Old Madras Baking Company has always had a reputation for doing things properly, and its latest move makes that reputation even harder to argue with. The Chennai-based artisanal bakery recently hosted a special launch event to unveil a brand new global-inspired menu, developed in close collaboration with two highly acclaimed Australian baking consultants.

The new range introduces formats and flavours that Chennai's culinary landscape has largely not experienced before, bringing together loaded croissants, Alsatian-style flammekueche, premium meat and vegetarian pies, wraps, and flatbreads with hummus, pesto, and garlic butter. It's an ambitious and genuinely exciting addition to what Old Madras Baking Company has built so far.

The collaboration was anchored by Graham Martin, an internationally recognised Australian baker with over five decades of artisan bread-making experience behind him. A World Flatbread Competition winner from Las Vegas in 2025 and Director of Rick's on Sixth in Australia, Martin brought deep knowledge of global baking trends to the development process, including the growing popularity of European-style flammekueche from the Alsace region of France and the evolving world of loaded croissants and contemporary flatbreads.

The pie section of the menu was shaped by a second consultant, an award-winning Australian pie specialist who has collected over 200 medals for meat pies, bringing serious craft credentials to the range.

Working alongside both consultants was Chef Pazhanisamy Kaliyaperumal, who has been with Old Madras Baking Company for eight years and brings extensive international experience across Canada, the United States, and India. His role in adapting the recipes for local tastes while preserving their global authenticity was central to making the menu work for Indian consumers.

The full new range includes Mushroom, Spinach, and Bacon and Onion Flammekueche, along with Avocado and Feta, Chicken, Lamb, and Salmon Filled Croissants. The pie selection covers Scrambled Paneer, Pepper Veg, Paneer, Chicken, Lamb, Chicken Masala, and Passion Fruit, alongside a Banoffee Tart. Wraps come in Salad, Chicken, and Lamb, and the Flatbread with Hummus, Pesto, and Garlic Butter rounds off a spread that covers a lot of ground with genuine confidence.

The new products are being introduced across Old Madras Baking Company outlets in phases, with the complete range available across all Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad outlets by June 2026.

The brand was founded by Sweta Garapati, who has been instrumental in building the bakery into the respected name it is today while championing women's empowerment and leadership within the food and hospitality industry. This new menu feels like a natural extension of that ambition: bringing the best of global baking to Indian consumers without cutting corners on craft or technique.

Burger Singh just closed its Series B round and the numbers tell a strong story. The Gurugram-based burger chain has raised INR 82 crore at a valuation of INR 520 crore, with the round led by Artal Asia Pte Ltd and participation from Negen Undiscovered Value Fund, Aurum Rising India Fund, and a mix of new and existing investors.

But what makes this funding round interesting isn't just the size of it. It's what Burger Singh plans to do with it.

The brand is not simply opening more outlets. It's building what Founder and CEO Kabir Jeet Singh describes as India's franchise-first restaurant growth platform, a structured, scalable system that allows local entrepreneurs to open and run successful franchise-owned outlets with the right support behind them. That's a meaningfully different ambition from just expanding a burger chain.

India's quick-service restaurant industry has grown significantly over the past two decades, but most of that growth has come through company-owned stores or master franchise arrangements. What hasn't developed at the same pace is a well-organised platform that genuinely enables individual entrepreneurs to succeed in the restaurant business at scale. Burger Singh sees that as the gap worth solving.

With 200 plus stores already operational across 100 plus cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Amritsar, the franchise backbone is already in place. The fresh capital will now go towards deepening that infrastructure across store design, training systems, operating manuals, supply chain integration, technology, and on-ground market support.

The brand's FY 2024-25 revenue of INR 117 crore reflects consistent growth across both metro markets and emerging cities. Products like Nikku Singh, Udta Punjab 2.0, Churmur Pandey, and Bunty Pappeh Da Aloo have built genuine recall in a crowded category, helped along by accessible pricing and a menu that has been built specifically for the Indian palate rather than adapted from somewhere else.

Kabir Jeet Singh was clear about the larger mission behind the raise. "India has no shortage of entrepreneurs. What it lacks is enough high-quality operating platforms that allow those entrepreneurs to succeed in the restaurant business at scale. That is the gap we are solving. We are not just opening outlets; we are building the platform Indian entrepreneurs can plug into to create successful restaurant businesses."

Founded in 2014, Burger Singh was built with a specific premise: not to imitate foreign burger chains but to reinvent the burger for Indian tastes at an affordable price. More than a decade later, that premise is now the foundation of a platform play with real scale ambitions.

Most people know Ekta Nagar as the home of the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue. But the destination is becoming considerably more than that single landmark, and travellers who make the trip are discovering a place that genuinely rewards spending more than an afternoon there.

Since their launch during Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, IHCL's Vivanta and Ginger properties in Ekta Nagar have been welcoming a growing number of travellers drawn by the region's unique combination of cultural significance, natural beauty, and modern hospitality. Located just three kilometres from the Statue of Unity, both properties are well-positioned as bases for exploring everything the destination has to offer.

The experiences around Ekta Nagar are more varied than most first-time visitors expect. The Narmada Aarti at the Narmada Ghats is a genuinely moving experience, the kind that stays with you in the way that the best travel moments do. Aarogya Van offers a wellness-focused nature experience, while the Miyawaki Forest brings a different kind of green immersion to the destination. The Maze Garden and Glow Garden add leisure and visual appeal to a destination that already has plenty of substance.

At Vivanta Ekta Nagar, one of the standout dining experiences is the Ekta Thali, a thoughtfully curated spread that celebrates India's culinary diversity by bringing together flavours from across the country in a single meal. It's the kind of offering that reflects the broader spirit of the destination itself: unity through variety.

Vivanta Ekta Nagar brings 127 rooms and suites to the destination alongside wellness and spa facilities, versatile dining options, and curated local excursions that help guests make the most of their time in the region.

Ginger Ekta Nagar offers 151 lean-luxe rooms with the Qmin restaurant serving a mix of global and local cuisine, fitness facilities, and modern meeting spaces for those combining leisure with work.

Together, the two properties give travellers flexible options depending on what kind of stay they're looking for, whether that's a more indulgent, experience-rich visit through Vivanta or a practical, well-designed stay through Ginger.

Ekta Nagar is still building its tourism story, but the foundations are strong. Cultural depth, natural attractions, good hospitality, and a location anchored by one of the world's most visited landmarks make it a destination that deserves more attention than it currently receives. For travellers looking for something beyond the obvious on their next Indian trip, this is one worth putting on the list