A restaurant created by a genius.
ATMOSPHERICS
Remember the club/s that your father was a member of? You used to be dragged along a few times a month and admonished to keep quiet and behave for fear of being asked to leave. And behave you did, the better to drink in the atmosphere: an imposing bar, colonnaded verandahs, old-fashioned ceiling fans revolving slowly and liveried bearers. The food too was real comfort food: the kind you used to fantasize about in boarding school. Chilli chicken, cheese sandwiches, nimbu pani and fruit cream. Well, Marut Sikka has recreated every detail, down to the ceiling fans revolving lazily and the colonnaded verandahs. In fact, so compelling is the verisimilitude to a club that several customers have been spending their Sundays here, nursing a beer and going through the papers that Delhi Club House subscribes to. It is unbelievable that it is housed in a mall, because of the greenery visible from both the ‘verandahs’. There’s a separate lunch and dinner menu.
TABLE TALK
Every one of the items on the menu has come from one or the other club across India, including Coimbatore, Madurai and Secunderabad. So Masala Cheddar Toast (Rs 175) is from India International Centre, and is both cheese-laden and pleasingly spicy. Crispy Spinach and Yoghurt Chaat (Rs 195) is the grown-up, sophisticated cousin of Palak Patta Chaat – crisp flakes arranged into a tian and held together with steamed moong, curd and a tangy sauce. The air-fried Pani Poori (Rs 225) is addictive, as all chaat is. Large globes, perfectly formed and the pani is poured from a jug. Chicken or Egg Sandwiches With Mayo (Rs 245) are an English tea-time treat. Shami Kebabs (Rs 295) are outstanding. The spices do not overwhelm the meatiness of the kebab, pounded so that the fibres of the mutton are just about intact. Do not miss the paniyaram or the nano idli set, doused in a podi and ghee from Madurai. And the Chilli Chicken (Rs 295) is delightfully chatpat whereas the Cheese Soufflé (Rs 245) would give sleepless nights to deluxe hotels who sell it at several times the price.
PLUS AND MINUS
The prices are unbelievably low. For the quality, it’s a steal. Expect to wait for a table if you go without a booking.
Must Try: Khorma Biryani, Butter Chicken-Black Dal-naan Combo, Amritsari Kulcha-Channa
Critic reviews are anonymous and all bills are paid by them.
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