Eating out in Delhi? Here’s how the city’s pandemic kids are doing something new to attract diners

Tangra Project

Chef Vikramjit Roy’s face shines like the Qutub Minar or in his case the Victoria Memorial on a moonlit night. He has launched his first “own” restaurant, The Tangra Project, after two decades in the industry, along with business partners Veer Kotak and Anusht Samal. The trio started Context.Eat, the parent company, early last year.

Located in Delhi’s DLF Avenue, this barely two-month-old restaurant is the perfect location for Kolkata, where Vikramjit was born and spent his formative years. From the old bookstores on College Street to the Hooghly River, everything in the restaurant finds a representation, either the decoration or the form of the dish. It includes marble pillars that resemble stacks of books, a giant mural of a lively fish that finds itself spread across three walls, and ceiling lights that are reminiscent of the “Tony Bulb” that worshipped. and are stranded during festivals.

Working on this project brought back many memories of Vikramjit. As we bite into a deliciously creamy haleem on toast, he remembers how he used to catch a 1 p.m. show at the then-Chaplin Theater with his friends, and then wait for a specific vendor to sell haleem . That’s what he made again.

NS kosh mangosho And Kochuri What are his Sundays made of; He would accompany his father to the butcher and bring the best pieces to make this house a favorite. In this restaurant, Vikram has obediently followed his mother’s prescription kosh mangosho. “She came here and taught us how to prepare it and then followed it up with a video,” he laughs.

The menu is a Rolodex of Kolkata’s iconic dishes: Chinese, Anglo Indian, Mughlai and of course Bengali. Here you will find Bhitki fish wrapped in a pungent taste of Kasundi, glass cola kofta (dumplings made from raw bananas), cholera Dal, Tangra Style Chili Chicken and Chicken Cutlets are so crunchy that when you take a bite, you hear a satisfying crunch (#ASMR). The breadcrumbs – in which the cutlets are coated – are sourced from Kolkata like other raw materials.

Then there are the dishes that took shape in Vikram’s head before being plated on the elegant crockery itself. it includes Pointed gourd Guacamole: The gourds are cooked for 18 hours and then made into a fine paste, with chunks of tomato and pomegranate that glow like bright gems on a bed of green. Or spinach, roasted poppy seeds in sesame sauce, a simple but delightful combination. Mustard and soft coconut mousse is also available on the menu if you are in the mood to experiment.

The menu will change according to every season, says Vikram. Hardly a challenge, as they had to reduce the number of entries from 500 to 200.

Tangra Project Unit No. 154-159 Commons, DLF Avenue, Saket. Call: 8929925253

colocal

The modern money mill complex at Chhatarpur has a piece of Pondicherry.

With its sunny yellow façade – drenched with pink bougainvillea – French-style doors and courtyard surrounded by white pillars, this chocolate factory and café exudes the charming charm of the former French colony. Kolocal is the passion project of Sheetal Saxena and her husband Nishant Sinha. For Sheetal, a chocolate lover, the idea of ​​starting a bean to bar brand came to her while she was watching videos of cocoa roasting. Curiosity inspired him to do more research on the subject and thus Colocal was born.

They are currently dark chocolate: 55, 66, 72 and 85%. “The end goal is to reach 95 per cent,” says Nishant, owner of Roastery Coffee House in Hyderabad and Kolkata. There are bonbons and truffles, and chocolate is also mixed with sea salt, nuts, caramel.

Kolokal’s cocoa beans are sourced from Idukki in Kerala. “We roast our cocoa in a proper coffee roaster and it gives a distinct flavor to our chocolates,” explains Nishant. He says that there are often many myths associated with chocolate. “People think chocolate is sugar. Through these tours of our boutique chocolate factory, we’re able to show them that it’s actually derived from a fruit. They watch the process from roasting, shelling to thawing. can,” he added.

The menu is simple, with a choice of breakfast platters, granola bowls, generously filled sandwiches, tacos, sourdough pizza and pasta. There are about seven varieties of hot chocolate—including caramel and banana—are favorites; One sip of Smoky Campfire Hot Chocolate and you’ll realize why. Fluffy white marshmallows, even those made at home, are equally thin. “We are planning to make quality couture chocolates and break the international dominance present in the market,” says Nishant. We want to show the world Indian cocoa.

Kolocal, Shed No. 21B, Dhan Mill Compound, 100 Feet Road, Chhatarpur. Call: 9310524620

They have a new branch in Khan Market.

clep

Posh as it may sound, in the clap you can drop your fork without hesitation. Follow Chef Gurmehar Singh Sethi’s instructions: Two fingers, one chop. Obviously, this is the best way to enjoy the innovative bite-sized small plates that this trendy “bistro by day and gastro by night” is known for.

Bistro offers Sushi, Galouti Kebab, GOLGAPPA With pomelo, dimsum (in bright red and purple, using natural color from beets and purple cabbage) and more. The idea here is to try a range of dishes rather than commit to one big main course for the whole evening.

There are also big plates. Massaman curry, for example, where the meat is cooked in a sous vide machine for 24 hours. The food represents the culinary journey of chefs in London, Dubai, Maldives and Phuket among others. The menu also lists near-home favorites, such as appamS, Chicken Chettinad and Con Dosa.

Owned by Gurmehar, Navdeep Singh Sethi and Lekh Vardhan, Clap was born in April but had to be temporarily closed due to the second wave of the pandemic, before reopening in June. Spread over two floors, it has a terrace offering open-air dining. “There is also a chef’s garden on the terrace which grows basil, bird’s eye chillies, oregano (Carom), coriander, ginger flower, lemongrass, and microgreens like amaranth,” says Gurmehar, adding that he believes in sustainability.

For this, cucumber and tomato peels are dehydrated and served as nibbles at the bar with pink salt and paprika. Leftover pieces of broccoli stems and onions are frozen in blocks of ice that double as slabs on which to serve sushi, sashimi and nigiri.

Clap is currently awaiting his alcohol license and is working on widely concocted drinks such as a sous vide cocktail and some made with peanut butter.

Clap, 2, Ravindra Nagar, Khan Market. Tel: 9919918323