2-28-11
From Munish Narula:

Missed our connection to Delhi from London as the flight from philly was two hours late, reached delhi at 6AM Friday morning and we were in the market at 11:30 AM.  Saw some very interesting stuff, including the Lord Ganesha statue on the right.  Lots of cappucinos and masala chais kept us going we were the last ones to leave the market.

Opening Summer of 2011

777 South Broad Street
Philadelphia PA

TASHAN:

TASHAN is a Hindi word for "style" or "attitude!" The name was selected from hundreds of entries in a Philadelphia Magazine Restaurant Club online reader contest.

The early 21st century will be remembered as the age when the old, new and developing worlds and their diverse cultures mashed-up into a wave of creativity, excitement and energy. TASHAN reflects this global cultural wellspring in a dining and lounge destination that is certain to be the first of its kind in Philadelphia.

TASHAN is located at 777 South Broad Street, a vibrant section of Center City. The opening date has not been set but is projected for Spring 2011.

TASHAN presents an inspiring small plate menu based on Indian flavors, spices and cooking techniques with wide ranging influences from classic Continental to Caribbean, Mediterranean, Spanish, African and Asian culinary traditions.

Taking the lead in the TASHAN performance kitchen is Chef Sylva Senat, a veteran of New York’s celebrated Jean Georges and Buddakan. Sylva’s major dining salon credibility, New York Haitian ethnicity and adventuresome cooking style will move the rich but humble Indian food genre to new heights of gourmet quality.

TASHAN is the brainchild of Munish Narula, a Johnson & Wales graduate and Wharton MBA, who traded his Wall Street investment banker status and earning power to create the enormously successful TIFFIN Restaurant chain.

In November 2010 a comprehensive North American search and selection competition reviewing some 170 different concepts from throughout the US and Canada has selected TIFFIN as "America's Next Top Restaurant Franchise!" The competition was conducted under the aegis of the Sysco Corporation and supervised by a team of nationally recognized experts in the restaurant franchise development field.

And while tasteful simplicity has been a hallmark of the six TIFFIN restaurant environments, Munish Narula wanted to be sure that the look and feel of TASHAN would be as sophisticated and nuanced as the food and entertainment.

To set a new standard in high-tone Indian restaurants, top NYC architect and interiors diva Winka Dubbeldam has been an integral part of the TASHAN development team.
In addition to using a broad range of contemporary finishes, lighting, treatments and furnishings, on buying trip to India Munish and Winka are adding to the essential palette of visual stimuli and textures of the South
Asian Subcontinent.

Winka Dubbeldam

From Munish Narula:

Day two - Spent most of the day looking at the fabrics and artifacts.

Had a grilled chicken sandwich from Subway for lunch and ended up at the famous Fashion Lounge of Delhi for some drinks and snacks to end the day.

(Didn't know Subway was a hot spot in Delhi did you?)

We already know that Munish Narula, the mastermind behind the local Tiffin mini-chain, is hard at work in India, picking up knick-knacks and soaking up inspiration for his forthcoming small plates restaurant Tashan, which is supposed to open this spring at 777 South Broad St. You can track his scouting trip on his blog. We also know that he’s eager to branch out nationally with his Tiffin concept and working with the Tony Luke supplier Rastelli Bros. to do it. But what else does Narula have in the works? Based on cryptic and terse email he sent from India, stating only “Tiffin will soon be taking its act on the road!” we’re left wondering if he's talking about a food truck. Or perhaps it's just his plans for expanding Tiffin into other markets that he's alluding to. Maybe it's something else entirely. All we know for sure is, we'll have to wait until he gets back from his trip to get to the bottom of it.