Eateries cash-in on nostalgia

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Eateries are going strong onnostalgia with themed restaurants cropping up in differentcities, all capitalizing on favourite TV shows from the yearsgone by. Batman and Wonderwoman, the Addams family andF.R.I.E.N.D.S. themed restaurants have opened during therecent months. "I am an 80s kid and when I grew up in India there wereonly a few cartoons like ‘Donald Duck,’ ‘Scooby Doo’ and’Addams’ Family,’" says Karan Parvesh Singh who co-owns TheAddams’ House eatery in Gurgaon. "Addams’ Family for me was not just a haunted house. Itwas haunted in a sense that I felt they are my friends. So Iwanted to relive that moment," he says. Inspired by the popular fictional series – ‘The AddamsFamily’ by American cartoonist Charles Addams, the place isthe latest addition to the town’s breweries. The interiors resemble gothic architecture, with a tone ofVictorian opulence and signature elements from the series.There is a wall size display of all members of the Addams’family complemented with anecdotes, a crooked staircase to theterrace, cobwebbed backrests for the bar stools etc. "If you remember the Addams’ family movies, then you musthave seen that they played very well with the gothicarchitecture. We took the inspiration and tried andincorporated the gothic elements from it," says Singh. The menu, which is a mixture of American and Indiancuisines, only vindicates Karan’s fandom even more, with itemslike Grandma’s favorite fish n chips, Bloody Chicken Wings,The Butcher Shop among others. "As it was an American series, we wanted to bring theinternational flavour so that it justifies the inspiration. Sowe kept a classical American menu. We have also incorporatedan inverted American flavour where we have fused classicIndian and American elements to get out a better dish," hesays. Some of these dishes include ‘Rajma Chawal Balls’ and’Beet Root Burger.’ ‘What a Comic Show’ in SDA market in Delhi is a brainchildof a Manipuri couple, Bhopen Chingtham and Pooja Moirangthem,who have combined their passions for food and comics andtransformed it into a cozy corner where comic buffs can relivetheir childhood while munching from their continental andoriental food menu. "Both my wife and I have been fond of comics since ourchildhoods and both of us are great foodies. So, we wanted tostart something of our own where we could connect ourinterests in comics and food," says Chingtham. MORE PTI TRSANS