Delhi restaurateurs are not leaving any stone unturned to present the city as the food capital of India. The Hiatus at the Qutub Hotel serves progressive modern cuisine and I was surprised to find it so classy and opulent.
The wonderful al fresco area with a waterfall lifts up the spirits of the place and brings to it the nostalgic quotient. Its special spread of corporate buffet at one corner seemed to tempt me but I preferred to go the a la carte way. The menu was extensive with chefs name mentioned at the top, which I felt was a nice gesture by the management to honour chefs. I met the passionate Chef Piyush at the table and noticing his eagerness allowed him to serve me according to his wish. Once I was through I was happy that I left it to the Chef as I had a meal of my life. He started the course with a nice tomato and jasmine tea soup and also a portion of roasted pumpkin with smoked chicken. The jasmine tea gave a nice aroma to the soup and blended well with the tomato. The sprinkle of truffle oil added to the subtlety of the soup. Next it was followed by a beautiful watermelon salad, which just by the virtue of its presentation was worth reordering. Served with 10-odd condiments, every spoon had a new flavour to explore.
Zucchini wrapped sole was again a master dish where the fish was placed on deconstructed onion adding crunch to the preparation. A dash of kasundi veloute added that robust mustard flavour which blended perfectly with the fillet. The good part about Chef Piyush’s food was that he innovated or should I say tweaked dishes keeping the core flavours intact and gave equal importance to the presentation. The dish such as achari cottage slice grilled and placed on a small cheese filled pita having deconstructed tomato — which gave an impression of caviars — was just exceptional. I even had lamb chops which were cooked sous-vide and was evenly seasoned though I like my chops to be grilled. Out of the many options in desserts I chose to end with a kaffir lime infused kulfi and found it to be exceptionally delicious.
MEAL FOR TWO: Rs.3000
