One of the most famous hangout places for Delhiites at Hauz Khas Village is Out of The Box, popularly known as OTB. Though OTB has other branches, it all started from the Hauz Khas outlet. Divided into three levels, OTB has very earthy yet classy interiors with emphasis on wood. OTB also inspires me as it’s nothing short of a miracle that after being devastated by a fire the whole place has been rebuilt in less than two months and is operating with the same finesse as it used to do earlier.
The day I went there it was very cold so I avoided the beautiful terrace and got a place inside, near the glass wall. All said and seen, I placed my order from the menu which has offerings from across the globe. Soup seemed the perfect thing to start with but I was disappointed as my minestrone was over-seasoned and very tangy. Not quite the way I like, it was pretty disappointing. The starters made up for it as some of them were really good, specially the chicken drumsticks and malai tikka. Succulent and juicy tikka tasted wonderful in this weather. The dimsum platter was very good too. I had prawn and lamb variants and both tasted perfect. Amritsari fish and country-fried chicken wings had a common problem: they both had that smell which comes once the meat is used after de-freezing. The absence of fresh meat adversely affected the preparation. Even the mezze platter was quite average and seemed to have been made just to bring up the numbers.
After a couple of not-so-appetizing dishes, I finally had a pizza which was bang on and made my day. Done in square OTB chicken pizza was crisp and the sauce perfect. The right amount of cheese balanced the flavours of the pizza quite well. I also tried a lamb burger and found it good too. Patty was well seasoned and had a good amount of meat and a nice bun to hold it.
One thing on which they need to work on is their service as the food takes its own sweet time to arrive at the table. However, it does tend to suit the crowd as people are not in a hurry to leave OTB once they get in.
Meal for two:
Rs.1500 plus taxes
