Tailor-Made Gastronomy At The Darzi Bar...

The Darzi Bar, located in Connaught Place is one of the places in Delhi's F&B space dedicated to providing a bespoke culinary experience.

Simply put in the words of MasterChef India Season 2 Winner Shipra Khanna whose brainchild Darzi is, as clothes are custom-made for the body, the dishes plated at Darzi are custom-made for the belly.

Located up a flight of stairs with a designated neon-lit trial room at the entrance overlooking a wall full of thread bobbins, the interiors at Darzi stay true to the theme from the word go.

There are neon-lit banners across the outlet, the bar counter is bordered with an inch-tape like inscription, there are tailoring machines for lamps, and life-like tailoring scissors put up on the walls.

Coming to the nomenclature of the dishes on the menu, that too is inspired from Master Ji's dialect and tailoring terms strewn across.

On the whole, the menu has a good variety to offer across Indian, Oriental, Italian, and Continental cuisines and it would be best to go by Chef's recommendation.

Here's what you must try when at The Darzi Bar & Kitchen...

Beverages:

Eye Blinker, a concoction of kokum, chili, mint, lime, and cumin, making the eyes blink in the first sip, true to its name.

Peachy Zipper was a grainy blend of peach and watermelon.

Inch Tape was a pineapple and lavender beverage presented in a vial of smoky liquid nitrogen.

Soup & Salad:

Mexican Tomato and Red Kidney Bean is the classic tomato broth done the Darzi way.

The Original Greek Salad tossed in vinaigrette is done right at Darzi with a hearty mix of tomatoes, olives, feta, and onions finished with oregano.

From the All Day Menu...

Kuliya Ki Chaat was reminiscent of Old Delhi in being a bite-sized fruit and vegetable chaat that had scooped cucumber, apple, and tomato stuffed with an eclectic mix of pomegranate seeds, boiled chickpeas and chaat masala.

ISBT Makhani Maggi was also prepared the street food way with cheese and makhani gravy.

Appetizers:

Kandhari Paneer Tikka is a Darzi specialty and a true must-have, with soft cottage cheese cubes being marinated in beetroot and topped with a couple of pomegranate seeds.

Veg Quesadilla was a true-blue Mexican style platter with salsa and sour cream on the side. The tortilla was crisp, the filling was ample too.

Dahi Ke Kebab was the authentic hung curd snack prepared right at Darzi.

Amritsari Machchi was the classic Fish 'n' Chips platter done right with crisp fish fillet - mustard tartar dip and crinkle fries on the side.

BBQ Chicken Wings rendered in hot barbeque sauce with crinkle fries on the side.

Sulemani Anda is the ultimate egg dish at Darzi, being a one-pan meal with minced egg filled inside a baked egg preparation.

Main Course:

Achari Paneer Pizza at Darzi is a thin-crust veggies and pickled cottage cheese pizza.

Desserts:

Shahi Tukda Croquants were rendered in a pool of Rasmalai, topped with a scoop of Kesar Pista ice cream and garnished with chocolate chips.

Pineapple Halwa is a good break from the run-of-mill Moong Dal Halwa at Darzi.

All in all, I had a great time at The Darzi Bar & Kitchen. :)

Snacking On Pizzas at NYC Pie...

Pizzas are a universal favorite when it comes to Italian Cuisine, and it comes as no surprise that they would be a hands-down winner among all age groups. However, as much as we would love indulging in all that melted cheese and decadent toppings, all those calories are capable of taking a toll on the body in the long run.

Quite recently, I came across NYC Pie which appears to offer healthier alternatives for the calorie-conscious folks. I decided to do a takeaway from them on a friend's recommendation.

NYC Pie markets wood fired thin crust pizzas and patrons are spoilt for choice as far as the base and size of the pizza are concerned. I opted for two 12" pizzas on a whole wheat base.

Must I remark that their packaging was up to the mark with the items duly named and marked as veg or non-veg.

Here's what comprised my order...

Appetizer:

Chicken Wings were abundant with their flavorful sauce and were crisp enough.

Pizzas: 

Both of them were liberal with their toppings and delivered steaming hot. I liked their method of preparation which is a bit different from the monotonicity of the usual ones.

Canal Street (V) was an extravaganza of bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, artichokes, and sweet corn.

Tribeca (NV) sported chicken chunks, artichokes, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and red onions.

Pasta: 

Penne Chicken Pesto retained the authentic creamy pesto sauce flavor and chicken chunks were appreciably large in size.

NYC Pie attempts to make a breakthrough in the way we perceive Pizzas and I believe that they succeed in doing so to quite a great extent. :)

Driving Away The Blues At #Blues...

A visit to Blues in Connaught Place came about as a consequence of a Blogger's luncheon organized by Bloggers Board.

It was the season's vibe that took over on reaching the venue as the place was decked with fairy lights, holly, bells and a life-size Christmas Tree placed adjacent to a piano on the entrance.

Blues, as is literally evident, draws inspiration for its theme, from music. The decor reflects exactly that, with musical instruments adorning the place, and portraits of iconic names in the music industry being put up on their walls.

The place is also color-coordinated with blue upholstery and crockery. Also, the stewards sport blue uniforms paired with the retro 'Dev Anand' caps.

The food is humble in its presentation and nice on the palate. There are quite a few items that are of popular appeal. :)

We began the meal with their welcome drink, Muddy Water, which was essentially cold coffee, with a layering of chocolate syrup.

Among the appetizers, relished the following:

• Mexican Nachos with Tomato Salsa - Crispy, crunchy nachos served with tangy dip. Quintessential introduction to Mexico and its cuisine.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fish Tikka - My must-try item from their menu. Soft chunks of fish cooked well in light oil, served with mint chutney and salad alongside.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mushroom Tikka - Whole button mushrooms deep-fried. Light on oil and succulent.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Chicken Tikka - Soft succulent chunks of chicken, served alongside mint chutney.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Paneer Tikka - Cottage cheese chunks finely chargrilled.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Barbecued Chicken Wings - Leg pieces marinated in honey and pepper.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Also tried their Blue Lagoon and Virgin Mojito. Another mocktail, Part-Time Lover, came in a strawberry-vanilla base and was presented as a shake-like concoction.

The Main Course was an Indian Affair with authentic Indian curries like Paneer Makhani, Butter Chicken, and Mutton Rogan Josh being paired with Indian Breads like Lachcha Parantha and Paneer Naan.

Also on offer were the superbly prepared Chicken Biryani and Veg Pulao. One of the dishes left to try was Chicken Lasagne, however.

The desserts, namely Chocolate Mousse and Fruit Trifle were good enough, with slices of fruits such as apple and mango in the trifle and the mousse was quite smooth on the palate.

To ring in the festive spirit, we bid adieu with cakes from TADO - The Artisan Deli And Oven at Vivanta By Taj, Surajkund. Cutesy snowman there, atop a sinful chocolate cake.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas too. :)