The weather in Delhi has finally taken a turn, and we are nearing the end of ‘food festival’ season! As a fitting end to this year’s season, I visited “India’s largest gourmet food festival” called WOAP: World on a Plate, that took place from February 14-16, 2020 at DLF Avenue in Saket. This was the fifth edition of this festival, and the first one in Delhi. Interaction with a renowned celebrity chef has always been the USP of World on a Plate, and this time Delhiites had the opportunity to meet 3 star Michelin chef, Marco Pierre White. Read on to know about this specially curated food event, and if you should visit it the next time it comes to your city.
With 3 Michelin Star Chef, Marco Pierre White
‘WORLD ON A PLATE’ FOOD FESTIVAL:
The last few years have seen a burgeoning of restaurants in metropolitan cities that cater to middle-income and higher-income spenders. World on a Plate or WOAP, is aimed at discerning and well-heeled foodies that live in these cities. This festival brings a few of the best names in the food and beverage industry together, by curating a memorable dining experience.
In addition, the festival organises master classes by renowned master chefs, as well as exclusive dinners and lunches for select invitees. The event also sees competitions amongst amateur chefs, and the WOAP ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award is judged by top chefs from around the world.
WOAP’s first edition took place in 2016 in Bangalore, where the three ‘Masterchef Australia’ judges- Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan- were the main attractions. Every edition offers interactive sessions with celebrity chefs, and Delhi was lucky to get Marco Pierre White this year.
Master Classes at the Taste Theatre at WOAP
WHAT TO EXPECT AT ‘WORLD ON A PLATE’ FESTIVAL:
Apart from numerous award-winning food stalls that cover a variety of cuisines, you can access fully-stocked bars, meet celebrity chefs, enjoy live music, improve your culinary skills by attending numerous master classes, and get a chance to win prizes. Open green spaces encourage picnic-ing with families, while sampling the best dishes from many restaurants of the city, in one place.
An exclusive VIP Zone offers a comfortable and memorable experience, where you can interact with the celebrity chefs while enjoy appetisers and high-end alcohol.
Clockwise from Top Left: Margherita Pizza from Fio; Chicken Wings from Plats; Dimsum from Plats; Nutella Waffles from The Whiz Cafe; Dimsum from You Mee
WHAT I ATE AT THE ‘WORLD ON A PLATE’ FESTIVAL:
I visited the WOAP festival with my family. Together we were five adults and one child. Since we visited at lunch time, and shared most of what we ordered, we were able to sample many small bites from different stalls.
My son enjoyed his Margherita Pizza from ‘Fio’, and I liked the non-vegetarian sushi roll from ‘Kampai’. The cheesy dumplings and Noodle Soup from ‘You Mee’, as well as the Chicken Wings and Dumplings from ‘Plats’ were quite good. I felt that the batter-fried fish served with rice from ‘Neung Roi’ was too spicy to be enjoyable, and the Three Bean Salad from ‘The Whiz Café’ was average at best.
I enjoyed some Absolut vodka to counter the unusual heat of the afternoon and my brother enjoyed the Bhutanese ‘Kati Patang’ beer.
Dessert options were few and far between, so we ordered a Nutella waffle from ‘The Whiz Café’, which was good but certainly not the best I’ve had!
Lack of a shade was a problem on a sunny afternoon; the Festival Bar, though well-stocked was separate for hard liquor and beer
REVIEW OF ‘WORLD ON A PLATE’ FESTIVAL:
The WOAP festival stands apart from others, because of the additional gourmet experiences it offers. The event was quite enjoyable, but there are a few things you should keep in mind, if you plan to visit the next edition of this fest in your city.
What I Liked:
- The location in the heart of South Delhi, though not exactly central, is quite convenient.
- The food festival took place in the open area in front of the mall. This allowed access to the mall, clean toilets and easy parking.
- The stalls offered varied cuisines among them, so we were spoilt for choice when it came to picking what to eat.
- Benches were available, and so was plenty of open grassy area for picnickers.
- As members of the audience, we had the chance to hear legendary 3 Michelin Star Chef Marco Pierre White.
- At 1 p.m. in the afternoon on Sunday, the third day, the venue was full but not over-crowded which made the experience quite comfortable.
- You could get VIP access for a reasonable price, which also included vouchers for food and drinks.
What I Did Not Like:
- February 16 was an unusually hot day in Delhi. People without VIP access were forced to boil under the sun, as there was no shade cover in the regular areas. Perhaps the structures or tents could’ve been designed differently, or at the very least, there should’ve been fans installed as back-up!
- The dessert options were very limited, with ‘The Artful Baker’ being the only bakery to have its own stall. Other stalls served one or two signature desserts, but on this hot day, we had to go inside the mall to get ice-cream. Quite a disappointment!
- It was nearly impossible to get a photograph with Marco Pierre White, unless you had VIP access. I had to call in a favour to get one!
- We had to install money on smartcards to make payments. This system is quite popular during large events and festivals, but personally, I find it cumbersome and annoying.
- The bar was divided in two sections, one for the hard liquor and one solely serving beer. This meant a lot of unnecessary running around.
- For an exclusive food festival, I felt the food options were limited. Perhaps that was to maintain the ‘exclusivity factor’, but I’m only stating persona preference here!
Overall, I felt it was an enjoyable event but I would do a few things differently next time. My family had received promotional passes that granted free entry but denied access to the VIP area. We would’ve preferred shelling out the INR 2500 for a family VIP pass, of which INR 1200 was redeemable in food and drinks. This would’ve allowed us to be cool in the shade and even have a conversation with Marco Pierre White himself. I recommend you do the same.
