Pancakes, Elvis And A Whole Lot Of America: The All American Diner Returns

First they were in Delhi, at the India Habitat Centre. For as long as they operated there, long queues were a regular feature, as were long meals under the windy sun of winter. Many Delhites saw it as their singularly favourite spot until their contract with the Habitat Centre expired after 20 years of their opening. Now, however, after a brief hiatus, the beloved All American Diner is making a comeback in Hyderabad.

Once again, regular diners with a penchant for the American culture can enjoy pancakes and burgers to the accompaniment of a nonstop Elvis Presley playlist, ensconced within just the decor where Agent Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks might be expected to enjoy his cherry pie and damn fine coffee. That is to say, an interior of black-and-white checkerboard flooring, cherry-red vinyl booths and chrome furniture, all unmistakable suspects of a classic American diner.

The Ambience

American diners are a décor aesthetic in themselves. As soon as classic American diners are brought up, one is right to visualise chequerboard floors, chrome-edged furniture, red vinyl booths, jukeboxes, counter stools, neon signs and bottomless cups of coffee. It’s where Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) decide to launch into a robbery in Pulp Fiction (1994). It’s where most of townsfolk gossip unravels in Twin Peaks (1990), namely the Double R Diner. For the new All American Diner in Hyderabad, all of this holds true. A longstanding cult in itself, it can very well serve as the backdrop of a movie one of these days.

With its classic theme of red and white, the diner at Hyderabad features just the elements that transport guests right back to the era of rock 'n' roll and coffee and cigarettes and good times, the moment they walk in. A limited-edition Elvis Wurlitzer jukebox spins classics from the '50s and '60s, while the walls are dressed in bric-a-brac of tin and enamel plaques painstakingly collected from antique shops and flea markets across the United States over decades. On most days, you’d find entertainment acts by a live singer replete with costume, vocalising classics like Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison, American Pie by Don McLean and the likes.

On The Menu

Led by Executive Chef Sumit Sawardekar under the creative and operational oversight of company veteran Chef Dhiraj Dargan, who has spent two decades with the company and coincidentally began as a Management Trainee at The All American Diner, New Delhi, the team of chefs present an all-day menu the features all the classic American diner affairs. Ranging from timeless items like stack o’ pancakes, waffles and sunrise skillets to hot dogs, the contents include various burgers and dinner plates like old bay garlic shrimp and barbecued baby back ribs.

Traditionally, like every other diner, beverage highlights entail picturesque classics in the form of decadent milkshakes, smoothies, malts and bedecked shakes. Head of Bars, Varun Sharma’s cocktail menu turns flavours of American desserts on its head to present drinks like Creamsicle Highball and the Mixed Berry Cheesecake Martini. In addition, classic American cocktails like the Mint Julep and Manhattan as well as large frozen Margaritas further embolden the position of the new American Diner at Hyderabad as a classic one.

The Verdict

When one embarks upon the pursuit of opening an American diner, it is a matter of eternal verity that one must get the décor right, for if American diners are not their ubiquitously iconic interiors, then they are barely much else. On this front, however, The All American Diner has been a trailblazer as far as American diners in India are concerned.

Next, you must have the food both picturesque and decadent, visibly adding to your calorie count, with desserts that gash the heart. Both are things this diner has ensured within its doors. At the end of the day, however, one judges whether the minds behind an establishment are actually committed to the story. These days, you may come across several owners with several concept spaces, each with a story, but all of it rather visibly superficial. Real commitment to the product has become as rare as original Holbeins.

However, when you meet Rohit Khattar, the founder of the diner, the one thing you instantly learn about him is that he loves and adores American culture. Slash him anywhere you like and he’d bleed red, white and blue. His veins run with Route 66, jukeboxes, apple pie and rock ’n’ roll.

As such, The All American Diner looks solidly positioned to witness, once again, those long queues outside its doors, a kitchen working at full tilt and dishes flying off the tables. For its old loyalists in Delhi, Khattar has one reassurance: “We look forward to taking it back home to Delhi, but shall stop to open it en route in some other cities before that.”