| 2006 Press Coverage
Restaurants &
Institutions: Sandwiches' Worldly Ways (June 2006)
Even though a magnificent
array of breads such as naan, paratha and roti are integral to
the Indian table, sandwiches don’t have a stronghold in the
country’s dining culture. Nevertheless, operators are
capitalizing on Indian cuisine’s rising status among American
diners with eateries centered on their own Indian-inspired
creations.
Nandini Mukherjee banked on
the universal acceptance of the sandwich format to launch Indian
Bread Co., a fast-casual concept in New York City, in 2003. The
spot seeks to give the country’s classic breads a broader stage
with creations such as the Naanini, a grilled sandwich of
fresh-baked naan and fillings such as vegetable tandoori and
lamb vindaloo, and stuffed paratha, a more-delicate, layered
flatbread cooked on the griddle and packed with minced meat and
vegetables.
“When we started, I thought I
would have more Indian customers, but surprisingly our clientele
is 70% American,” says Mukherjee.
Food & Beverage News: IBC gifts New Yorkers the Indian sandwich (June 10, 2006)
"You probably cannot find a ''naanwich''
or a ''naanini'' on the streets of New Delhi, but you can in
Greenwich Village, now that the Indian Bread Co. is making
creative use of naan, the traditional Indian flatbread…. stuffed
parathas are like quesadilla & the Kathi Roll is essentially a
wrap, but a delicious one…." - The New York Times
Indian Bread Company
established by Nandini Mukharjee has taken the Indian bread
variety to a next level, by transforming traditional flavours
into the universal fast food: the sandwich. Situated on Bleecker
Street's, New York, Indian Bread Co (IBC) is a single unit,
small sized fast casual café serving fresh, creative and
contemporary style Indian sandwiches, wraps and their
accompaniments.
Nandini Mukharjee, an
architect by profession had established the IBC in November 2003
and from there onwards IBC became an epicentre of fast food in
New York, which is referred as culinary capital of the World.
"The idea behind Indian Bread
Co. was to bring the joy of freshly baked Indian bread to
people, and serve it with a global perspective - as the
universally accepted and much loved sandwich." Mukharjee told
Food & Beverage News.
IBC's menu strikes a balance
between traditional and contemporary items. The Paratha (stuffed
flat breads) and the Kathi Rolls (traditional Indian wraps)
appeal to the nostalgia in the Indian immigrants. The Naanini
(Panini made out of fresh Naan bread and ethnic fillings) and
the Naanwich (fresh Naan pocket sandwich) appeal to the
cosmopolitan New Yorker.
Explaining her target
customers Mukharjee said, "It can be segmented into three
distinct groups - students (45 per cent), young professionals
(45 per cent) and families (10 per cent). According to data
collected over the last 2 years, 30 per cent are Indians and 70
per cent non-Indians. Our clientele are educated, value
conscious, upwardly mobile people".
IBC provides quality food at
affordable rates. The average price of $5.00 appeals to the
student population, while the young professionals appreciate the
variety and value for money.
Right now, IBC's menu has four
main items: Naanini - a grilled Indian panini made of fresh naan
bread, Naanwich - a falafel style fresh naan pocket sandwich,
Stuffed Paratha - stuffed Indian flatbread & Kathi Rolls -
Indian wraps forming a meal on to go. These items showcase two
types of Indian Breads - the Naan and the Paratha. Besides,
there are sides that compliment these sandwiches, like Aloo
Chickpea Chat -Indian Street-side salad, Yellow Dal - Lentil
Soup, Tandoori Chicken Mixed Green Salad & Indian Desserts.
Indian beverages like Masala Chai & Mango Lassi are also very
popular. Future plans include expanding the repertoire to
include other Indian Breads and bread-based items, and also a
bakery section to offer freshly baked Indian Breads.
On being asked why she decided
to concentrate on Indian bread, Mukharjee said, "India has an
abundant heritage of unique breads. From the Kashmiri Lavash &
Punjabi Kulcha & Stuffed Parathas in North India, to the Bengali
Luchi & Bihari Litti in East India, to the Dosa, Appam &
Pesarattu in South India, to the Gujrati Bhakra, Rajasthani Bati
& Maharashtrian Pav & Thalipeeth in West India; - each bread has
a distinct taste & flavour representative of the region it hails
from. The' breads of each region are also an integral part of
the daily meals, woven into people's day-to-day lives.
India has a wide variety of
distinctive breads, in most Indian restaurents, breads are
relegated to being add-ons to the main meal.The idea behind
Indian Bread Co. was to give Indian bread the center stage - to
make it the main performer in a sandwich filled with Indian
fillings."
Can Indian bread become as
eminent as Indian curry in a global market? Mukharjee answered,
"I think most Indian Breads have a universal appeal, and should
catch on as more restaurants serving regional-based authentic
cuisine open up the world over. The trend has already started,
and should catch on. Indian breads like the Dosa (South Indian
rice crepe) & the Puri (North-Indian puffed fried bread) are
already wildly popular all over the world. It's the subtler,
more complex breads like the appam, pesarattu, litti, kulcha,
bhakra, thalipeeth etc. that have yet to find an audience".
New Yorkers has become ardent
for the delicious, hot, succulent, crispy, juicy sandwiches.
The
Statesman: Roll over New York (May 28, 2006)
Even a few years ago a trip to
New Market would have been incomplete without a bite of Nizam’s
kathi rolls. The makers of the ever-popular snack may have
downed shutters but keeping the embers burning is our city-girl
Nandini Mukherjee. Indian Bread Co is among New York’s most
popular eateries, writes Mathures Paul
It was time for tea. The man in the street took a deep breath
and ambled down Bleecker Street. On reaching Indian Bread Co, he
did a magician’s trick that produced $2.50, just about enough to
purchase an egg kathi roll.
