Nowadays restaurateurs in Delhi are not just coming up with new concepts but are also giving quirky names to them. This helps to get the attention of the public and market their restaurant in a better way.
Recently when I was invited to review Chew, a pan Asian restaurant in Connaught Place, I was tempted to give it a shot. Located conveniently in M block outer circle, it has got vibrant interiors and a very refreshing and cool ambience. Other than the comfy sofas, swing chairs for couples are a favourite and booked in advance. Chew, with its food and ambience, will surely become the next place for youngsters to hang out.
The menu is an extensive one offering some refreshing smoothies, shakes, and all the popular pan-Asian delicacies. Even the popular sushis and sashimis are on offer. Out of habit, I started with a bowl of soup – tom kha. It was served piping hot and had a nice balance of galangal and coconut. A round of dimsums was welcome and helped me to settle in.
Crystal prawn and crab meat dumplings were flavourful but the batter was dry and needed an air of freshness. The spicy Singaporean style whole wheat dumplings, however, were good. Chicken drumsticks, one of the best selling starters, were tossed in black pepper sauce, and, as a result, overpowered the chicken flavour, but were still damn tasty. Honey chicken was also worth a try and went well with the crispy cups, a nice finger starter to end the second course.
Before the main course, chef served a sushi platter and it was delightful. Surprisingly, it was not the salmon but the avocado sushi which I liked the most. Slight sprinkle of soy with a touch of wasabi and it was good to go.
Main courses have different concepts like meal in bowls, khow suey or chop suey platters. I played it safe and went for the regular Thai red curry with some steamed rice and a grilled sea bass fillet wrapped in banana leaf. Red curry was tasty but too viscous to complement the rice. Fish was juicy and perfectly spiced with some Indonesian spices. After food, I just ordered couple of desserts from the extensive options available. Fruit and nut sundae and a chocolate lava cake just made my visit worth it.
Meal for two: Rs.1500
