Dhilli

The Oberoi New Delhi, Dr Zakir Hussain Road, Delhi Golf Club, Golf Links, New Delhi, Delhi 110003

Ph: 011 2430 4454 (reservations mandatory)

Meal for two: Approximately Rs 4000 + taxes, without alcohol

It is a fair bet that when Chef Vineet Bhatia worked as a chef at The Oberoi Mumbai from 1990 to 1993, never did he think that one day The Oberoi would have a branded restaurant serving his version of Indian food. Fate favours not just the brave, but the hard-working and the inspired, too, and three decades later, Chef Bhatia has one restaurant each in The Oberoi Mumbai (Ziya) as well as The Oberoi New Delhi (Dhilli) that he visits a few times a year. Dhilli showcases the cuisines of that great melting pot where Bengalis, UPites, Punjabis, Biharis all live and work as one, yet who go home to their own cuisines, including the food of the Jama Masjid and the Nizamuddin areas. Over time, those have metamorphosed into what we now think of as the food of Delhi and it is this that is given the unique Vineet Bhatia twist.

First of all, few Delhiites would not consider chaat a primary food group, and so, one can begin one’s meal here with a plate of chaat ranging from the extraordinary Chhena Chatak Chaat with whipped yoghurt parfait, dahi bhalla ice-cream, boondi and sev served with yogurt pomegranate bark. Forget the appearance of being an adjunct of haute cuisine: once you have tasted a spoonful, the lightest foam settles on your palate and you begin to discern the disparate elements of boondi, sev and ice-cream that has been whipped with air and magic to taste of dahi bhalla. A similar twist had been given to Samosa Choley Chaat Board: you get the similarities between the street-side version and Chef Bhatia’s upgrade only once you have eaten a mouthful. At first glance, it does not bear much resemblance to everybody’s favourite snack.

It is the same thing with the Bengali section of the menu: our favourite was the malaikari-inspired Bengali chingri that featured prawns in a sauce that contained onions and coconut milk – the very two ingredients that a Chingri Malai Kari would contain. Said to have been brought to Bengal via Malaysia (hence the Malay/malai in the name), it is one of the rare preparations in the state that uses coconut. All the signature dishes of each community that make up Delhi’s demography have been given cognisance, but the nostalgia factor of the Punjabi kadhi, peas kachori will bring tears to your eyes if you are a long-time resident of the city, such is the familiarity quotient it imparts to a dish that, on the face of it, appears to be just another molecular concoction!

The most difficult part of dining at Dhilli is pacing yourself so that you can sample one dish from each of the sections: chaat of Chandni Chowk, kebabs and korma from Jama Masjid, Punjabi flair from Rajouri Garden, the Bengali touch from CR Park, biryani and pulaos from Nizamuddin, breads from Gali Paranthewali.

Do not fear if you want to sample as much as possible in a single meal: there is a degustation menu with seven courses, from chaat to dessert.