Checked out a delightful restaurant called Baci in Sunder Nagar market. We went as a family, for my mother-in-law's birthday. Earlier we spent the day deliberating which restaurant to go to - we wanted to go to a nice Italian place - but not in a five-star hotel (my husband cringes at the extortionate prices for no-additional-value that they charge) - and the other restaurants that are commonly thought of in that category, Diva and Kasbah, were done. So I set out to explore the options with my trusty Google and found out about Baci. Its so well hidden - trying so hard to keep us riffraff out, that I could only find one little article, mentioning its Italian perfectionist chef, and one oblique mention to it in relation of a wine-tasting event that took place there. But thats all I needed to know.
Getting there, the friendly staff showed us our options for tables - there is a cafe-like ground floor, a bistro-like first floor, and to our surprise and delight an empty second floor with a big balcony. We got the floor and a waiter all to ourselves. They have a great drink list, including some innovative non-alcoholic drinks, but I settled on the sangria. Best ever in India. The fruit was chopped very fine, included citrus peels that had been marinated for a long time, and the result was sublime. The bread platter was fantastic and it was refilled diligently.
As appetizers we decided to try the soups - being vegetarian, the options were the minestrone and the special of a day - a pea soup. The minestrone was a disappointment - perhaps they were trying to go minimalist, to highlight the tastes of the vegetables and stay true to the original minestrones, but we just didn't enjoy it - a few more herbs, a little seasoning would have gone a long way to improve what was essentially boiled vegetables in their stock. The pea soup, on the other hand, had a rich texture and a wholly fulfilling flavor, with boisterous overtones of garlic and onions - it would have worked as a satisfying meal in itself.
Then the main courses arrived - we had ordered one each, thinking that the portions would be spartan, as is the case in the nicest restaurants. However, they were quite substantial. We shared all the dishes, Indian-family-style, and were full with just three. The last dish, a camembert souffle, would have been magnificent had it not arrived a bit late, when we were all completely sated. The few bites that we stuffed in were creamy and rich and complemented the mushrooms that were served along with it very well. The other dishes, a ravioli, crepes, and gnocchi were all excellent, though the gnocchi won particular acclaim with our group.
Wish that we had saved room for dessert. Definitely will return.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
La Piazza
I haven't been to too many fancy Italian restaurants in the city, but I had happened upon the Italian restaurant, La Piazza, in the Hyatt which I had high hopes for. Definitely a thumbs down, from the ill-trained waiters (who could only name one white wine available by the glass – a boring Australian chardonnay), to the aforementioned poor wine list (people! Learn that Delhi-ites don't drink a lot of wine, so for those of us that do, we need a good wines-by-the-glass menu!).
The bread was passable, the minestrone was a campbells tomato soup (boring canned tomato soup for the lucky uninitiated) with a few vegetables floating around. The sole that I ordered though, was cooked perfectly, but ho-hum only in the sense that it had a been-there, done-that feeling – no spectacular side or sauce or anything – though I must admit, that perhaps that wasn't needed. It was a business lunch (i.e. I didn't pay), so am not sure about the cost, but everything at the Hyatt is ridiculously expensive (valet parking is Rs. 100!!!) so I suspect that eating at La Piazza is spectacularly bad value for the money.
The bread was passable, the minestrone was a campbells tomato soup (boring canned tomato soup for the lucky uninitiated) with a few vegetables floating around. The sole that I ordered though, was cooked perfectly, but ho-hum only in the sense that it had a been-there, done-that feeling – no spectacular side or sauce or anything – though I must admit, that perhaps that wasn't needed. It was a business lunch (i.e. I didn't pay), so am not sure about the cost, but everything at the Hyatt is ridiculously expensive (valet parking is Rs. 100!!!) so I suspect that eating at La Piazza is spectacularly bad value for the money.
