Beijing:
It might be a delight for Indians longing for their cuisine in a foreign land, but an Indian restaurant chain in Beijing has left the Chinese visitors equally charmed as they are not only treated to the delicacies offered by it, but also hit Bollywood numbers.
'The Ganges', a group of four restaurants located in different parts of the city, offers along with authentic Indian food a perfect Indian environment accompanied with a flavour of Bollywood.
Visitors to the restaurants are greeted with a traditional 'Namaste' displayed at the entrance with a message: 'the divine in me welcomes the divine in you' and are also treated to a rendition of the 'Gayatri Mantra' to complete the setting.
While several visitors from the Indian subcontinent frequent the restaurants, it is Chinese food lovers who form a bulk of customers eager to experiment with the cuisine.
"Yes several people visiting Beijing from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan pay visits here, but 75 per cent of our customers are Chinese and we have also slightly modified the food to suit their taste buds," said Vikram, a manager with 'The Ganges', who is originally from Delhi.
The modifications in food include preparing the very popular 'chicken biryani', 'lamb curry' and 'dal fry' with lesser chillies and spices to make it more palatable to the Chinese customers.