Back in July 2020, an email announcing the Qmin app slid into my inbox. The Taj@home concept was well timed. For all of us beleaguered by the lockdown, this seemed like the one way to bring home some much-needed luxury and good vibes, minus the virus.
Since then, Indian Hotel Company’s (IHCL) food delivery platform, which delivers signature dishes from the group’s iconic restaurants available across 14 cities, has extended its culinary repertoire to comfort food and combination meals (Qmin Comfort), soulful indulgence that boosts energy and wellbeing (Innergise), and celebratory offerings for festive occasions (Qmin Celebrations).
Besides these, Qmin also features in-house brads by TajSATS, which has been an institution when it comes to flight catering down the decades. India’s largest airline catering company is apparently re-imagining culinary experiences through a unique Indian and Pan-Asian menu created by gourmet chefs for its brand Anuka, and special sweet treats in the form of handcrafted Indian mithai (Ishri) and artisanal chocolates (Asa). In a bid to try out the app and get some Tajness home-delivered, I decided to sample the menu from Anuka.
I found the Qmin app user-friendly and quite appealing in terms of look and feel. The delivery was quick and I was able to track it quite easily. As promised, the delivery executives adhered to stringent protocols of safety and hygiene, keeping it completely contactless and wearing proper protective gear. The fact that they brought it to me in a thoroughly sanitised vehicle was doubly comforting. The packaging itself was also very pleasing, nicely designed spill-proof boxes in bio-degradable material so you didn’t have to contend with a mountain of plastic as is the case with less responsible brands.
Opening up the boxes allowed the tantalising aromas to fill my dining room. I had picked a mix of cuisines to get a proper understanding of how Anuka fared in each category. For appetisers, there was a Kasundi Paneer Tikka, soft in texture with a mild zing of mustard. The Parsi Mutton Cutlets were lacy and delicious, just like Aunty Freny next door makes them! For mains, the Vegetable Kofta was plump and punchy in flavour, although the butter naans I ordered with them needed a crash course in naan-ness. The Prawns in Red Thai Curry had the rich coconutty umami taste that I look for in a good Thai curry and went well with Jasmine Rice. Of the two desserts I had picked, the Baked Saffron Yoghurt was not worth the calories consumed but the Classic Framboise Opera was so delicate and spectacular that I had chocolate-and-raspberry-tinged dreams for a few nights after! Portion-wise, the meal was generous and two of us could comfortably have a binge meal and go for seconds too.
All in all, the Qmin app is a great way to get a taste of the Taj and the classiness that goes with it, while you stay safe. And in these days where restaurateurs are campaigning for consumers to #orderdirect rather than allow aggregators to get a sbig piece of the home-delivery pie, apps like these make a lot of sense while also giving you the five-star hotel-like experience at home. Talk about a win-win situation!
