Nine outelts, home delivery, long queues during festive seasons, and some of the best biryani and kebabs — that pretty much sum up Oudh 1590’s journey in the city so far. As the brand makes its debut pan-India, The Telegraph got in touch with founders Shiladitya and Debaditya Chaudhury on the journey so far. Excerpts...
How does it feel to take the brand out of Kolkata?
Simply put, we are excited and extremely hopeful. Noida now has been the first flagship outlet of Oudh 1590 outside Kolkata. Situated in the bustling Sector 18, this new outlet of Oudh 1590 boasts the ethos of a royal period dining experience and unmatchable hospitality that we are known for. We were planning to take the brand to other cities but Covid-19 gave us a jolt. At that point of time, we concentrated on expanding our market in Kolkata and opened four outlets during the said period. With things pretty much under control we thus took the first step towards our expansion nationally. We have been researching on the locations for the past one year as we have a huge pan-India expansion plan in place for the next three years in all the major metro cities. Starting with Noida we plan to go Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune in the coming years.
How many years and how many outlets has it been since you guys started?
We started our journey in 2013 and this is the 10th outlet of Oudh 1590.
What was the initial thought behind Oudh 1590?
Biryani is one of the most popular foods in India and we both being devout foodies, wanted to introduce our homegrown biryani brand in a city where we grew up. We deliberated a lot about creating the differentiating factor for the brand we were going to launch.We tried to bridge the gap between two very distinct natures of biryani culture, one being the luxurious style of having biryani like in a premium hotel, another being having biryani from some of the iconic eateries of the city namely Shiraz Golden Restaurant, Aminia, Arsalan, etc. So, we came up with a neighbourhood fine-dining concept and opened the very first outlet of Oudh 1590 at Deshapriya Park nine years back. Our main motto was to introduce the Lucknowi gharana cuisine to the gourmands of the city. Initially, biryani was the only item that people could associate as the speciality from Awadh, but over a period of time we made Kolkata fond of Galawati Kebabs, Kakori Kebabs and other delicacies which include an array of exotic fish-based preparations, which were unheard of before in any Awadhi restaurant’s menu. If we look back at these nine years, we can proudly say that we have been able to create the first period-dining Awadhi restaurant brand in the country. Visitors to Kolkata also make it a point to try out our delicacies. This itself has given the confidence to venture out of the city.
Shiladitya Chaudhury (left) with Debaditya Chaudhury, founders, Oudh 1590
Over the years, Oudh 1590 become a name in Awadhi cuisine in the city. Has the response been what you expected it to be?
The response has been overwhelming, which prompted us to open nine outlets in Kolkata itself and over a period of time we have been able to create a brand identity synonymous with quality cuisine. Predominantly the biryani market was captured by old conventional biryani dens of Kolkata but as Oudh 1590 started, we experienced an overwhelming response from patrons and we could expand and cater to a larger geography. We are, today, one of the highest-selling biryani chains of Kolkata. The sale is well divided between the restaurants and aggregators (Swiggy and Zomato). We also have our own home delivery fleet. Before us, the city diners were not exposed to such a detailed Awadhi cuisine, which features dishes like Galawati Kebab, Kakori Kebab, Handi Biryani, Rann Biryani, Nehari Khaas, Nargisi Kofta and an exotic range of salaans.
Delhi as a market has slightly different tastes, how do you plan to tackle that?
In Delhi there are not much of options for Kolkata-style biryani, chaap and the types of kebabs that we serve. Therefore, we are very hopeful people there would appreciate the cuisine. More so, we did extensive research before we finalised on the location. The initial response has made us quite exuberant. We are receiving requests from other parts of Delhi to open an Oudh 1590 in their area. We, of course, are considering that option.
Tell us a little bit about your faves from the Oudh 1590 menu?
Debaditya: My faves are the Galawati, Kakori Kebabs or Murgh Sugandhi Kebab with Lucknowi Paratha, Kolkata Style Biryani with Nehari Khaas, Shahi Dal, Awadhi Dum Aloo and Phirni.
Shiladitya: I personally love the Mushroom Galawati Kebab, Murgh Shahi Tangri Kebab, Gosht Burra Kebab or Mahi Zafrani Kebab with roti or lachcha paratha, Gosht Awadhi Handi Biryani or Awadhi Palak Biryani with Gosht Bhuna, Mahi Chaap or Lasooni Palak and Shahi Tukda.
What have been a few landmark moments for the brand in these many years?
The innumerable awards which we have won over the years and the queue which we saw on the first week of opening of Oudh 1590 in Deshapriya Park. Apart from these, the reception that Oudh 1590 receives whenever a new branch is opened is exemplary.
What will be the look and feel of the Noida outlet?
We have a set design template for our restaurants which we follow. We have just upgraded that to the next level from the Noida outlet.
What’s the menu going to be like?
We are offering the same Oudh 1590 signature menu. We are working on a new menu as a part of our 10th year celebrations, which I am sure will be a big surprise for our customers in the next year.
What are the future plans for Oudh 1590?
We are scouting for new locations in the metro cities as by 2025 we would like to be present in all the major metros. Moreover, work is in progress to open another outlet at Rajarhat.
Awadhi as a cuisine is very dense and tricky as well. Is your staff from that region?
We have a core team from Aminabad, Lucknow, who are constantly training the rest of the kitchen team. With such an aggressive expansion plan it is not possible to source the entire team from just one region. We also follow an SOP which helps us in maintaining our quality and taste.
