chefs and restaurateurs are scouring pottery studios and local markets on their travels to source statement serveware

- Abhilasha Ojha

A Bernardaud plate at Le Cirque, Delhi; serveware at Atrangi; and an artisan at Sienna’s Santiniketan studio.

It's quite often that chef Kaushik Misra, the executive chef at Taj Mahal, New Delhi can be seen washing a set of plates reserved for dignitaries and royalty at the Chambers, the hotel's exclusive business club.

These are limited edition plates as "only 100 of these exist all over the world," says Misra. Taj Mahal, New Delhi has 10 of them.

A classic Versace design with the iconic Medusa logo and a handcrafted, gold-plated pattern around the rim, each plate costs over ₹25,000, and was purchased more than 15 years ago for its exclusivity that went well with the vibe of the business club. "I don't let anyone else near them. I wash these myself," says Misra, who spends as much time on plating as he does perfecting a recipe. "Diners are looking at crockery in an articulate way. It's the canvas on which the food comes alive."

Gone are the days when serveware was an afterthought in restaurants-from staid-white plates in bone china and porcelain, it's now moved to customised stoneware, bamboo and patterned beauties, which are works of art. Restaurateurs are willing to spend more, some even crores.

With a strong focus on visual appeal, and to make their dishes stand out on social media, chefs and restaurateurs are bringing back crockery from their trips abroad, visiting pottery workshops and manufacturing units, and waiting for over a year to have their customised designs in materials of their choice. "People are not only eating with their mouths, they're eating with their eyes and their phones," says Ashish Singh, COO and culinary director, Café Delhi Heights, a pan-India restaurant that has a dedicated team to source serveware.