Diva
For lack of a dish that I consistently order at Italian restaurants, I use minestrone as the standard by which a restaurant can be judged. So far, hadn't been too impressed by the thick tomato pastey concoctions served up at restaurants (except, surprisingly, Big Chill, where it isn't bad). The minestrone at Diva is by all means, divine. Just the right quantity, airily light and just the right balance of flavors. I had read an interview somewhere by the owner that her food was hardly about the cooking, it was more about the shopping for ingredients. I think she was being overly modest – that minestrone belied a lot of work that must have taken place to get it so right. Most of the other dishes we ordered were very good, though the lasagna was distinctly boring.
We've only dined there once, so it would be hard to make a bang-on-the-table proclamation, but I definitely will come back for a second round. I liked the décor of the place, largely gimmickless but without resorting to the passé minimalism of others, still very comforting. While I understand that service is supposed to be leisurely at genuine Italian joints, we had a really hard time getting waiters to even acknowledge us. Which leads me to an observation by the owner that she had tried to open another restaurant in delhi that had failed, then adding that for diva, for a long time, her clients had been almost exclusively expat. There seems to be a suggestion here that delhiwallas don't know how to appreciate the genuine thing, which may be partly true considering the popularity of the somewhat spicey "Indian-italian" cuisine (case in point – paneer tikka pizza) served at lesser places. Yet, somewhere inside, perhaps unreasonably, there is a feeling that the service was maybe a little bit more enthusiastic for the expat patrons?
We've only dined there once, so it would be hard to make a bang-on-the-table proclamation, but I definitely will come back for a second round. I liked the décor of the place, largely gimmickless but without resorting to the passé minimalism of others, still very comforting. While I understand that service is supposed to be leisurely at genuine Italian joints, we had a really hard time getting waiters to even acknowledge us. Which leads me to an observation by the owner that she had tried to open another restaurant in delhi that had failed, then adding that for diva, for a long time, her clients had been almost exclusively expat. There seems to be a suggestion here that delhiwallas don't know how to appreciate the genuine thing, which may be partly true considering the popularity of the somewhat spicey "Indian-italian" cuisine (case in point – paneer tikka pizza) served at lesser places. Yet, somewhere inside, perhaps unreasonably, there is a feeling that the service was maybe a little bit more enthusiastic for the expat patrons?
Aqua
Quite lovely – beautiful décor, great pool; doesn't feel like a five-star, more of a bond-ish film set (and the gorgeous blonde in a bikini should surface NOW). Unlike so many lounges in Delhi (and huh, in much of the world), this has great wines-by-the-glasses (I recommend the Chilean red though I haven't tried the others which sound and very well may be fabulous – anyone who has, please post a comment). I guess one of the benefits of being associated with a five star hotel is that they probably get to mooch off the wine cellar and sommelier of the other restaurants in the hotel.
Anyhow, have had many a laid back evening there – perfect setting for real conversations and impressing out-of-town visitors. Being outside of course means that the heat can be oppressive on a balmy summer night – the misty fans don't cool very well – you have to stand a foot away to feel anything. Luckily for those squirming in fancy outfits that one simply must not perspire in, there is the Mist Café next door where you can escape the heat and finish off the conversation albeit in a far more 5-starry antiseptic setting. Ditto for those cold January nights; this is not quite the place to show off your newest pashmina, which may not be adequate for the coldest evenings anyhow. I'm pretty sure they have outdoor heaters, but again, huddle up close for any effect. And considering that I've devoted so much space to the effect of weather on this place, perhaps Delhi isn't quite the right place for an outdoor spot (hint hint to all those organizing weddings in muddy lawns that my stilettos are sinking right into). It is really too bad – four walls, no matter what you do to them, do take away so much from the aura of a place, no?
Anyhow, have had many a laid back evening there – perfect setting for real conversations and impressing out-of-town visitors. Being outside of course means that the heat can be oppressive on a balmy summer night – the misty fans don't cool very well – you have to stand a foot away to feel anything. Luckily for those squirming in fancy outfits that one simply must not perspire in, there is the Mist Café next door where you can escape the heat and finish off the conversation albeit in a far more 5-starry antiseptic setting. Ditto for those cold January nights; this is not quite the place to show off your newest pashmina, which may not be adequate for the coldest evenings anyhow. I'm pretty sure they have outdoor heaters, but again, huddle up close for any effect. And considering that I've devoted so much space to the effect of weather on this place, perhaps Delhi isn't quite the right place for an outdoor spot (hint hint to all those organizing weddings in muddy lawns that my stilettos are sinking right into). It is really too bad – four walls, no matter what you do to them, do take away so much from the aura of a place, no?
