Style mile turns into eat street
Mix a stellar view of the Qutub Minar with jazz tracks in the
background, add a large pinch of greenery and aesthetic interiors, and
whip together with contemporary Asian cuisine. You've just arrived at
Circa 1193.
Not too many years ago, the only people who ventured near the stretch of road they call Delhi's Style Mile were visitors to the Qutub Minar. Some came in busloads, others in taxis, and a few with parents and grandparents determined to acqaint them with their history. The irony is that today, as this stretch turns into Eat Street-with Olive, Emperor's Kitchen, Thai High, Poppadum, and now Circa 1193-most of the old visitors can ill-afford to visit the new hotspots while few, if any, of the regulars have seen the Qutub Minar up close. But with Circa 1193, they're almost there.
The capital's newest restaurant stands at kissing distance of the tower that was commissioned, in case you hadn't guessed, circa 1193. The food may be contemporary Asian but the clichd red and gold look of the ubiquitous Oriental restaurant has been given a skip. Everything here follows clean lines, and neutral shades. Nothing is allowed to obstruct the grand view; indeed, all the four levels of the restaurant seem to act as the antechamber of the sanctum sanctorum.
The Qutub Minar is the piece de resistance here, and you're not allowed to forget that for a moment.
On the ground floor, in a courtyard enveloped in green, stands a vertical fountain with a trio of chakras and lowslung sofas drowned in cushions. Out here, with your drinks, you can order from the Robusta menu. I'd recommend the bacon and foie gras roll with hoisin sauce (Rs 1245) and salmon, shitake and leeks with teriyaki sauce (Rs 595). I later discovered that Chef Achal Aggarwal does too. For vegetarians, if they must, the asparagus ravioli (Rs 345) is good. For serious eating, one needs to move indoors. You have the choice of The Trattoria and, another floor up, The Fine Dining space. The first is a mix of textures, combine as it does eclectic materials and surfaces. The walls and floor are clad in stone while copper sits on the table tops and behind a bar that has the most intriguing design of interlocked wooden strips.
A level above, in The Fine Dining space, the eye is drawn first to the Minar looming outside the giant windows and then very quickly, to the Chef's Table, done up in red. Here, twice a week, Aggarwal plans to seat six well-heeled guests and feed them a customised, four-course meal of their choice. Bookings have to be made at least 48 hours in advance. A short walk up to the final floor takes you to the open rooftop. From here, the Minar stands like a sentinel over time, and a scattering of monuments.
But however good it looks, it's the culinary offerings that are the real stars of Circa 1193. Chef Aggarwal has clearly poured all that he has learnt on his previous stints at Nikko, the Vilases, Trident Gurgaon and Wasabi, into the planning of the menu, and seasoned it with his personality. The dinner menu is more extensive than the lunch one.
I'd opt for dinner and choose between the baked black cod with panseared vegetables and sesame miso sauce (Rs1095) and samurai lobster that's pan seared with Asian spices, XO sauce and galangal cream (Rs 1595). Edamame gnocchi, a story of sliced truffles and jalapeos in a soy lemon butter sauce (Rs895), is also interesting while the Surf 'n' Turf option, rather unusually, refers to a rib-eye with wasabi soy and grilled scallops with Thai marinade (Rs1295). Those who don't like to be plagued by the problems of plenty would do well to pick the fiery chicken noodles.
With spiced chicken and XO sauce (Rs 645), it's a meal on its own. I gave the desserts a skip, but the chef likes to promote his chilled orange cheesecake, which he makes with tofu, fresh fruit and apricot relish (Rs 395). Given its location-location-location, good looks and great food, Circa 1193 seems a winner. But if I were a friend of owners Vidur Parasher, Nikhil Kanwar and Varun and Wasiqa Soni, I'd probably tell them to make the main course portions a trifle larger. And yes, the washroom more interesting.
The capital's newest restaurant stands at kissing distance of the tower that was commissioned, in case you hadn't guessed, circa 1193. The food may be contemporary Asian but the clichd red and gold look of the ubiquitous Oriental restaurant has been given a skip. Everything here follows clean lines, and neutral shades. Nothing is allowed to obstruct the grand view; indeed, all the four levels of the restaurant seem to act as the antechamber of the sanctum sanctorum.
The Qutub Minar is the piece de resistance here, and you're not allowed to forget that for a moment.
A level above, in The Fine Dining space, the eye is drawn first to the Minar looming outside the giant windows and then very quickly, to the Chef's Table, done up in red. Here, twice a week, Aggarwal plans to seat six well-heeled guests and feed them a customised, four-course meal of their choice. Bookings have to be made at least 48 hours in advance. A short walk up to the final floor takes you to the open rooftop. From here, the Minar stands like a sentinel over time, and a scattering of monuments.
But however good it looks, it's the culinary offerings that are the real stars of Circa 1193. Chef Aggarwal has clearly poured all that he has learnt on his previous stints at Nikko, the Vilases, Trident Gurgaon and Wasabi, into the planning of the menu, and seasoned it with his personality. The dinner menu is more extensive than the lunch one.
I'd opt for dinner and choose between the baked black cod with panseared vegetables and sesame miso sauce (Rs1095) and samurai lobster that's pan seared with Asian spices, XO sauce and galangal cream (Rs 1595). Edamame gnocchi, a story of sliced truffles and jalapeos in a soy lemon butter sauce (Rs895), is also interesting while the Surf 'n' Turf option, rather unusually, refers to a rib-eye with wasabi soy and grilled scallops with Thai marinade (Rs1295). Those who don't like to be plagued by the problems of plenty would do well to pick the fiery chicken noodles.
With spiced chicken and XO sauce (Rs 645), it's a meal on its own. I gave the desserts a skip, but the chef likes to promote his chilled orange cheesecake, which he makes with tofu, fresh fruit and apricot relish (Rs 395). Given its location-location-location, good looks and great food, Circa 1193 seems a winner. But if I were a friend of owners Vidur Parasher, Nikhil Kanwar and Varun and Wasiqa Soni, I'd probably tell them to make the main course portions a trifle larger. And yes, the washroom more interesting.
| Set menu for lunch The veg option (Rs 975) has a Miso soup, an Asian Green salad, Steamed Rice and Japanese Pickle, and a choice of Crisped Tofu/Mushroom Steak/Korean Spiced Vegetables/Robata Grilled Potatoes/Kare Raisu/Garlic Butter Inaniwa, and Ice Cream. The number game: The restaurant seats 64 persons on the two floors reserved for formal dining and the rooftop. The more casual seating on the ground floor can accommodate up to 15. Coordinates: Circa 1193, Mehrauli, New Delhi. Tel: 011-26644329/30/31/32 Timings: 12.00 to 3.30 pm & 7.30 to 11.45 pm. Meal for two: Rs3,500 (sans liquor and taxes). |
