Elan, The Lodhi

 
Do you want to dine in the centre of the city, without parking woes or driving through narrow residential colony lanes? Do you want to have live music playing international hits from the 70s and 80s to tap your feet to? Do you want to have lunch with your business contacts in a quiet space where international travellers will get something of their choice? Or do you want to have a great big family dinner where each one wants something different: pizzas, fish and chips, inventive Japanese cold starters or superlative Lucknowi food? Now, you don't have to look further than The Lodhi on Lodhi Road. Unlike other hotels, this one has not just had one great big revamp; it has been upgrading its services gradually and imperceptibly, till almost all the public areas sport a fresh look, yet nobody is aware of when the changes took place– so unobtrusive was the work.

Nowhere has the makeover been as dramatic as it has in the former dining room. Elan is an all-day diner of the hotel and in a former avatar was little more than a dining room for the guests of the hotel. Today, you would be hard pressed to find a table at a moment's notice, especially at meal times but also during afternoon tea when several canny Delhiites have discovered a central venue where they can meet friends or sit undisturbed for hours or hold meetings.

While the sushi counter is manned by Chef Dondon (whose real name is Venecio Cadavida), the real reason why UpperCrust loves dinner time at Elan is because of the Goan band and their foot-tapping music as well as the ongoing promotion of Chef Imtiaz Qureshi's signature dishes on offer at dinner. Cooked by his son Imran, the Galauti Kebabs, the Nihari of Lamb Shanks and the ambrosial biryani are obviously made by a master. In particular, the biryani is not golden brown in colour, but pure white, with chunks of mutton in it. However, you will be hard-pressed to find rice that is more redolent of the flavour of meat. How do the Qureshis do it? That's a miracle!

Address: The Lodhi, Lodhi Road,
CGO Complex, Pragati Vihar, New Delhi 110003
Ph: 011 4363 3333
Meal for two: Approximately Rs. 3000 + taxes, without alcohol