Vault Café—Redefining British Raj Era

Vault Café

Ambiance: Nestled in the heart of Connaught Place, New Delhi, this brand new eatery joint resonate a certain industrial ambiance that will remind one of a store house of British East India Company. Dark emerald, teal, brick brown and red dominate the colour palette of this place. Leather and velvety seating arrangements placed spaciously across 6000 square feet area makes this place a party paradise.

Vault Café

Like the name suggests, the entrance of the restaurant is like a huge vault. The classy décor elements only add to the vintage vibe of this thematic space. The notion of dine and party inside the vault was customary in the past of the Queen’s nation, which acts as the core mantra of this restaurant. The rustic undertones of the interiors have transformed this café cum lounge bar into a colonial space with influences from the British Raj era. Interestingly, classic vintage note has been subtly blended with concoctions of grunge finishes; for instance, exposed iron bracing, non-processed cement walls, occasional patches of distressed walls, raw wooden effigies and more.

Vault Café

The lounge bar also has an attached terrace where you can sit and enjoy some unusually splendid flavored hookkas. This area overlooks Connaught Place and Palika Bazaar; and it is quite a visual delight. Plus what makes a lunch better on a winter afternoon in Delhi! Overall, this place made me feel adventurous at some subconscious level; maybe because looking at the vaults and chambers (small cubicles of seating areas recreated inside mini vaults) made me feel like, I am on some sort of a treasure hunt.

Penne bacon and mushroom

Food: The menu housed dishes from many different cultures. It was a very impressive spread. I started with some Pokchoi and Water chestnut dim sums. These delicate little dumplings of joy were mouthwatering. The flavour was new to my palate and the concept even newer. The coating was crystal-like gentle and the stuffing was moist and velvety. After this, I ordered for a serving of extra spicy chicken wings; and boy-o-boy, was it smoking hot or what?! The chicken wings were six in pieces and I wished they made it eight because it was so delightfully spicy with subtle hints of sweetness. I love hot, spicy sauces and this particular ‘extra spicy’ sauce made the meal apt. And oh, it went well with my second serving of sweet, crimson sangria. Post this, I opted for prawns red chili; it was spicy as expected and the prawns were soft and well-cooked. Lastly, my super appetizing ‘starter’s’ expedition concluded with a serving of traditional fish fingers.

Mint and lemon chicken

Moving on to the main course, I ordered for a nice serving of grilled chicken breast with mushroom and peppercorn sauce. The chicken breast straight out of a charcoal grill was crisp on the topmost layer and juicy in the center. This was accompanied by a small portion of grilled seasonal veggies and cheddar mashed potatoes. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The lunch ended on happy, wintry notes with a large slice of tiramisu cake. Did someone say #awsomesauce? Well, I did!

FIsh and chips

Recommendations: The crew here is extremely polite and well-versed with the menu. Ask them for specials or maybe let them know your ‘taste’ and they sure will help you zero down upon the best delicacies the restaurant has to offer, suited best for your palate. Also, if you are a fan of seesha, ask your steward to guide you with the flavours available. Personally, I would recommend a rich and mild blend of paan masala and green apple. This place has something for everyone—be it brunch with the ladies or a bachelorette party, a boys night out or lunch with family, you will have a great time; I can vouch for it.

Find them at: F 60, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Call them at: 011-33105674

 

 

Summer House Café—For a Soulful Dining Experience

Summer House Café

Ambience: Located in Aurbindo Place Market, Summer House Café is a statement in its self. Serving cuisine from world over, this standalone café has a certain noir element to it. Conventional wooden décor sets the mood on an eccentric level. The restaurant has two seating areas—a rooftop, open air seating arrangement and a customary closed setup downstairs with a huge open space, accommodating a house full of people dancing to techno, house, lounge and psychedelic trance music.

Summer House Café

As far as I am concerned, I love open air setups; especially during winters. After reaching the venue on a packed Friday evening, I was given a choice to sit anywhere I wished to by the very polite manager. Like I mentioned, I chose the terrace. Soft tunes of trance floated in the air as I got comfortable on a low-base sofa. The crowd was bustling; people wore happy smiles on their faces, which only made me more intrigued to find out more about this place.

Summer House Café

We sat on a quaint corner overlooking a terrace bar that looked like a small, fun truck serving beverages of all kinds. As I browsed through the menu card, one of the stewards got us a standing angithi (brazier) and placed it lovingly next to our table; it felt enchantingly warm and sultry—perfect for Delhi winter evenings.

Summer House Café

Food: I started with some appetizers—non-veg mezze platter, buffalo chili fries (veg), and some smoked chicken wings. My evening started to get better! The food was scrumptious and the portions were even more generous. However, extra credit should be given to the chef for mouthwatering food presentation skills! Now, special mention must be made for the hummus—it was gorgeously grainy, yet had a smooth texture and the olives on it seemed deliciously dark and soft. I relished upon it.

Summer House Café

The starters were accompanied by a couple of Sangria servings. The wine was sweet and crimson and the floating fruits were cut in small, cubical shapes—all equal in sizes. Quite impressive, I must say. Moving on to the main course, I ordered myself a basil pesto chicken with parmesan sauce. The succulent chicken breasts were marinated in fresh pesto before being grilled to perfection. This was served with thick, creamy parmesan sauce that melted in my mouth like molten sunshine. And of course, grilled seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes sat on the plate like stiff-lipped custom. (P.S- Not a big fan of mashed potatoes; they rather make me feel dull). Overall, the chicken was heavenly; every bite was worth it.

Summer House Café

The meal concluded with a large slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It was soft; tasted like fresh homemade cake and the frosting made it all the more sinful. My evening indeed, ended with a happy winter cake. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone who is looking forward to an easy-going, fuss-free dining experience.

