Our Journey So Far.....

It was in the year 1947. A year wrought with the ranging fires of Indian Independence. Two enterprising young brothers left their home in Gujarat for the bustling city of Bombay. They were Shri Ishwarlal and Shri Jugaldas Barot. And riding on the immense pride of being Indians in a 'Free India' they carefully invested their savings in a small restaurant business in the busy commercial area of Mangaldas Market. In time their business grew, and spurred on by sheer hard-work and zeal, the duo soon earned reputation far and wide, for it's south Indian food, under the banner 'Ishwar Bhuvan', for five decades.

By this time, fresh blood was taking over with Rajnikant Barot, along with Pankaj Barot, who did their Food & Service Management from Dadar catering, Shri Ketan Barot, an academic from the Sophia Catering and Kamlesh Barot, a merit card holder from Dadar Catering College in Food Service Management, all graduates of Commerce.

Simultaneously for the Barots, newer avenues were presenting themselves. From the early days of Ishwar Bhuvan, business had been good, and with the coffers ringing in Bombay, the Barots sought larger investments elsewhere. By the year 1980 the historical city of Baroda was also rapidly growing in commercial importance and became a distinct possibility. With characteristic foresight, they acquired a running business on the main road of Dandia Bazar, Baroda, 'Hotel Rajdhani'. Under its new management Hotel Rajdhani enjoys 90% occupancy and it's restaurant aptly named 'Ishwar Bhuvan', owned by "Ishwar Bhuwan Hotels Ltd" a public limited company, has become famous all over Gujarat, for it's gujarati thali.

Just as popular fashions dictate taste, so do food habits. And in 1989, the old Ishwar Bhuvan, Bombay, running into it's 42nd year, was ceremoniously redecorated and renamed 'Rajdhani restaurant' owned by "Ishwar Bhuwan Refreshment Annexe". By serving exquisite ethnic gujrati food for the first time in Bombay, Rajdhani restaurant became a popular lunchtime rendezvous for the shoppers and businessmen in the busy market area. The Barots had not only put Gujrati cuisine on the map, but in doing so had amply paid back a tribute to the land of their birth. What really turn a restaurant into a legend, is the quality of it's food and service. With it's latest refurbishment and introduction of regional cuisine, like the Rajasthani, Maharashtrian and the Kathiawadi Thali, Rajdhani has created a 'Niche' for it's trendy and authentic food with the connoisseurs of Indian food.

Encouraged with every enviable success, the Barots moved on to newer ventures. In 1991 they opened 'Revival' Bombay's most glamorous vegetarian restaurant & bar in the prestigious sandy expanse of Chowpatty, Bombay owned by Barot Hotels Pvt Ltd. The restaurant features 1920's architecture and interiors.

The first floor houses the main restaurant with a hundred covers being spilled over at times into the 'Rainbow Room' above, when the 'Rainbow Room' is not hosting any parties. The 'Rainbow Room' accommodates 35 to 75 persons for a party and the rates hover around Rs. 300 per person. The terrace is an expanse of greenery christened as the 'Roof-talk Terrace Garden' overlooking the bay of Bombay with a fall back of the landscaped Malabar Hills. It can house 80 persons at the above rate too. There are Privilege Card holders from this elite restaurant. Today it boasts to be the only Eco-aware independent restaurant in this country.

Barots not stopping at that started in 1989, the already famous Revival Hotel at Baroda a 3 star modern business hotel, little did they know that they could already look back with immense pride on the past. This is a splendidly located, garden over-looking, 52 room, one suite hotel with other need based services like the open-air and air-conditioned banquet hall, restaurants, business centre, executive floor, along with rooms for the disabled and non-smokers. Instant reservations for the hotel are available from Bombay, with rooms starting from a tariff of Rs.1100/- per room. With many firsts like direct fax/data/laptop/PC connectivity in all rooms and complimentary E-mail handling, pre-registration and internet facilities, serving delectable cuisine, the hotel goes in being Eco-aware and tourism promoting property. This property has won the prestigious "Environment Champion of the Year" award in 2000-2001 as runner up and again in 2001-2002 as the winner amongst one to three star hotels all over India.

In 1995, the Barots took over the catering of the Garware Club House at the Wankhede Stadium, Bombay for the Food & Beverage activity of the club at their Banquet halls, Restaurant and Permit room along with the 25 residential rooms, Card room, Billiard room and pool-side counter. All outlets of the club were revamped and brought up from the standard of an inefficient Canteen to a full fledged Restaurant culture. The cuisine spreads from Non-vegetarian Indian to Chinese to South Indian to Chaats to Tandoori to fast food snacks and breakfast items. For the first time restaurant style food-festivals like the Rajasthani food festivals, etc. were conducted at the Club. Professional restaurant set-up and training of personnel was done for the first time as per five star restaurant standards.

Stir Academy of Bartending at Revival started in 1999 with a partnership of Mrs. Shatbhi Basu. An academy of it's kind in India, teaches students the finer details of Flair Bartending, with audio-visual and computer aids, is a sought after school for not only bar personnel but also amateurs and Career appreciation enthusiasts. Our students today are working in the most elitist of restaurants, clubs and hotels of Bombay.

