The sleepy dusty Hauz Khas Village was rejuvenated in the mid-1980s in the slipstream created by the Asian Games. Bina Ramani, the socialite-fashion designer, should be given credit for initiating the facelift by starting design studios and boutiques here. The creative artsy types were followed by travel and advertising agencies and bespoke tailors.
Suresh Kalmadi, the politician, was among the first to see the potential of the place. Bistro, though on the first floor, created a buzz as a multi-cuisine fun place. For the politically well-connected, it wasn’t difficult to get approvals and licenses for eateries in congested lanes in buildings that seldom conformed to safety regulations in force regarding restaurants.
By the mid-1990s, Hauz Khas Village was the most happening place in town. It resembled a gastronomic Milky Way with many stellar constellations. Some blazed a trail like a comet, only to fade away, such as Gunpowder, once the go-to place for Malayali food, others seemed to enter from other galaxies.
Entrepreneurs from Mumbai introduced concepts that had proved to be a runaway success in other metros: Social, Town Hall, SodaBottleOpenerWala, Naivedyam, Yeti and a number of small bakeries that started selling artisanal food and products. Multiple cuisines became available on one main street and bylanes branching out of it: KFC, Dominoes, Thai, Italian, Greek, Arab, Korean, Mediterranean and many other Indian and foreign flavours were available. Some were BnB facil.
