The Top List of Great Restaurants - New Delhi, India
Experience a taste of Delhi's culinary culture. by Rajnish Sharma
Eating out is urban India's most overpowering collective passion and nowhere is this exemplified better than in the country's capital, New Delhi. Exotic cuisines of all kinds find f(l)avour with the connoisseur and the layman alike who share one thing in common: their love for good food. The city is simmering with so many popular eating places, each with its distinctive aromatic ambiance and fair share of loyal clientele, that choosing the top 10 restaurants is anything but a cakewalk for a reviewer. But it's an attempt worth tucking into! Delhi is noted for its Mughal cuisine, a direct legacy of the Mughal rule. A Central Asian nomadic cuisine of braised meats, kebabs, pilafs and breads using the clay oven (tandoor) evolved with the use of local spices and herbs into a rich range of dishes popularly known as Mughlai. But restaurants now serve a range of cuisines from around India and abroad, including Thai, Chinese, Italian and even Korean. Many of these are to be found in the city hotels.
So let's give you a taste of Delhi's culinary culture!
URBAN NOMADS Ground floor, 1&2, Chiranjiv Towers, 43 Nehru Place New Delhi Hours: Open all days from 12 noon to 12 am Perhaps the only restaurant in Delhi which has the excellent system of serving half portions and just as well, since the servings are so huge! And at modest prices to boot. Starters are all from the tandoor and include green gram kebabs and chopped vegetables roasted crisp in the tandoor. A must is the dahi kebab besides the seekh kebab gillafi with flecks of coriander and onion inside. You must also sample an Afghani speciality, the khanabadoshi raan here. If you're fond of lamb, then don't miss the rogan josh from Kashmir made from slow-simmered shank bones. The vindaloo is served in a gravy with a touch of coconut and a dash of vinegar. For vegetarians too, there's thankfully much to choose from besides the ubiquitous paneer (cottage cheese) preparations - palak kofta, mirchi ka salan and besan ke gatte, with its tomato-based delicious gravy. Tandoori and roomali rotis are priced at only Rs 10 each which is unbelievable! Chef Gopal Thapa is the man behind the show.
Estimated cost per person for dinner: Rs 250-300.
THE GREAT KEBAB FACTORY Raddison, National Highway-8, New Delhi Hours: Open all days 12:30-3 for lunch and 7:30-11:30 for dinner unless otherwise noted The name of this restaurant is certainly misleading. For even as meat lovers continue to throng it, there are quite a few vegetarians making a beeline for it. Waiters, dressed as workers in colourful overalls, create a psychedelic effect, particularly as the décor tends to be palatial with azure blue pillars and mosaic tiles. The menu changes every day except for certain staples like the melt-in-your-mouth galauti kebab (minced mutton with raw papaya) and the subz galauti (mashed lentils and yam), both smoked and then fried. Regarding the vegetarian cuisine, the focus is on keeping it traditional and seasonal. You have to thank chefs Sujit Bose and Amish Potdar for that. Alongside the naan and rotis, diners are also treated to Lakhnavi specialities like sheermal and ulta tawa paratha. On the whole, this is a joint for hot, fresh and simple food where vegetarians and non-vegetarians can happily co-exist. Delicious desserts like gulab jamun and kulfi provide a fitting finale to your day out.
Estimated cost per person for dinner: Rs 595 + taxes for an all-you-can-eat platter
KUMGANG 12, Hauz Khas Village (near the Bistro complex) New Delhi Hours: Open all days from 11 am to 3 pm, and 6.30 pm to 11 pm. Each time a customer walks into this one, the proprietor-cum-chef Mi Ran introduces herself. Probably she does that because she needs to know just how daring you can be before she recommends you a meal. Korean cuisine is the city's newest entrant. The good thing is that authenticity is guaranteed as Kumgang imports almost everything it serves, and not only are there vegetarian options aplenty, some of the dishes are as alien, or should we say as native, as chowmein! Also, Korean food is low on calories, yet high on nutrition. Now for the bad news: A meal at Kumgang can be pretty expensive and for the conservative eater, the fermented taste so popular in Korea, can quite shock his culinary sensibilities! Tempura, a batter-coated and deep-fried vegetable, exists in Japanese cuisine too, as does Miso soup, Sushi, and the accent on seafood. Korean mustard is as deadly as Japanese wasabi and both cuisines use vegetables that are rare. Momos are also available here. Kamasot Yongyngpat is a good starting level dish. Cooked in a metal pot, it contains rice with vegetables and chicken bits in a pleasant though unexciting stock. At Rs 400, it makes a full meal for one person, with the option of a vegetarian version too. Chapchae: potato noodles in a broth with vegetables is also worth a try. Kim Chi, the best known Korean dish, is a fermented preserve of Chinese cabbage which you might just enjoy.