In May 2000, for the first time in Gujarat the Barots have franchised a Silver Thali restaurant "Aamantran" which serves five different cuisine of India namely, Rajasthani, Kathiawadi, Maharashtrian, Punjabi and South Indian. Achieving an overnight success of this virgin concept, as usual there shall be a lot of emulaters to come. Housing a 120 capacity Banquet Hall this restaurant is located in the plush environs of Alkapuri in Baroda

In March 2001, another first time for the Barots, their Indian food and beverage operations were franchised outside India. "Revival, The Indian Restaurant", a 80 cover restaurant with bar attached, was started at Ly Thai To Street, near the famous Hokn Klem Lake in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, with the "Mangharam's" a 50 year old textile manufacturer of Hong Kong. The Revival Tulip Hotel Training School started on 7th January 2002 steered by industry stalwarts, offering Certificate courses in Front Office, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping and Food Production. The school aims at creating an environment best suited to impart hospitality education in Gujarat. Ours is one of the few Schools, which show students an actual working hotel, rather than creating an illusionary simulated situation difficult for students to grab. Ultimately the student graduating from the School gets absorbed in the six and more properties of the Barots as well as the score of properties of the Tulip Hotels. The Revival group was entrusted the job of overseeing a Symposium for the cloth merchants of S&Y - Kohinoor Mills in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from the 30th January 2002 to 3rd February 2002. Our group interacted with foreign chefs and produced Indian food under stringent alien conditions Barots have franchised their Accommodation operations to a boutique hotel in Lonavala, called "The Swiss Resorts," which is re-furbished and is operational with the new look from June 2003. Frequented by celebrities it is the talk-of-the-town for it's "Revival-touch-food". Barots are opening a unique restaurant at Lokhandwala, Andheri "IndiaIndia"- a franchise from their Rajdhani - The Thali Place - outlet at Crawford Market. It is an 8000 sq. ft. plush modern designed restaurant with alfresco dining and food merchandising, specializing in authentic Indian food, and serving the fashioned bar-menu from their very own Stir Academy of Bartending at Revival. Barots are opening this fine dining, silver service restaurant with varied cuisine of India ranging from the West to the East and North to the South. There is an evolvement happening in terms of a Chai Déli serving traditional Indian as well as imported teas. The food shall have a special touch of Ayurveda in the main restaurant as well as the Chai Déli. They shall have an in-house 4000 sq. ft banquet facility with the state-of-art Bollywood niche requirements on projections and parties. This project is a tie-up with an USA & Singapore based NRI firm and us, keeping in view replicating this showcase in both these countries by the year-end.

In September 2003 the Barots signed a consultancy for a new hospitality venture with "India Quay", a Indian food non-vegetarian restaurant at Circular Quay, over-looking the harbour of the famous Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Plans are underway to open up more outlets serving the Rajdhani Indian food in more locations of Sydney with a franchise arrangement with Mr. Paresh Pandya, Director, Concept Health Australasia. Inrobit Mall, at Malad Link road, Bombay, one of the largest malls in Asia, constructed and operated by the K. Raheja group, had approached the Barots for opening a specialty restaurant in the Mall. Franchised with Maheshwaris, it is co-located in this 25000-foot-fall plush Mall amidst the Pizza Hut, Mcdonalds, Ruby Tuesday, Mars and Blue Foods. An 80 cover, modern designed vegetarian eatery serving regional Indian food, in Thalis as well as a-la-carte has become the most talked about, busy place in the suburbs. From day-one this restaurant has serpentine queues outside the entrance door, before the restaurant starts operating. Week-ends register an un-precedent waiting patronage.

Barot's have franchised their Rajdhani in Nashik with the Shanbaug's at the Dwarka Hotel, as an outlet in their property. A 70 cover thali restaurant is adjacent to a 120 cover South Indian restaurant, which complements each other in this industrious and pilgrimage town of Maharashtra. With the success of Swiss Resorts Lonavala, the Pherwani's of Whispering Woods have approached the Barots to franchise their management operations for their colloquial Go-carting resort. This resort has six food outlets and 13 rooms to cater to.

Nirmal Lifestyles, at LBS Marg, the most stylized Mall in the Queen of Suburbs, Mulund has Rajdhani, a 95 cover, blend of traditional and contemporary design serving regional Indian food. A take-away counter allows the visiting gentry to savour the unique snacks, Aamras, Undhiya kind of USP dishes of this food outlet. Guest comments like, "Thank you for gracing us in the suburbs with our favourite Rajdhani food" says it all. Within the precincts of the Nirmal Lifestyles Mall, again a first-time concept of interactive cooking by restaurant guests is promoted. With a state-of-the-art flair Lounge Bar and modern kitchen, this restaurant has a unique ambience for it's suburban patrons. Silver service with style has prompted this new concept of Fine Dine under the banner of the Barots.

Kamlesh Barot has been an elected Managing Committee member of the Hotel & Restaurant Association (Western India) since 1995, representing the Restaurant industry for the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and M.P. Since 2000 he is the Executive Committee member of the Federation of Hotels & Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI). He is on the State level Course Committee for Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Maharashtra State, Board of Technical Education, Mumbai. He has penned down many articles in the trade publications, presented and lectured at various forums for the industry. He was awarded the Young Restaurant Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 for India by the FHRAI, at the hands of the Honorary Union Minister of State for Tourism, Mrs. Renuka Chowdhury.

Top