Midnight appetite

Arsal Mallick, sales team head with a start-up, confides, “I know what I am craving and from where I can get it. I often crave biryani immensely. And there’s this joint called Empire restaurant that stays open until one or two am in the night and cooks some wonderful biryani. I start getting that certain taste in my mouth and, in the meantime, I’ll reach the place. If I crave pizza, there are a few select outlets where I can order from or go for takeaway.”  

He adds, “Untimely food habits, delayed dinner because I got busy at the dinnertime, or not having satisfactory food at home are the primary causes for my midnight cravings. I start my bike the minute I crave something and everything is sorted for me!”

This era of technology is very helpful for food lovers wanting to indulge late into the night. As most eateries have partnered with food-delivery apps, they even stay open until the wee hours to satisfy the cravings of these late-night foodies. “My all-time love is Death by Chocolate,” Yashpal Kasotiya dramatically declares. Yashpal, who works as a French expert in an MNC, says, “These eateries are open till late night and serve through online orders. Death by Chocolate being my favourite, I order from Polar Bear. This midnight love for ice-cream started with the gradual changes in my daily routine and timings. And for me, my day feels complete only after ordering a DBC. I can never compromise over the food I love. With certain discounts, they offer me heaven at very affordable prices. Sometimes, I feel even the store loves me because the offer or the store seems to be closed on my friend’s phone, but I can order till two in the morning!”

This midnight love isn’t just limited to online orders or late-night jaunts to joints. There are some beautiful stories created in hostel rooms and paying-guest accommodation too. The food shared at the witching hour helps to create bonds of a lifetime and make happy memories. “Waking up in the middle of the night and cooking Maggi was my favourite task in the hostel days and I still follow the same routine! Initially, my friends’ habits and unusual timings for food frustrated me. But as we sat up till late in the study rooms, even I started cooking at night with them. Everyone’s ‘special Maggi’ never disappointed us. We also tried experimenting with the masalas that went best with the noodles. We tried with almost all the masalas which we regularly use for curries and with meat as well. I was finally satisfied when I cooked Maggi with mutton and garam masala. This is my all-time favourite midnight craving,” confesses Kavya S, who works with a start-up.