And if you are still wondering where we are, keep guessing. In
New York, French fries and burgers have new competition ~ kathi
roll from Indian Bread Co, established by our city-girl Nandini
Mukherjee. Growing up on a healthy portion of kathi rolls from
Nizam and Badshah, she left the city sometime back for New York.
She is today the owner of one of the most popular Indian
restaurants.
“Most Bengalis are passionate
about food. I come from a family where cooking is considered to
be at par with any other art form. This, combined with having
travelled extensively and tasted various cuisines by the time I
joined Parsons School of Design, it’s no surprise that my year
at Parsons was spent experiencing and exploring the fascinating
New York City ‘budget gourmet’ scene where various ingredients
with different flavours, textures, tastes and smells came
together to perform a harmonious (and sometimes
not-so-harmonious) symphony!” says Mukherjee, whose restaurant
dishes out rolls made with canola oil and/or butter.
Indian preparations available
in New York City disappointed Mukherjee. Her choice was between
two-day-old mass-manufactured curry at prices you could afford
or formal, sit-down, wonderful meals you’d have to spend days
saving for. It was during those days that an idea called “Indian
Bread Co.” started taking shape. “I dreamt of a contemporary,
fast-casual Indian café serving fresh, flavourful, hassle-free
Indian food. Supporting me and believing equally in the idea was
my partner, Chetan Gandhi. After graduating from Parsons, the
next year was spent working in lighting design firms, peppered
with short courses at the Institute of Culinary Education and
seminars at the French Culinary Institute, but the real thing
had yet to materialise. It took a walk down Bleecker Street and
a ‘for rent’ sign on a poster shop to change that, and Indian
Bread Co. finally found its home.”
After the restaurant opened doors in November 2003, The New York
Times wrote: “You probably could not find a naanwich or a
naanini on the streets of New Delhi, but you can in Greenwich
Village, now that the Indian Bread Co. is making creative use of
naan, the traditional Indian flatbread… stuffed parathas are
like quesadilla and the kathi roll is essentially a wrap, but a
delicious one…”
Speaking of her favourite
restaurants in Kolkata preparing rolls she says, “There were two
that I really liked ~ Nizam and Badshah. When I was growing up,
Ma used to prefer the roll at Nizam, while papa was inclined
towards the roll at Badshah. Needless to say, I grew up on a
healthy dosage of both! Nizam is an institution that is
synonymous with kathi rolls, pretty much in the way that Xerox
is synonymous with photo-copying! So, yes, it is very inspiring
to see how Nizam has become a brand-name for kathi rolls.”
At Indian Bread Co. rolls come
in the form of a paratha sheath-wrapped around marinated,
grilled fillings. The restaurant also prepares wrapped mini
kathi rolls as hors d’oeuvres for caterings. And our love for
sauces with rolls has also picked up in America. “Most people
are very fond of green chutney and tamarind chutney. Sometimes,
green chutney gets too spicy for some people’s tastes, and they
prefer tamarind chutney instead.”
Indian Bread Co’s menu has four main items ~ naanini, a grilled
Indian panini made of fresh naan bread with savoury Indian
fillings like vegetable Tandoori, saag paneer, tandoori chicken,
saag chicken and so on. Then there is naawich, a falafel style
fresh naan pocket sandwich filled with paneer or chicken tikka,
lettuce, tomato and an Indian sauce. Also present are stuffed
paratha and kathi rolls.
“Though we primarily sell
sandwiches/wraps at the café, we experiment with a variety of
cuisines while catering. We served kathi rolls and naaninis
during the Republican National Convention’s media welcome
reception in 2004 thrown by mayor Michael R Bloomberg, Governor
George E Pataki and former mayor Rudy Giuliani at the Time
Warner Centre at Columbus Circle in NYC.”
Recalling her Kolkata days,
Mukherjee continues, “We had houses in Kolkata and Jamshedpur.
Though I’m an only child, I grew up in a joint family with three
other siblings. For us kids, Kolkata is endless visits to
relatives who would pamper us with kosha mangsho and mishti doi
(my favourites). It opened our minds and imagination to our
world and the one beyond through visits to the zoo, the
Botanical Gardens and the Birla Planetarium. It exposed our
nascent taste buds to a riot of flavours starting from Island
cuisine at Polynesia, to sizzlers at Blue Fox, Chinese meals at
Tangra, biriyani at Shiraz, kathi rolls at Nizams, hing kachoris
at Gangaur, phuchkas on the banks of the Hooghly, and pastries
at Flury’s. It represented several afternoons of pleasure either
shopping at New Market and AC Market, or catching movies at
Light House and New Empire”. As for strict Bengali cuisine
enjoyed by Americans, daab chingri, dimer devil, notun gurer
sandesh and daab kheerer payesh are favourites.
VegOut:
Vegetarian Guide to New York
City (2006)
Indian fast food joints like
this are popping up around the city, serving between authentic
Indian street food and the ho-hum wraps and paninis sold at
hundreds of lunch-spot delis around town. Indian Bread Co. is
one of the first of its kind and is likely to remain one of the
best. Carnivores and vegetarians will both feel right at home
with the full menu, but the meatless options are all winners,
especially if you like your food with a bit of a "kick". And the
variety of sandwich styles will keep you coming back for more.
The Naaninis are made from a grilled naan flatbread with
fillings like saag paneer (spinach) or marinated vegetables. The
slightly messy naanwiches are more like a pocket sandwich,
the kathi rolls are convenient wraps, one served with egg and
caramelized onions, and don't miss the potato-stuffed paratha
sandwiches. Sandwiches from $3.50 to $7.
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