Meal for two costs around Rs 800.
VILLAGE MOHALLA The Village Bistro Restaurant Complex, 12, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi Hours: Open all days from 12.30 pm to 12 am Dim lighting, mud finished interiors with Rajasthani paintings and ethnic Indian curries are the USPs of this place. A terrific start to your meal could be with Murg Yakhni Shorba, a delicate extract of chicken, flavoured with herbs and saffron that is garnished with diced chicken and coriander. The vegetarians should just go for the main course and leave out the Dal Shorba. Even while you place your order, a troupe of Rajasthani performers enliven the environment in no time. For the main course, there is Kadhai Jheenga, fresh prawns marinated in red and green chillies and cooked in the kadhai, garnished with capsicum, tomato and coriander seeds. The other specialty of this Mohalla is the Masalewala Chaamp, lamb chops flavoured in cumin and cooked in their own fat. Another option would be the Murg Kalimirch, chicken flavoured with black pepper. The chicken pieces are tender and the proportion of spices just right. A Thali lunch for vegetarians here costs Rs 195 while for non-vegetarians, it comes to Rs 225. So the next time you want to enjoy a meal far from the madding crowd and don't want to burn a hole in your pocket, head straight for Village Mohalla.
Meal for two costs around Rs 390 (veg) & Rs 450 (non-veg).
LE CAFÉ The Village Bistro Restaurant Complex, 12, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi Hours: Open all days from 11 am to 12 am Le Café offers good quality continental fare and is all about beer, champagne, wines and cocktails. An assortment of snack items here can be devoured for as little as Rs 99. Unbelievable, isn't it? Surrounded by lush green meadows and a breathtaking view of the lake, this café is fast becoming very popular with the people who love to stop by here for a quick bite and drink. Live ghazals (Urdu couplets set to music), traditional dance performances and melodies of folk music further add to the ethnic ambiance. The Bistro complex is located amidst an actual Indian village and overlooks an ancient monument - and all this midst the hustle & bustle of the city.
LA PIAZZA Hyatt Regency Bhikaji Cama Palace Ring Road, New Delhi 110066 Hours: Open all days 12:30-3 for lunch and 7:30-11:30 for dinner unless otherwise noted With an open kitchen and wood-fired ovens, this place feels more like an informal villa than a plaza - the ideal joint for authentic Italian gourmet fare. Coupled with a warm ambiance with slatted windows, wooden beams on the ceiling and a cracked tiled floor, it makes for a great dining experience. Figuring on the list of favourite restaurants of many Delhi celebrities, the management of La Piazza seems to have worked out a success formula of offering a fixed lunch and an a la carte dinner. Lunch offers an appetizing spread of antipasto (starters) loaded with colorful salads, paper-thin cold cuts, cheeses and grilled veggies. This can be followed by a main course and dessert from the buffet table. The tiramisu is one of the city's best, especially if you are lucky enough to catch a freshly whipped-up bowl. The greatest in demand items are classics such as carpaccio (marinated shavings of raw veal), penne arabiatta (macaroni in rich tomato sauce) and spaghetti tossed in garlic and chilli oil. The ubiquitous pizza and lasagne and spaghetti Bolognese are relegated to the sidelines. Reservations not accepted after 8 pm.
Meal for two costs around Rs 2000.
