Spice Art, Greater Noida
Unbelievable quality in GK II
Serves World cuisine
Atmospherics: An elegant, timeless restaurant on two floors. Their Chandigarh restaurant Whistling Duck is the finest stand-alone eatery in the Tri-city. While it is early days yet, WD House seems all set to beat that record. Muted décor, Le Corbusier-inspired chairs, classic table arrangement and well-trained staff with unobtrusive service all add up to a space that resembles a club. The menu effortlessly straddles the globe, moving from Japan via Vietnam to France and Maryland. India in its glorious entirety is represented, including the often ignored North East. Most remarkable of all, there is no false note: no Punjabification of Maryland crab cakes; no dumbing down of the South East Asian section. It will be interesting to see how WD House manages during full house operations, but on a slow day, they were sensational. Interesting choices for vegetarians and unusual cold drinks involving kombucha and jamun.
Table talk: Dhakai chaat (Rs 350) is a substantial appetizer made with smashed arbi and flaky papdi napped in a sweet sour sauce. Though I am not a fan of deep-frying as a method of cooking, this one was far from heavy or oily.
Clay oven morels (Rs 1050) was the masterpiece of our lunch. The morels were left whole and filled with a green pea and scarmoza filling, then napped with a light foam of fig, clove and green cardamom. Was it Indian? It must have been because the morels were cooked in the tandoor, but it bore all the hallmarks of French cuisine!
Pla neung manow (Rs 750) was a young pink snapper with the bones removed, steamed and poured over with lemon juice and garlic. Goreng otak (Rs 480) was a single fritter made with lamb brain crumb fried. There was no suggestion of gooeyness or unpleasant texture whatsoever to suggest that you were eating an organ meat. Served with a roti canai and pickled vegetables, it was another of Chef Richa Johri’s dishes that could have come from anywhere in the world, not necessarily Malaysia. My main course, kaju sukke with neer dosa would do a Karnataka joint proud.
Plus and minus: No banisters on the two steep stairs leading from the pavement or into the restaurant. We were served a slightly overcooked snapper in an otherwise brilliant meal.
Food: 4.25; Service: 4.00; Décor: 4.00
80, M Block Market, Greater Kailash Part II
Tel: 9818997381
Open from 12 noon to 3 and 7 pm to 11 pm
Alcohol licence awaited; credit cards accepted
Meal for two: Rs 3,300
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