How We Brought the Christmas Formal to Life

The Christmas Formal was an experiment, one we wanted to run to find out if we could pull off a formal, seated, multi-course dinner event here in Bread and Brew, Chennai. It was our first attempt at something like this, and before we talk about the night itself, let us take you behind the scenes, into the kitchens, the planning, and the team that made it happen.

The Idea Takes Shape

The Christmas Formal did not arrive as a sudden spark of inspiration from a single person sitting alone in a room. It was born collectively, the way the best ideas are.

The entire team came together, each person bringing their ideas, their energy, and their vision to the table. It was a planned discussion, but planning does not mean rigid or cold. In fact, the energy in the room was anything but. Think of the buzz of a kitchen during a trial run, a little chaotic, full of life, and electric with possibility. That is exactly what it felt like.

Everyone was energetic. Everyone was dedicated. Ideas were brewing in heads the way a good broth brews on a stove, slowly building depth, layer by layer. And through all that wonderful, productive chaos, something beautiful began to take shape: a curated vision of what this Christmas Formal could truly be.

The Challenge Nobody Talks About

Before we take you through the menu, let us share the detail that puts everything into perspective.

On the night of the Christmas Formal, we were not operating in isolation. Our regular service was running simultaneously, the restaurant was house full. The very same team that was plating five-course meals for 30 formal guests was also keeping everyday operations alive. We had just three additional helping hands that evening; student caterers who came in for a single day. That was it.

Thirty guests. Five courses. All sent out together, at the same time. A small team. And a full house running alongside.

For most establishments, this would be unthinkable for a first-time event. For us, it became the story we are most proud of. Every dish that reached a guest's table that evening carried not just flavour, but effort, resilience, and the kind of quiet pride that comes from knowing you gave everything you had.

A Five-Course Journey, Made With Heart

The Amuse-Bouche: Where It All Began

The evening opened with two types of amuse-bouche, those delicate, single-bite appetisers that set the tone for everything to follow. One was built on tofu, the other on smoked salmon, both elevated with Greek yoghurt, red onions, and a carefully chosen blend of ingredients.

But the real story here is the cone, the crisp outer shell that housed each tiny, perfect bite. We wanted a specific shape, a specific texture, and we did not have the equipment to achieve it. So we improvised, using a mould made from materials we had on hand, shaping and re-shaping until the cone held its form and gave us the crispness we needed. We went through trial after trial, adjusting the technique each time. The shape was not right. Then it still was not right. And then, finally, it was exactly right.

That cone became a symbol of the entire event. It reminded us that when you do not have the perfect tool, you find another way. You do not lower the standard. You rise to meet it.

The Starter: First Times and Fine Dining

The starter course brought two dishes to the table, Shrimp Pir Pir and a Caesar Salad reimagined with tomatoes, mozzarella, and a drizzle of cooked soya sauce.

The shrimp were shallow-fried with care and tossed in a piri piri mixture, but working with shrimp was a first for our team. Knowing when a prawn is perfectly cooked, that precise moment between underdone and overdone, is something that comes with experience. We were building that experience in real time.

And then there was the mozzarella. We made it from scratch, hand-pulled, shaped, and finished in-house, the first time we had done it in this kitchen with this team. The shaping was difficult; mozzarella is temperamental, and the technique takes practice. But we did not reach for an easier alternative. We worked through it, carefully and methodically, until each piece was exactly what it needed to be.

Serving a hand-made mozzarella on a formal dinner menu is not a shortcut. It is a statement.

The Soup: Warmth in Every Bowl

Our soup course was a Potato and Broccoli Soup, the kind of dish that sounds simple but demands respect. The potatoes and broccoli were blanched and then puréed to a smooth, velvety consistency, enriched with fresh cream and finished with herbs. Rich. Filling. Deeply comforting.

Sometimes the most powerful dishes are the ones that ask nothing from the guest but to slow down, close their eyes, and just taste. This was one of those dishes.

The Main Course: Dedication on a Plate

The main course was where the evening truly came alive, and where one of the most extraordinary stories of the night unfolded.

We served three dishes: Caramelle Pasta, Chicken Ballotine with tomato and cheese sauce, and for our vegetarian guests, a Gnocchi Ballotine with the same sauces. The pasta drew admiration and conversation all evening, but it was the ballotines that carried the most remarkable story.

The chef behind the Chicken Ballotine and Gnocchi Ballotine did not come from a hospitality background. He was not trained in the classical sense. What he had instead was determination, an absolute refusal to let an unfamiliar technique defeat him. He went through trial after trial, learning the dish from the inside out, until he understood it not just technically but intuitively. And what he plated that evening was not the work of a newcomer. It was the work of someone who had earned every element of that dish through sheer will and effort.

The Dessert : Edible Art

If the main course told a story of grit, the dessert told a story of artistry.

I was responsible for the dessert, working alongside the bakery team to create something that was as much a visual experience as a culinary one. At its heart was a Christmas tree, sculpted from chocolate cake and rich ganache, standing tall on the plate. Around it, desiccated coconut snowmen gathered in quiet charm, each one with delicate facial features drawn by hand using melted chocolate. Crystallised dark and white chocolate formed the chocolate mud beneath it all, completing a scene that was minimalist, festive, and absolutely striking.

The challenges behind this creation were immense. The frosting on the Christmas tree was sensitive to changes in temperature and atmosphere, a shift in the room could undo hours of careful work. The snowmen were extraordinarily fragile, the slightest pressure and they would crumble. Drawing facial expressions in melted chocolate onto figures that small required a steadiness of hand and a patience of spirit that very few possess.

Every element of this dessert was prepared separately and then assembled together on the plate, a process that demanded precision at every single stage. It was, without question, one of the most challenging and rewarding things we had created together. And when guests saw it arrive at their table, the reaction said everything.

The Berry Drink : A Taste of the Unexpected

No formal evening is complete without a drink that surprises and delights. Ours came in the form of a Swedish berry experience, something most of our guests had never encountered before.

The berries were cooked down into a thick, jewel-coloured compote, which then became the foundation for two offerings: a Berry Tea and a Berry Mojito. Balancing the natural sweetness and sourness of the berry was the central challenge, too much of either and the drink would lose its elegance. Finding that precise proportion took patience and a refined palate.

When guests tasted it, the response was unanimous. It was the drink of the evening. A berry they had never heard of, transformed into something they would not forget.