Overlooking the Qutub Minar, En is a little gem tucked away at Ambawata One. Touted as a classic Japanese fine dining restaurant, En is predominantly full of Japanese expats, tourists and smattering of Indians. If it wasn’t overlooking this monument that gives it it’s characteristically ethnic finish it could’ve been in any bustling Japanese Metropolitan. I went to their Sushi festival on a sunny Saturday afternoon and came back very happy. I’ve been to En before, A handf Read more
Bombay Brasserie has finally opened its doors in Delhi’s Connaught Place and it’s upped the ante like how! Locally-sourced ingredients make for regional dishes that stand out in a menu full of surprises. Swaths of turquoise & white welcome you to an open space with high ceilings, signature to Central Delhi, a snazzy bar & some flaura and fauna. We were seated on a white marble top table with high chairs. Some Himalayan pink salt & their in-house beetroot powder welcomed us. A well-informed Read more
Lo & Behold! Gaggan, Asia’s best restaurant now proudly stands at number 5 on the World’s 50 best list. When the hype was just beginning to grow, I reserved a table at Gaggan on my bachelorette back in 2016. I reserved a table 45 days in advance. They never sent a confirmation. After hounding them for another week, I finally got an email confirmation. Our original destination was Bali while Bangkok was the layover. I specially extended our trip by a day in Bangkok so as to try Gaggan. It Read more
It’s quite a struggle to find the perfect pizza in India even though it’s one of the most common non-Indian dishes around. I’m not talking about a bready-biscuity base most 5 star restaurants insist on serving.I’m clearly not talking about the abomination that is Domino’s or Pizza Hut. I’m talking about a doughy yet thin crust wood fired pizza. Simple flavours of tomato & basil from the passata, enhanced by stringiness from a good quality mozzarella that adds a creamy texture, maybe Read more
Named after an Idyllic coastal town in Italy, this restaurant welcomes you with a cute blue Vespa & a smiling Maitre D’. Another lip-smacking establishment with the Genius Chef Neeraj Tyagi as the mastermind, this restaurant alone had upped the gastronomy at the slightly tired Shangri-La in New Delhi. Neighbours with Grappa, their Lounge Sorrento has a buzz, a beautifully-curated menu that servers in suspenders & chinos, a fantastic cheese collection but most importantly, Italian food in a nev Read more
With exactly 17 dishes on the menu that cover Entrees, Mains & Desserts, Paju Villa is definitely the IT restaurant in Tallinn at the moment. Another brainchild of the geniuses behind Noa, this restaurant is literally a Pinterest board. When I say Pinterest board, I really mean one. Chevrons, pastels like powder pink & mint, loft French windows, accents of rose gold and white marble countertops to set it off, this restaurant is pretty as a picture & the food is top-notch. Read more
Tucked away in a quiet corner of a recently refurbished ‘Palace’ in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi, L’Opera Salon de Thé is Delhi’s first French Salon that takes inspiration from the likes of Angelina on Rue De Rivoli.Even though Angelina is notorious for celebrity clientele and once upon a time boasted of regulars like Coco Chanel & Proust, L’opera though a quarter in size, is quickly becoming a favourite for the capital’s swish set. Neighbouring Chor Bizarre, an icon on its own fo Read more
Last night I went to Mum’s Kitchen for dinner. I was so hungry & excited at the prospect of getting Xacuti after three months that I forgot to take pictures. This happens very rarely (me forgetting to document my gastronomic adventures), but that’s what Mum’s Kitchen does to you. In the 21 years of it’s running, I must have had at least 50 meals here. They started out as a multi-cuisine restaurant when Goa was building its hype and claimed to be one of the most authentic Goanese Read more
Chimney cakes or Trdelník are Czech only in name. An ancient practice of rolling the dough around a stick & baking it over an open fire or hot coals before the advent of bread ovens & stoves is something most parts of Europe indulged in. So, where, why and how did this become Prague’s favourite street food? Available at every little street corner that usually rolled in Cinnamon Sugar, these cakes are served filled with ice-cream, Nutella, berries and other traditional sundae topping Read more
If there’s something that excites me more than the shoe department at Harrods, it’s a gleaming grocery store. I know, boring right? The thrill of a well stocked Grocery store is very underrated. Large looming shelves full of interesting treats. One gets to discover new products, brands & the brain teems with ideas when you look at all the different & fresh produce.So, when Foodhall opened at Chanakya, my excitement knew no bounds. When the malls are an easy 45 minute drive away on a Read more
There are some days in a month where all you want is cheese, chocolate & anything fried. The concept of ‘Comfort Food’ is very appealing. For me, it holds more novelty than any other pretentious food trend. Sometimes, you just want to slap your hair into a ponytail, spend time with your BFF and chomp on sinfully familiar flavours & textures. The Turkey Project is the epitome of this concept! Classic American style soul food served in classic American style portions, this Read more
Nestled in the Lodi Colony Market, Jamun has opened exactly where one of my favourite restaurants Trés used to be and that leaves it pretty big shoes to fill! The new baby in the PCO family, Jamun tries to put the spotlight on regional Indian cuisine with classic PCO style bespoke cocktails.Now, when you walk into the space minus the false ceilings and a snazzy bar, one side of the restaurant tries to recreate the feeling of sitting in an European-esque cafe with large windows, bougainvillea an Read more
