Noida: The metro is a no-snacking zone, but Noida’s aqua line is proving to be an exception. The buzziest dining experience in this corner of NCR is a metro coach, the actual prototype that was used to test the Aqua line.
India’s first metro-themed restaurant, The Coach, Culinary Express and Bar, which officially launched last month, is stationed opposite the Noida Sector 137 metro station. And it’s riding on the Indian diner’s fascination with transportation-themed restaurants. It joins an ever-growing list of train coaches, aeroplanes and tram cars from Nagpur to Kolkata that have been repurposed to give patrons a travel-style dining experience without the hassle of actually planning a trip.
Today, dining is not just about the meal. Delhi’s Runway 1 offers boarding passes to diners lining up to enter the aeroplane restaurant. In Kolkata, the Victoria Tramcar Restaurant travels through the city as patrons dig into their meals. Haldiram’s railway coach restaurant in Nagpur is hugely popular among residents and tourists. Even the Delhi division of the Northern Railways is experimenting with rail-coach-themed eateries.
“The future of theme restaurants seems promising with a resurgence driven by a new generation seeking immersive experiences. While theme restaurants faced decline due to changing consumer tastes, the rise of Instagrammable and fully immersive experiences is revitalising the trend,” says Sachin Pabreja, co-founder of Eazy Diner.
Fine fusion cuisine on offer
The Coach does not offer quick, cheap snacks that commuters on the go prefer. Instead, it’s a fine dining experience that celebrates ‘fusion cuisine’ with dishes like chilli glazed lotus root chips, prawn sukke (chilli prawns served with curry dust), sepu wadi (Himachali split urad dal dumpling) and millet chaat (seasonal fruit with sweet potato ceviche, millet namkeen and gunpowder). With starters averaging at Rs 400 and mains at Rs 600, a meal for two can cost anywhere between Rs 2,000-2,500.
The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) has set up small kiosks outside the metro station and leased out commercial spaces to restaurants and salons to get more footfall. Regular commuters say The Coach is pulling its weight drawing curious people not just from Noida but from other parts of NCR as well.
“In the last month, there has been a visible increase in foot traffic because people are eager to explore the metro-themed restaurant,” says Brijesh Pratap who works at a call centre and travels daily from Sector 137 to Sector 16. But only time will tell if it’s a passing phase or not.
The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) has given the metro coach – on a nine-year lease agreement – to restauranteur Dushyant Arora who also runs an eatery in Delhi’s Connaught Place
“Arora ji wanted to do something unique with it. When he expressed his thoughts to the management, they were eager to collaborate,” NMRC general manager Surjeet Katoch tells The Print. But first, it had to be brought back from Chennai where it was in storage.
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Two in one
It took a month for the coach to reach Noida by road. Once it arrived, two cranes were required to lift and position it onto a platform that had been specially constructed for it. Once it was safely installed, Arora started building his restaurant.
The designers converted the platform of the metro coach into an upscale dining space with dusty brown curtains and turquoise-green sofas all bathed in the warm glow of chandeliers.
“I stumbled upon it last year. It was shrouded in black curtains then due to the ongoing construction,” says Geetika Negi, a resident, who visited the restaurant with her group of six friends once it was thrown open to the public in April this year.
The lively chatter of customers and the aroma of freshly prepared meals breathe life into the otherwise stationary vehicle. The Coach, which can seat a hundred people – 50 inside and 50 on ‘the platform’ – had its soft launch in March and its official opening on 20 April.
Visitors can reserve the entire metro coach, which is open from noon to midnight and can accommodate 50 people. It can be booked for birthday celebrations and other special events and can cost Rs 1 lakh for just three to four hours, inclusive of food.
While the novelty of the metro setting is appealing, many guests prioritise comfort, opting for a seat outside the metro coach.
“Some may find the plastic seats [inside the coach] slightly uncomfortable. Unfortunately, we’ve been instructed not to make any modifications, including adding cushions or removing stickers. Any damages incurred will result in significant fines,” says manager Lalit Singh.
And while the experience is novel, it’s the food and cocktails that entice diners back.
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Fusion of flavours
One of the more popular items on the menu is the Egyptian Buddha Bowl—potato hummus piped on a bed of lentils, with avocado mousse, and finished off with pickled olives, spiced chickpeas, and some fresh greens.
Located next to the bar counter, the kitchen often feels like an oven due to high temperatures. Here, head chef Gaurav Sharma fries a batch of aloo tikki while his team chops vegetables and cleans the counters.
“People come from Delhi and Gurugram to see the metro-theme restaurant but end up falling in love with our dishes,” says Sharma, who runs the kitchen with a staff of 16.
“It’s pretty surreal how quickly this restaurant has picked up, and the crowd is all organic. We haven’t started our marketing yet,” Sharma proudly adds.
Although The Coach primarily focuses on fusion cuisine, a significant portion of its customer base consists of residents who want the regular dal makhani and paneer tikka. This increasing demand has prompted the restaurant to reconsider its menu, which currently has a total of eight ‘desi’ items. Now, they want to introduce more North Indian dishes.
According to Sharma, pricing is crucial for returning customers. Families in surrounding neighbourhoods prioritise “quantity for price” over experimentation.
“If the customer pays Rs 400-500 for a dish, they expect the quantity to suffice a family of four. This is not possible with fusion food,” the chef explains.
It wouldn’t be surprising if North Indian cuisine takes over the menu in the coming months. Sharma is a realist ready to adapt to the local palate.
“The chances of local residents returning to the restaurant is higher than those from Delhi or Gurugram.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)