YELLOW BRICK ROAD Ambassador Hotel Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi 110003 Hours: Open all days 24 hours Are you feeling under the weather, depressed? Just walk into this centrally located 24-hour coffee shop (named after the song from The Wizard of Oz) and make yourself comfortable in a wooden chair with a patchwork cushion. You'll begin to feel much brighter. Quite like the sunny yellow walls that surround you and the cheerful kitchen counter. Smiling stewards dressed in yellow shirts add to the sanguine mood of the place. An eclectic fare peppers the menu which is presented as a newsy tabloid. Ranging from Anglo-Indian dishes to Thai, Continental and good old desi, there's something for everyone. An extremely popular restaurant, Yellow Brick Road is the favourite haunt of Lodhi Park joggers who drop in for breakfast, shoppers, tourists, executives and mediapersons. Disco-goers also wind up here in the wee hours for a meal and drink.
A meal for two costs an affordable Rs 500.
SAGAR RATNA Lodhi Hotel Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Delhi-110003 Hours: Open all days 11 am to11:30 pm An age-old favourite of all Delhiites, this South Indian restaurant has stood like a rock unwavering in its quality for years. Its loyal clientele swears by the freshness and purity of everything, be it the coconut in the chutney, the dahi in the dahi vadas or white butter in the Mysore masala dosa. Apart from the die-hard dosa fans, foreign tourists, traditional families, busy executives and ladies lunching after a shopping spree throng this neat and clean place. Prices are reasonable and helpings generous. Just one piece of warning though: When ordering buttermilk, specify that you want the South Indian variety deliciously laced with mustard, ginger and curry leaves, or you will get a bland glass of semi-solid Punjab di lassi.
Meal for two costs between Rs 200 and Rs 250.
IMPERIAL GARDEN E-3, Local Shopping Centre, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash-II New Delhi Hours: Open all days from 12 noon to 3 pm, and 7 pm to 11 pm Baba Ling presides like a laughing Buddha at the doorstep of Imperial Garden, the newest Chinese restaurant in Delhi. In just one year, he has created a phenomenon -Delhiites have forsaken Punjabi Chinese for pure Cantonese. According to Baba, the stewards at his restaurant urge every customer to try unusual (read authentic) dishes and if necessary, cancel the order if it's too exotic for the uninitiated palate. But by doing this they have popularized lightly steamed mushrooms in crab sauce, crisp green vegetables sweet with their own juices and fillet of fish with just a dash of garlic and red chillies. A generation of experience in running successful Chinese restaurants - his father began the famous Nanking of Mumbai - gave Baba the confidence to simply land in Delhi, identify the ideal location and launch his food with unabashed panache.
Meal for two costs around Rs 800.
WOK 'N' NOODLE BAR M-74, Greater Kailash-II, M Block Market, New Delhi Hours: Open all days from 12 noon to 3 pm, and 7 pm to 11 pm The Wok 'N' Noodle Bar in GK-II is a runaway success story. It's a simple enough recipe: Chinese food, live kitchen, four sections and limitless menu. Of course, there's another important ingredient: The price. This Noodle Bar is elegantly done up in shades of cream and beige, and offers you its fresh, peppy version of an all-you-can-eat buffet for just Rs 295. The first section is the noodles soup, you choose your stock and meat. The veggies and noodles have already been added. At Rs 140-160 a go, the soups are a meal in themselves. The dimsum take ages to arrive but that's a good sign. It means that they are being prepared fresh. A platter of six dimsum costs Rs 100-150. There's a main course section as well which steers clear of clichés. The hugely popular chicken lettuce wrap is an escalope of chicken rolled around lettuce leaves and pan-fried. Drizzled with honey and soy, it's not to be missed. Finally, it's the wok section that is the most innovative. Pick up a combination of vegetables and meats from a counter, choose a sauce and tell the kitchen to cook it. If you need help, the waiters are always there to oblige. All you pay for this is Rs 295.
Average cost of a meal for two comes to around Rs 500.
PLEASE NOTE: Delhi "dry" days are strictly observed in restaurants and bars, with no alcohol available on January 26, August 15, and October 2. When you order liquor in higher-price hotels, expect gigantic taxes. Ask the actual cost before you imbibe.
The Top List of Great Restaurants - New Delhi, India