Multi cuisine
Blurb: A fun place in the Inner Circle of Connaught Place that is a bar and a restaurant
Intro: The multi cuisine format of yore gets a new makeover, but it still appeals to the cross-section of humanity that visit Connaught Place.
Atmospherics: The (excellent) waiter who served our table informed us that the area really was a warehouse that has been given a makeover. Enough of the industrial look has been retained to add interest to the design. The restaurant is on two floors and has loungy, comfortable sofas on the first floor. There’s a lift to take you to the first floor at the entrance itself. Upstairs, the second floor has outdoor seating that affords a magnificent view of the sweep of Connaught Place. It also has a private lounge area for small groups. The music is the main feature of Warehouse Café: it is less distracting in the day time and more assertive at night. Also, the type of people that throng here encompasses a wide sweep of humanity: old, young, trendy, dowdy, young parents with babies, teenyboppers.
Table talk: The menu comprises an astonishing 365 items, arranged according to a calendar. Thus, if you want prawniest cocktail (Rs 335), you’d have to turn to Saturday, 2nd of February. It’s a fun way of arranging a menu, while making sure that all tastes are catered to. It does predicate a certain amount of waste and there are probably a few dishes that don’t move very often like the kibbeh.
Prawniest cocktail is the most fabulous deal you could get anywhere in this city. Fresh prawns, left whole and napped with lashings of thousand island dressing makes for an excellent starter. March 14th has a good crispy ginger chicken (Rs 415) that is succulent chicken with a crisp coating that has an oriental provenance. In general, the Indian section is the best. It is exactly what you would get at a restaurant serving only Indian food. My lal maas (Rs 415) didn’t look red enough, but under the amber lighting of the restaurant, that is a common problem. On the other hand, the tandoori items in the April section of the calendar have quite a few tandoori options, all highly recommended.
Plus and minus: You’ll just have to factor in the lighting and the noise: both are part of the ambience. The desserts need urgent upgrading. The staff is some of the best and most attentive in Connaught Place!
Must try: Tandoori fish tikka, grilled fish lemon caper, spaghetti with tomato vodka
Food 3 Service 3 Décor 3
D 19&20, Inner Circle, Connaught Place
Tel: 011-30146022
Open from 12 noon to 12 midnight
Alcohol served; credit cards accepted
Meal for two: Rs 1,500
