yes!!!! Finally i get a space to express my passion for cooking... I've been wanting people to know all about my restaurant and about the way i manage to keep pace with the growing restaurant market in lucknow. But, very strangely the effort i make in serving some of the very authentic recipes are not at all coming to light as the big names are serving all distorted versions of dishes.
Can you imagine Chicken 65 features in the Chinese column of mostly all restaurants of Lucknow.. can somebody please tell me what is so chinese in the preparation???
HISTORY!!!
Well for me .. I grew up in a family of gourmets. My mother claims I started teaching her to make jalebis ever since I saw it being made on my way to primary school. The passion to cook grew with age and was refined in my days at IHM. Being awarded with the prestigious 'Chef of the Year' award in 1994 at College, gave me the confidence of trying out new recipes. Slogging from 1995 when i started working at 21 years of age till 1999, I learnt the tricks of the trade and decided to work on my dream... my own restaurant.
1999 may 19... the first pack n chew was established after a lot of hardships... three employees and rupees ten thousand to boast of. We started the first restaurant that could be called ours... a team as small as a weed trying to challenge the big jungle ahead of us. The restaurant was designed as a take away with a small capacity to sit ... thats how the name Pack N Chew was established... i owe this contribution to my elder brother .. Thanks Atul dada.. we searched the web to find a suitable name... PACK N CHEW... THE CONVENIENT FOOD STORE... the store got substituted by RESTAURANT.. after two months of operations.. it was too modern for lucknow.
Hardships continued and the struggle too... lows and high and then tie ups happened.. good food done in a very homely fashion stuck to the taste buds of the corporate of lucknow. The restaurant started buzzing.. known for good music and good food. Before the year could finish tragedy struck.. PNC as it was now called by regulars had to move from the Vidhan Sabha location... No place to go.. i closed the restaurant after serving breakfast and shifted to my grandmas garage. Operated from there for two months and searched for another location. Part of the hardships of a first generation entrepreneur.
JAN 2000 : Found a sick open air restaurant in the heart ofthe city.. land owned by a big business house of the country. Met up with the owners and the lady said.. i like your smile.. and gave me the place. WOW!!! Things were happenning again, new addition to the name.. PACK N CHEW, OPEN AIR RESTAURANT..
7 comments:
Ah, I remember coming to your restaurant around early 2000... Your restaurant is the most memorable part of my life. Not just for the food, it brings alive some amazing memories. It's a place where I found true friendship and some hope to dream and love all over again. Thank Nitin, for everything...
hi seema,
It was nice to hear from u... and u really don't have to thank me.. it was a pleasure... being there for u guys..
nice place te decor is yet the same in the gomtinagar one but miss the gokhale marg one.....awesome food delicacies
I everyday remember this restaurant. Becoz it change my life. I have done my first dating with my wife.
Almost 7 years i did dating at Gokhale marg.
Nitin & his staff is very good.
Food delicacies.
Thanks Nitin for everything
Hello Mr Nitin,
since dec09' - till date.. i ve eaten for more then 100 times at your restaurant n still i find no other place as comfortable as yours...
I love being there specially for my lunch.
The concept of a Projector, WiFi, cottages, great music in the background etc are so trendy that i just don't feel like going to any other place.
Now talking about the food, what else could I say , I enjoy eating at your place as much as i do at my home when my mom cooks for me.
I hope that u always continue to serve such palatable food and wish you all the luck in future ahead.
abhinav
I had been there 2-3 times... Dehati panner and chulha roti are really mouth watering. The ambience is good and best place in Gomti Nagar.
Nitin! you must work more with advertisements like Adab restaurant is doing... I am sure it would also work.. My best wishes to you nd your excellent staff.
Abhishek,
Faculty (AMITY UNIVERSITY)
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