When something blows up on social media, it turns into a fad. When it’s a restaurant half of Delhi’s gushing over, It goes right on top of my to-do list. Fig & Maple created all the right buzz. Chef Radhika Khandelwal seems to know her Social Media Ps&Qs and as she’s known as @pandoodle in the virtual world. So off we went to sample the #foodporn title deserving waffles & other dishes on offer.I started with a seasonal special hot chocolate that came with strawberries & mar Read more
An old belief when it comes to restaurants is that if the people of the country the cuisine is from are dining there, the food must be authentic. This stands true for Kofuku. So, even though Japan has been on my to-travel list for aeons now, I haven’t gotten around to planning a trip there yet. My affair with Japanese food can already begin from Kofuku.The misnomer that Japanese food is just Sushi is very gladly broken by this restaurant. Low Japanese seating, cane, minimalism; thing Read more
The old town in Tallinn is divided into two parts. The higher one where the nobility lived & the lower one where the proletariat existed. Connecting the two was the old town square. Why am I giving you this history lesson? Because tucked away from the old town is a little street that houses not only the best hotel in Tallinn (Telegraaf) but also an exclusive collection of fine dining restaurants. From Tchaikovsky thats in the hotel itself to Controvento & Dominic, these are the best Read more
Since its opening in 2009, Indian Accent has subtly acquired the top spot in every must-visit list ever made since then for Delhi. A place in the top 50 restaurants in the world only enforced the idea that was already forming that a ‘star’ is born. Thoughts, opinions, and reviews on this establishment are a dime a dozen. A confirmed reservation in the first call itself is one of the most coveted things in the city of Delhi! But today I don’t want to talk about the restaurant;&nb Read more
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A product from the house of café Lota, Triveni Terrace Café is another little gem! Set inside Triveni Kala Sangam that greets you with its pretty as a punch amphitheater and 2 galleries. And as a result, this has much more buzz compared to the Arts and Crafts Museum Café Lota is based out of. A smaller and cozier space with a charming outdoor setting, Triveni Terrace Café serves some staple Lota dishes and some never-seen-before fare. I practically jumped out Read more
While travelling, I try to maximise the number of restaurants I can visit. Before I plan out my sightseeing and travel schedules, I’m already on the phone making dinner reservations. It’s pretty clear I live to eat and I love to experiment.So, if I repeat a restaurant at a destination, one that isn’t even the local cuisine, I can safely say they’ve hit the spot. Madam Woo in Queenstown, New Zealand ticks all the boxes. Read more
A charming little café tucked above Ogaan in Malcha Marg market, Caara is a hidden gem. Ideal for a weekday lunch, early dinner, or a leisurely Sunday breakfast, the restaurant serves organic fare that is wholesome and packed with flavour. When I end up liking most of the things I try, I can’t help but not be mesmerised by the place. I started with a cappuccino and since it is an extremely cosy restaurant, the machine’s out in plain view and the aroma of my cof Read more
Delhi’s finally got its own taste of the hipster culture in the newly opened The Grammar Room. A restaurant within a restaurant, Olive in Mehrauli has finally converted their private party space into a cool ‘hip’ new café of sorts that’s helmed by the extremely capable Chef Sahil from CIA. When you walk into the space, the carefully mismatched interiors catch your eye and there’s fluidity in even the oddest objects. You immediately want Read more
Chef Claude Bosi helmed Hibiscus, a popular 2 hatted establishment in London until it shut down. He has now moved to Bibendum with its seafood bar concept followed by the ultimate fine dining experience, making his presence felt in the Indian food scene by hosting a pop up at the newly opened Indian Accent at The Lodhi. When one hears of about a collaboration between two stalwarts like Manish Mehrotra & Claude Bosi, expectations skyrocket. Read more
The year is 1997; Delhi is riding high on the Chinjabi wave. Chinese food modified to suit the North Indian palate is a rage, dishes the Chinese have never even fathomed like Manchurian and Chilli Paneer take up space on the specials menu of most Chinese stand-alone restaurants mushrooming everywhere. Food trends come and go and unfortunately, this ketchup and vinegar-laced cuisine face a lot of backlash from the conscious eaters for the copious amounts of MSG in it. A lethal chemical that bloat Read more
Lo & Behold! Poké culture has finally hit Delhi! Poké (pronounces as po: kay) is a Hawaiian concept that has gripped the imagination of the world. Touted as the IT thing, this food trend is essentially sushi in a bowl, originally a Hawaiian raw fish salad this new updated version has a lot more Japanese influence and only the name now has Hawaiian roots. Japanese cuisine usually works very well in fusion food; my favourite and the most successful example being Nikkei, a Read more
When I have the onus of planning a special occasion, I pick a restaurant from a very limited and well-curated list & The Orient Express at the Taj Palace Diplomatic Enclave is a viable contender for the top spot on that list. Based on the same train that plays the protagonist in Agatha Christie’s 1934 bestseller, This European restaurant has been around for as long as I can remember. The child in me has always found the novel idea of sitting in a train-like set up in Read more