Nothing Authentic
An interesting restaurant in Friends Colony market. The décor reminds me a bit of the slogan of Hooters: "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined". Takes a pride in its tongue-in-cheek over-the-top columns and bullet-ridden dividers. I like to look at bathrooms in these places to see what they have done there – and here they have done what amounts to a disappointing hmmmm. What were they thinking?! Nice walls but terrible, old, badly maintained appliances!
Anyhow, the only reason the place still interested me (deliberately ugly décor can only go so far in holding my attention), was the surprisingly good food. The starters we'd ordered came in, looking nothing like their name – some kind of stirfried vegetable platter – and we found ourselves staring at a plate of pakodas. But turned out to be not so much the gunky fried slathered-in-the-worst-kind-of-oil fare but almost tempura-ish, lightly fried, delectable pieces of vegetable. The Thai curry was excellent, and the Mongolian stirfry, more a curry than a stirfry was not bad. Perhaps our expectations were just so low, these theme-y places usually underinvest in their cooks, that the element of surprise added that additional oomph of flavor.
Note to wives/girlfriends bringing sports-inflicted boys along: they do have a TV tuned to sports, so you may be abandoned as the boys flock to the TV to get a better view; better to bring a book or something for those times.
Anyhow, the only reason the place still interested me (deliberately ugly décor can only go so far in holding my attention), was the surprisingly good food. The starters we'd ordered came in, looking nothing like their name – some kind of stirfried vegetable platter – and we found ourselves staring at a plate of pakodas. But turned out to be not so much the gunky fried slathered-in-the-worst-kind-of-oil fare but almost tempura-ish, lightly fried, delectable pieces of vegetable. The Thai curry was excellent, and the Mongolian stirfry, more a curry than a stirfry was not bad. Perhaps our expectations were just so low, these theme-y places usually underinvest in their cooks, that the element of surprise added that additional oomph of flavor.
Note to wives/girlfriends bringing sports-inflicted boys along: they do have a TV tuned to sports, so you may be abandoned as the boys flock to the TV to get a better view; better to bring a book or something for those times.
Choko-La
Very pleasant experience. Went once to their location in one of the Vasants, and then a couple of times to their multistory Khan Market location. We gushed over all of the desserts we tried, though I have to admit that the number is not as high as it should be because one of them – the molten chocolate cake – is so good that we ordered it every single time we went there. The coup de grace has to be the hot chocolate – the single source, luscious, as far away from SwissMiss as you could get, meal-in-itself hot chocolate.
I had a similar transportative experience with it once, in a bar in Bilbao at 3 am (apparently after a night out, drinking hot chocolate is what is done by the Spanish). Anyhow, the quality of the chocolate is unmatched in Delhi – you're talking about Valrhona chocolate here – and the particular one I'd had was spiced, a tiny bit too much, with all kinds of new world spices. As a side note, the food – snacks mostly – that we tried on one occasion was decent; but really, who wants to waste precious appetite on savories when the best desserts in delhi vie for your attention.
And did I mention that a cup of the hot chocolate is a meal in itself? The hardest thing is trying something new in a place where you get so emotionally attached to your favorites.
I had a similar transportative experience with it once, in a bar in Bilbao at 3 am (apparently after a night out, drinking hot chocolate is what is done by the Spanish). Anyhow, the quality of the chocolate is unmatched in Delhi – you're talking about Valrhona chocolate here – and the particular one I'd had was spiced, a tiny bit too much, with all kinds of new world spices. As a side note, the food – snacks mostly – that we tried on one occasion was decent; but really, who wants to waste precious appetite on savories when the best desserts in delhi vie for your attention.
And did I mention that a cup of the hot chocolate is a meal in itself? The hardest thing is trying something new in a place where you get so emotionally attached to your favorites.
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