Naansense heightens gastronomic senses

Trend of appropriating traditional naan, paratha —served with pop art—reaches city

PESHAWAR:

Naansense – a naan eatery with a twist opened in Peshawar on March 14 and in a short period has managed to attract a vast number of customers. Not many can resist the traditional naan bread with add-ons such as cheese and chocolate.

Laila, a single mother, hesitant to launch her business in a male-dominated society has been overwhelmed by the positive response and is toying with plans to expand her food outlet.



Talking to The Express Tribune, Laila said, “I was very reluctant to start this canteen, but with support and guidance from my family, I was able to launch it.” She added one of the things helping her outlet flourish is the uniqueness of its name.

Twist on a trend

“Naansense—a mixture of Urdu and English words—combines the concept of bread with a ‘sense of food’,” she said. “A striking name coupled with the truck art backdrop gives the local staple a new flavour and touch.”

The trend of local food items like naans and parathas fused with western flavours and products like Nutella, pizza and cheese started in Karachi in 2015 and has reached Peshawar with menu manipulation reaching new heights.

With over 80 restaurants in the city, from seven star hotels to mini eateries, owners have adopted tricks and plays on words and names to attract customers.

The restaurant manager of Sheraton Layalina told The Express Tribune names add value to the taste of the food.

“These names become famous after people taste the food like our Situvan Soup and 19B soup.”



The 19B itself is a great example of how a name takes over the identity of a dish, instead of just the taste; the soup is on many a Chinese restaurant menu in several cities in the country.

He added their chef had his own café in Lahore with Chicken Soniya as one of the meals that did really well.

Maleeha Ghaznavi, a self-proclaimed foodie admitted names do matter and can dictate the taste of food. “I ordered a dish called Chingi Changa once that turned out to be a delicious fajita roll with double cheese,” she said.

More than enticing customers

Owners of restaurants believe there is always a hidden story behind names of restaurants and the deals they provide.

Red Hot Chilli Restaurant owner told The Express Tribune his restaurant was named after a famous food chain in the UK with the exception of the word hot in the middle. “My brother lives there and spoke very highly of the place so we decided to adopt part of the name,” he said, adding the food item Boxer on their menu was because he
was a boxer.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th,  2016.