Marco Pierre White
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Sounds a fun day out, well, apart from the lack of shade. The name of the event immediately brought to mind Highway on my Plate haha 🙂
Haha perhaps that’s the source 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
You are very welcome. It’s an enjoyable blog. 🙂
Haha I always loved that show 🙂
🙂
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂
You are looking stunning.
The fest looks enjoyable and delectable.
Agree with your part, no shade, so that can ruin the mood.
Thank you 🙂
As always you have come up with an interesting event Noor! Foodies like me love to read about it even if we cant visit it anytime soon. Your post gives precise details about the what, where and how of the WOAP. I am looking forward to more about Delhi in the coming months…
Thank you Brindha! Glad you liked the post 🙂
Damn! I missed it, I was aware of the event but wasn’t aware of the dates. I so wanted to attend the event and was also free on those dates. I am sure it was an amazing experience for you.
Thanks Prakhar! Next time 🙂
Nicely reviewed. Such amazing events happening in Delhi. Wonderful for foodies ofcourse. Your honest comments makes it genuine for me. When I have to attend events or any restaurant visit I usually checkout your blog for any info you have to share
Thanks dear Urvashi!
It looks like a great event. It Must be wonderful for foodies to eat some good food. All the clicks are amazing.
Thank you
Wow lucky u r meet such a renowned chef and eat such yum dishes.
Thanks
Well explained, Full detailed coverage of WOAP event, nothing left to ask more about it, you have well provided all the information, Noor, I Loved it !
Thank you
It surely sounds like an event not to be missed, specially for foodies like me. The presence of shades would have turned your experience to a new height i suppose.
Yes it would have certainly made it better
I am so happy that you were a part of this prestigious event. This is such a lucky opportunity. I got to meet him last year and was so lucky to be a part of the events exclusive media table. He is the godfather and such good pics
Yes he really is wonderful! Thank you for stopping by!
Wow ! What an honour to meet Chef Marco! The fest looks amazing.. loved the pictures you shared..
Thank you
I really envy you for this…living in Delhi u get so many food festivals and get to interact with such super chefs…..I get n one 🙂
Come to Delhi… We’ll go together 🙂
Looks like this is a good event for foodies in Delhi. One place with so much to experience . It is a proud moment to be in a frame with Chef Marco.
Yes absolutely!
Very detailed and honest post, Noor.Usually people talk about highlights only but not disappointments.
Thanks for appreciating! I try to give the most honest reviews, because I know those are few and far between!
Lucky you! You met Chef Marco. Looks like a fun event. Must have been a great experience. Great pictures.
Thanks! Meeting him was great but the event was just ok
Tjis looks like a great event. Wish I could have attended this one. You are super lucky to attend thid event. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us
Thanks for stopping by
OMg is Chef Marco Pierre White was in town and came for this food festival.. He is one chef I look upto. The masterclass in this festivals would have been a learning experience. With so many food stalls this festival looks a clear winner for any foodie.
Yes he was here just for the festival.. It was nice to be able to meet him
One should learn to write a review from u. While reading the post, I had just one question in my mind” what’s the price of VIP pass” and towards the end even that was answered. It was a fulfilling experience indeed
Thank you dear Supriti.. Really appreciate you lauding my efforts!
Wow WOAP seems like a great fun event and it seems you had loads of fun there with your family. you had shared a complete coverage of event with all positive and negative points. I agree, hot temperature make our overall experience less pleasant.
Thanks for reading and appreciating it Surbhi!
Being from Delhi I loved your post and I will share it among my near n dear ones..thanks for writing such informative post.
Thanks for stopping by
Sounds like so much fun n learning from the experts. I’m sure you had your favorite food
Thanks
Wow i love to attend these type of events but with kids i have been a little out of date now. Should attend these things in bangalore. Love the name of the event.
Yes they originated in Bangalore. You should definitely visit.
From your eyes I could glance a lovely day with delicious food meeting renowned chef with shade for folks it would have been amazing.
On other note, you looking stunning Noor.
Thank you dear!
Your honest review of your experience in the event is what I loved the most. And the detail about the event is amazing. I too wish if I was there to witness it
Next time!
You had best time there. I missed this time but will visit next season
Yes you must
I read about it on your Instagram too and it’s an amazing event must attend for every foodie.
Yes for sure! Thanks for stopping by!
Oops I missed attending this festival!! The food looks tempting. Being a foodie that I am, loves to explore and understand food in relation with its culture and patter.
Next time!
Apart from the lack of shade, it seems to be a well organised and a good festival. I missed this one, would have loved to attend. Thanks for this honest review
Thank you for reading and appreciating the review 🙂
Food festivals are always a lot of fun for the family! You make any event sound so interesting and go-worthy. Like reading your posts. They sound very real.
Thank you
Wow such a awesome place to be. M sure u had great time
Thanks
Must have been a tantalizing experience for your tastebuds. Had I known I would have definitely attended. You look as if you’ve had a blast
Next time!
Oh this looks like a great event. Reading this I had so much fun.
🙂
Oh woh… seems a great experience. This event looks so much fun. I would love to join in the event, whenever it happen again.
🙂
Though the festival was good to attend but if they had covered the upper area for non-VIP members then it would be great experience for all.
Yes for sure! Thank you for stopping by and for reading!
Wooww this seems interesting. So much to learn!
Thanks for stopping by!