Oudh 1590, Kolkata’s favourite period dining restaurant serving Awadhi cuisine, has opened its first outlet in Noida. Since its inception nine years ago, it has been a favourite with the food connoisseurs of Kolkata and with its newly opened first flagship outlet in Noida’s Sector 18, Oudh 1590 brings the cultural culinary experience to Delhiites.

 

The 64-seated restaurant has an Awadhi ambience, with raqabdaars or khansamas roped in from Lucknow, who are trained to maintain the Dum Pukht style of cooking that it is famous for. Like all other outlets of Oudh 1590, the décor matches with the ethos of the culture, heritage and crafts of the Awadhi period, with nods to the Indo Saracenic Architectural marvels. It was spearheaded by national award-winning Art Director Nitish Roy and executed by Khayrul Islam. With Begum Akhtar’s timeless classics playing on loop, the restaurant will transport you to a different era.

 

Talking about the journey, co-founder Shiladitya Chaudhury said: “We started nine years back in Kolkata with one outlet. Now, we have ten outlets in Kolkata. We have built a brand which is one of the highest sellers of biryani and kebabs in Kolkata today, as per Zomato records. That’s why we thought of expansion. This is our first outlet in Delhi NCR. We chose Atta market for its popularity and footfall of people from nearby areas, including Delhi. Noida is frequented by the Noida and Delhi crowd as Central and South Delhi are in close proximity. So, we thought that it's the right place to start.” 

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was deported by the Britishers from Lucknow to Kolkata. So, Kolkata always had the love for Awadhi cuisine, where only Awadhi biryani used to be popular. The brother duo, Shiladitya Chaudhury and Debaditya Chaudhury, researched on Awadhi cuisine extensively. They also travelled to Lucknow and hired two chefs and started training sessions. “That’s when we realised that this particular food genre can be replicated in Kolkata and it would have huge potential. That’s how our journey with Oudh1590 began. In Kolkata, there’s a small biryani stall on one side and a five-star hotel on the other, with a huge vacuum in between. We created this space to cater to the middle-class. In Kolkata, 60% of our business is through table service and 40% through Zomato and Swiggy,” Shiladitya said. 

 

“Oudh 1590 takes you back to the nawabs’ era and lets you experience it. As you enter the restaurant, the ambience, the aura, the music that is played to the table setting and interiors all evoke that era,” said Debaditya.

 

Oudh 1590 offers their signature and popular dishes. The mouth-watering royal delicacies to be served include Galawati Kabab, Kakori Kabab, Nalli Nehari, Keema Kaleji or Brain Masala, Awadhi Handi Biryani, Rann Biryani, Moti Biryani, Palak Biryani, Murgh Qalmi Kabab, Awadhi Sugandhi Mahi, Shahi Dahi Kabab, Murgh Musallam, Murgh Irani, Lasuni Palak, Awadhi Daal, Paneer Rezala, Shahi Tukra & Phirni amongst a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations. 

 

Oudh 1590’s core challenge, Shiladitya said, is to maintain the standard of food, décor and service across all outlets. It necessitates constant training of manpower and innovation. “Manpower is a challenge as the attrition rate in this industry is very high. Our attrition rate is below five per cent, which is very good. There’s no dearth of funds and planning, but manpower is a huge challenge. If we have great manpower, we’ll try and open more outlets sooner,” he said.

 

Shiladitya and Debaditya said that the launch of Oudh 1590’s first flagship outlet at Noida marks the beginning of their national expansion plan. They have been researching locations for the past one year as they have a huge pan-India expansion plan in place for the next three years in all the major metro cities. After Delhi, they plan to go to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune in the years to come: “Oudh1590 has always focused on serving Awadhi cuisine that our patrons have cherished over time.”