Amreli
Blurb: yet another transformation of this restaurant, this one shows promise
Cuisine: European
Atmospherics: the one restaurant that has always had everything going for it, yet has remained firmly under the radar. Now with the founder of Le Bistro du Parc moving here, one can expect more personalized attention, a more focussed menu and more pizzazz. As it is, the heavy furniture has changed to wrought iron chairs and the first floor terrace looks like an unfussy hot-house garden in the 7th arrondisement of Paris, with a profusion of greenery with chairs nestling in between. One arm of the L-shaped restaurant is a bar, the other being a conservatory with dainty furniture of the sort you’d see in the French countryside. There is also an open courtyard as soon as you cross the threshold. The best part about Cherie is the lack of pretentiousness, the premium location in Style Mile, the surprisingly affordable prices and the sheer romantic settings.
Table talk: the baked burrata cheese and blistered tomatoes (₹ 500) is a good indication of the food they are currently doing (their chef is expected to join after a month). The locally sourced burrata is irreproachably fresh, the salad leaves are fresh and the dressing is drizzled over with a light hand. There is no fuss; no pretension. It was the same with pork rillette (₹550): a pate that had a faint hint of nutmeg in it and was accompanied by gherkins, pickled onions, capers and other tart condiments, to go with the bland sweetness of the pate. The pizzas are of the thin crust variety. I tried the classic proscuitto (₹650) and though it was extremely large and filling, it entirely lacked the delicacy of the other dishes. The crust, for one, was as dry as a biscuit and did not appear to have been leavened. And the (imported) proscuitto did not even cover every slice, so sparingly was it used. My main course, salmon en papillote (₹950) was a masterpiece. The fish was a generous size – well over 200 grams) and was cooked in an oven to the kind of perfection that you don’t often see in our city. It retained its texture supremely well, and the sliced potatoes served with it had soaked up the juices of the salmon.
Plus and minus: no blaring music, service is never intrusive, plenty of interesting choices for vegetarians. But pasta with pink sauce – seriously?
Must try: baked brie, cassoulet, beetroot and scarmoza risotto
Food: 3.75; Service: 3.25; Decor: 3.50
1501 Kalka Dass Marg, Mehrauli
Ph: 8800480048, 8130891003
Open from 12.30 pm to 12.30 am
Alcohol served, credit cards accepted
Meal for two: ₹2,000
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