Restaurant review: The California Boulevard in New Delhi
Expect movie glitz and glamour and some striking food and flavors at The California Boulevard!
Bang Bang Duck rolls
I love Hollywood! The magic of movies, the glitter of my favorite stars and the glamour of the red carpet, I love it all! So imagine my excitement when I landed at the doorstep of The California Boulevard, a restaurant that's based in the most unlikely of places (Yes, Rajouri Garden in the western part of Delhi isn't what comes to my mind when you think Hollywood crme de la crme you see!) considering its theme, and saw the red carpet rolled out for me, quite literally! I had been told that I'd be experiencing California but this was something else, in a nice way of course!
After doing my two-bit number on the red carpet (Don't blame me! It's not every day that I get to do it!), I walked inside the restaurant only to be greeted with another touch of Hollywood. Why travel to America for the walk of stars? This place has Tom Cruise, Madonna, Brad Pitt, and MJ among others right at your feet! And when you look up, you'll find the walls adorned with a collection of some of the most beautifully shot pictures of Hollywood legends that you've ever seen! And if this doesn't satiate you, there's a gorgeous Harley Davidson and interiors that scream Hollywood chic waiting to bowl you over! And bowled over I was! The restaurant also has a video wall playing music of a particular person and it changes every week. It was Bryan Adams for me and it could be Madonna for you! Could I ask for anything else? Some food please and you're not allowed to mess it up now!
Post my meeting with the chef, where I handed him the menu back and asked him to serve me whatever he liked, came the part I was very nervous about. I've had many experiences in the past with restaurants that focus so much on the ambience that they end up ignoring the food (duh!) and I was in no mood for another such instance. Did the food match the ambience? Let's get to that!
I started my meal with possibly the best part of my meal, Dilli ki Chaat. It is your usual chaat stuff served on a base of spinach. It is crunchy, it is light and it is fantastic! This was followed by Kakori Kebabs (decent), Lahori fish tikka (quite good), Indonesian chicken satay (expectedly nice) and Sushi paneer (I'll give it a pass. Or does a 'no comments' suffice?). My friend, the same one from last time, also had the BBQ Pork which she said was soft, flavorful and rich. I shall take her word for it!
The first roadblock in my food experience came with the Tandoori bacon prawns. Now, I love prawns! They are my most favorite thing to eat and I'm always excited about trying a new variation to it. Expect for this time the new variation wasn't a good idea. The prawns served tandoori style covered with a layer of bacon tasted a bit too Punjabi-ish and certainly not in a good way! But the restaurant made up for it with the delectable Bang Bang duck rolls, my second most favorite part of the meal. Filled with lemon grass, spring onions and a hint of bamboo shoot along with the duck of course, this was simply outstanding! We were also served chicken coriander dumplings and spicy mushroom dumplings but I still couldn't get over the duck rolls to bother much about these two. And it was not until the Cantonese steam fish that something else could grab my taste buds. The fish was for the lack of a better word, just my kind and certainly my third most favorite part of the meal. I highly recommend it to every fish lover!
My main course started with a fantastic Italian meat pizza. This was followed by Thai red curry served with stir fried Chinese greens and steam rice. The mixing of Thai and Chinese flavors made this rather interesting. But you'll have to remember to order them together when you step into the restaurant. And since no meal is ever complete without the dessert, we had the classic tiramisu and kulfi gazzak served with piping hot melted chocolate to savor. The tiramisu was perfectly fine but it was the kulfi gazzak that really impressed me!
I entered the restaurant completely bowled over and came out pretty happy as well. Few minor dishes aside, the restaurant is certainly worth a shot. If not for some of the incredibly original recipes then certainly for the brilliantly put together setting! My only grudge: With the name promising a Californian experience, the restaurant didn't have much to offer in terms of American food in the menu!
Address: J2/5, B.K Dutt Market, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi
Phone: 09971108571, 09971108671
Meal for two: Rs. 2,000 (approx) without alcohol
BT More recommends: Dilli ki Chaat, Cantonese Steam Fish, Bang Bang Duck Rolls
A table fully set at the restaurant
Post my meeting with the chef, where I handed him the menu back and asked him to serve me whatever he liked, came the part I was very nervous about. I've had many experiences in the past with restaurants that focus so much on the ambience that they end up ignoring the food (duh!) and I was in no mood for another such instance. Did the food match the ambience? Let's get to that!
The swanky Harley Davidson bike at the restaurant
The first roadblock in my food experience came with the Tandoori bacon prawns. Now, I love prawns! They are my most favorite thing to eat and I'm always excited about trying a new variation to it. Expect for this time the new variation wasn't a good idea. The prawns served tandoori style covered with a layer of bacon tasted a bit too Punjabi-ish and certainly not in a good way! But the restaurant made up for it with the delectable Bang Bang duck rolls, my second most favorite part of the meal. Filled with lemon grass, spring onions and a hint of bamboo shoot along with the duck of course, this was simply outstanding! We were also served chicken coriander dumplings and spicy mushroom dumplings but I still couldn't get over the duck rolls to bother much about these two. And it was not until the Cantonese steam fish that something else could grab my taste buds. The fish was for the lack of a better word, just my kind and certainly my third most favorite part of the meal. I highly recommend it to every fish lover!
The California Boulevard
I entered the restaurant completely bowled over and came out pretty happy as well. Few minor dishes aside, the restaurant is certainly worth a shot. If not for some of the incredibly original recipes then certainly for the brilliantly put together setting! My only grudge: With the name promising a Californian experience, the restaurant didn't have much to offer in terms of American food in the menu!
Address: J2/5, B.K Dutt Market, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi
Phone: 09971108571, 09971108671
Meal for two: Rs. 2,000 (approx) without alcohol
BT More recommends: Dilli ki Chaat, Cantonese Steam Fish, Bang Bang Duck Rolls
