When the three greatest cuisines of the world are enumerated, Ladakhi food seldom finds mention. Even in Leh, Ladakhi restaurants seem anxious to stand up and be counted by serving Mexican, Israeli, Italian, Kashmiri and North Indian – everything else, in other words, but Ladakhi. The hotel where I’m staying, Shambha La, on the other…
Will the real Pakistani cuisine please stand up? I have been to no fewer than four hotel food festivals featuring the cuisine of our neighbouring country, and every time the food has been so different that it has not formed a pattern. Deluxe hotels – and it is only they who have the means to…
Tamarai – as the newest restaurant in Rohit Khattar’s stable is called – has one thing in common with its country cousin in Delhi: Chef Manish Mehrotra, for it is he that is the driving force behind both brands. He is thus, in the singularly fortunate position of having worked in two continents, yet within…
Gawking at Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub is good enough reason to visit; Sodabottleopenerwala (SBOW) is the icing on the cake Atmospherics: If the swish hub looks like Singapore or Dubai, with its spacious walkways, the restaurant looks like a throwback to another era. From the uber cool display window with its giant bottles of sweets from…
Eschewing the clichés and celebrating Thai food from the entire country Atmospherics: Light coloured wood and bright yellow table runners overlook a large open kitchen headed by a diminutive lady chef. It sets the tone for the meal. Neung Roi has many firsts: It features each region of Thailand on a menu: North, South, Central…
A brilliant Thai restaurant with modern tastes. Atmospherics: The rest of the hotel may be young and trendy, but Thai Pavilion is sombre, being completely wood-panelled from floor to ceiling. Service is managed by a bunch of seriously young people who can talk extensively on the finer points of every dish. The management can take…
Worth it for the peppy “fashion café” interiors alone, though there is food for every taste too Atmospherics: The best part of this café on two floors is the interiors. Broad black and white stripes combine with vibrant colours and an attractive collage on the first floor that occupies a whole wall. The first floor…
Modern Japanese/Korean Chef Akira Back was the first Korean executive chef for a Nobu restaurant. His own brand incorporates influences from his native Korea. Atmospherics: After waiting so long to open, JW Marriott at Aerocity has spectacular offerings, but Akira Back tops them all. One American and one Korean chef in the open kitchen, ably…
VLCC is not a company that you associate with food and beverage. However, Alive is not about either health food or diet food, or even organic food. Alive is about healthy eating. Thus, all the sauces that are based on roux (butter and flour: in other words, the basic white sauce) are made with wholewheat…
Almost as good as your own dining room Formerly the Aman, the hotel has reverted to being the Lodhi. Elan is the dining room for Indian and western comfort food. For elegant dining there’s On the Waterfront near the entrance gate. The mood is cosy more than imposing – the diametric opposite of On the…