Recommendation: This place is soulful. The décor could be simplistic but the ambience is Boho. The food might sound extravagant, but its very essence will soothe your palate—a perfect home-style casual café for Delhi-ites. Also, this place houses many live performances and gigs on selected days. So have you planned your Friday already?

Find them at: 1st Floor, DDA Shopping Complex, Aurobindo Place, Hauz Khas, New Delhi

Make reservations at: 011 33106147

Sunday Brunches at Aqaba

Pizza Rucola at Aqaba

Aqaba invites one and all to spend balmy afternoons, brunching from 12 noon to 4 pm! So eat, drink and make merry in the backdrop of soothing live music, by entertainer extraordinaire, Azin Printer and his band ‘The Printers’!

Melon Ginger Lemon Crush Martini at Aqaba

Every Sunday the venue will provide sporting and indoor entertainment for kids, allowing adults to sit back, relax and enjoy the mouthwatering brunch menu and cocktails on offer. Kids would be entertained with face painting and movies too.

Mezze Platter at Aqaba

Head chef, Anuj Thapar has curated an exclusive menu of global brunch dishes, to be enjoyed by the most discerning customer. The menu includes breakfast options such as Poached Eggs, Huevos Racheros, Peanut Butter Waffles, Choco Chip Pancakes, Mezze’s and a whole lot more! The cocktail menu, boasts a refreshing variety of sangrias, wines, beers and signature cocktails, perfect for wintry afternoons.

Melon, Ginger and Lemongrass Martini at Aqaba

Come sample this all-you-can-eat buffet menu, at INR 1,400 for food, and with an addition of INR 800 there is an unlimited amount of cocktails, from 12 noon to 4 pm. Kid’s menu will be priced at INR 800 (all prices are excluding taxes). This restaurant is located at Club House, Level P5, Peninsula Business Park, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai. For reservations, call at 6151 2222

Barrels – Where food, art and music reside peacefully in chaos.

Barrels

Barrels came into being out of sheer passion of five friends, who have no background in the gastronomy industry. I love it when people turn their passion into reality and take their fair share of risk. In the end, you have to love what you do! Priyanka, Amar, Debashish, Keshav and Akshay have built this space to crystallise what they all stand for—downright foodies! A space housing interesting graffiti work, 3D sculptures, great music and a very diverse culinary platter, I’d say, you must step into Barrels for some eccentric dining experience.

Barrels

Décor- On a sunny, rather scorching Delhi afternoon, I was quite relieved to step inside Barrels—darkly lit, with hints of pop art here and there, this place is not for the mellow lot. What caught my attention the most was the unusual 3D art installations—a half body of a naked woman purging out of a wall, overlooking a dinner table with a Mercedes logo engraved between her breasts and to top it all, she sported handcuffs too! Kinky, eh? Well the idea, owners actually want to convey is—women’s liberation.

Barrels

The place brought forth splashes of neon palette placed in a chaotic manner on all the walls. For me, chaos means energy; so I quite like to be surrounded by pop-coloured messy walls. Not to forget the random messages, written here and there on the walls; for instance—‘Chase a dream not a girl’, ‘Corruption?’ etc… The interesting part was the smoking area; completely hand painted in a very edgy way by one of the owners, Priyanka Sharma, this place was all about hilarious one liners, hanging ashtrays, and streaks of shocking pinks, oranges and greens. Lastly, the washroom took me by total surprise. As I walked in, a gorgeous man, confined in a huge poster (almost half the size of my body) stared right back at me. And the man was Richard Gere. Need I say more ladies? *Sigh* that was quite heart-melting.

Chicken Malai Tikka

Food- I tried a couple of dishes; what really lingered on my mind till late evening were, the achari chicken, cigar rolls (stuffed with corn and cheese), cheesy potato balls, and the super delicious tandoori Pomfret. A special mention has to be given to the Pomfret as it was served with a very quirky dip—mayonnaise blended in mustard. Being a Bengali, I love mustard (kashundi– as we call it). Main course comprised of chicken biriyani and raita—it was nothing extraordinary. However, the desert had a twist to it—vanilla ice cream was served with dollops of chocolate sauce and a hot gulab jamun. I loved the way they bended genres.

Tandori Mushroom

The menu is very diverse and cuisines range from Asian, American, and European to African. The owners have hand picked their army of chefs from different corners of North India and they are doing a pretty good job.

Menu at Barrels

Alcohol- They are pretty well-stocked with the beverages bit. As the name of the restaurant suggests, beer options are galore. However, I never really developed a taste for beer, so I laid my hands on a couple of cocktails. Interestingly, few of the cocktails are named after the owners; for instance, my first drink was called ‘Akki Mashed Up’ named after, Akshay Ohri (one of the five owners). In fact, this drink was quite nice; it comprised of vodka, tequila, rum, gin, ginger-ale, grenadine and lemon. I also tried, ‘Cashew’s Nut’ that had dark rum, tequila, absinthe, triple sec and tonic water mixed in an interesting way. This was a very very strong drink. And since I am a big fan of absinthe, I give this cocktail a full ten on ten.

The music corner at Barrels

Special pointer– This restaurant gives budding musicians/bands a platform to showcase their talents. I love the concept of advocating fresh talent. Also, they have a huge bank of music videos starting from classics to rock, retro to EDM and more. The best part is, on a Sunday afternoon, I was quite happy listening to Pink Floyd and watching their live concert videos on one corner.

A meal for two should cost about INR 1800/ (Inclusive of two drinks)

Address: Barrels, 1st Floor, Building No 5, Basant Lok Community Centre, PVR Complex, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi | Phone: 011-41075881