Wind beneath my wings

Born into a family, that owns coffee plantations in Coorg, city boy Vikram Dasappa, had a natural affinity to Coorg coffee and felt that it is one of the oldest and the best coffees in India. Eligible bachelor boy who chose to become a restaurateur, instead of running the family coffee business, shares, “Our family has been in the business since past three generations and we have the oldest and best kept coffee estates in Coorg. On my various travels around the world, I explored a lot of night clubs, lounge bars and pubs and always wanted to own one of my own. But owing to Bengaluru’s early nightlife deadline, opening a night club didn’t seem like a very clever proposition. Food has been growing steadily in the city and that’s why I decided to bring an International food chain here.”

Recognising the city as a social melting pot, a brand like Nando’s seemed to pique the foodies interest. “I was always very passionate about the hospitality industry. I also love travelling and have been to many cities around the world with a group of friends and family. This year we went to explore Europe and went to Croatia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, London and Montenegro. It was also my mom Gayathri’s 60th birthday, so 25 of us from my family went onboard the Royal Caribbean cruise. We also took out time and tried some rock climbing in Montenegro. Last year we went to Bangkok, Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore with friends. On one of my trips to Budapest, I went cycling across the country, which is the best way to explore new places. Highlight of my trips is trying out new cuisines, especially Italian and meeting new people,” says Vikram, who runs two Nando’s restaurants in the city, adding, “The first time I tried the Peri-peri chicken at Nando’s in London, I was hooked onto it and one of my cousins mentioned about the franchise. I have taken the franchise licence for Karnataka state.”

Recalling a recent trip to London, Vikram adds, “I love Nobu for its interesting Japanese cuisine. Whenever I like a dish, I always try and have a word with the chefs to get an idea on whatever goes into making it. I’m always exploring more options of world cuisine, with plans to bringing in more international chains to India. I also love Prosecco and have also tried a lot of exotic range of cognacs from Venezuela. Another of my favourites is Frangelico. I take my golf breaks whenever I can. We had gone to take part in the golf tournament at the 107 year old Belur golf club. I have also taken golf holidays in Colombo and South Africa.”