Dum Pukht
Indian, Chanakyapuri
Like the nawabi (princely) culture from which it's drawn, the food and style at this restaurant are subtle and refined. Chef Imtiaz Qureshi, descended from court cooks in Avadh (Lucknow), creates delicately spiced meals packed with flavor: dum ki khumb (button mushrooms in gravy, fennel, and dried ginger), kakori kabab (finely minced mutton, cloves, and cinnamon, drizzled with saffron), and the special raan-e-dumpukht, a leg of mutton marinated in dark rum and stuffed with onions, cheese, and mint. The formal room is white, blue, and hushed.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Delhi Restaurants
Baan Thai
Thai, Delhi Golf Club
Review:
Thai food has taken off in Delhi, but the city's first Thai restaurant, modeled on a traditional Thai baan (house), remains arguably the best. The entrance corridor is an Asian art gallery, and the formal dining room is partitioned by Burmese-teak latticework. Sit at a regular table, adorned with an orchid, or on a traditional Thai khantok (floor cushion) on the raised platform. The husband-and-wife chefs create traditional cuisine, from thod man koong (crisp golden cake of Thai-spiced prawns, served with plum sauce) to kai phad med mamuang (diced chicken stir-fried with cashews, mushrooms and sun-dried chilis), all served on sage-green crockery. The lunch buffet is popular.
Basil and Thyme
Contemporary, Chanakyapuri
Review:
Celebrity chef Bhicoo Manekshaw is now in her eighties, but that doesn't stop her from creating daily specials and seasonal menus. There's no telling what she'll come up with, but you can bank on fresh flavors, such as carrot-and-orange soup, pita triangles with garlic butter, roast chicken stuffed with black mushrooms, or a "filo parcel" stuffed with vegetables and glazed with a coriander hollandaise. The room is minimalistic warm white, with stone floors and large windows onto the greenery of Santushti market. Alcohol is not served, but this lunch spot is beloved of Delhi's upper crust and the embassy crowd.
Thai, Delhi Golf Club
Review:
Thai food has taken off in Delhi, but the city's first Thai restaurant, modeled on a traditional Thai baan (house), remains arguably the best. The entrance corridor is an Asian art gallery, and the formal dining room is partitioned by Burmese-teak latticework. Sit at a regular table, adorned with an orchid, or on a traditional Thai khantok (floor cushion) on the raised platform. The husband-and-wife chefs create traditional cuisine, from thod man koong (crisp golden cake of Thai-spiced prawns, served with plum sauce) to kai phad med mamuang (diced chicken stir-fried with cashews, mushrooms and sun-dried chilis), all served on sage-green crockery. The lunch buffet is popular.
Basil and Thyme
Contemporary, Chanakyapuri
Review:
Celebrity chef Bhicoo Manekshaw is now in her eighties, but that doesn't stop her from creating daily specials and seasonal menus. There's no telling what she'll come up with, but you can bank on fresh flavors, such as carrot-and-orange soup, pita triangles with garlic butter, roast chicken stuffed with black mushrooms, or a "filo parcel" stuffed with vegetables and glazed with a coriander hollandaise. The room is minimalistic warm white, with stone floors and large windows onto the greenery of Santushti market. Alcohol is not served, but this lunch spot is beloved of Delhi's upper crust and the embassy crowd.
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