Invitations to review a restaurant in West Delhi always put me in a difficult situation; I wonder if I should go or not. Having a soft corner for se food though, I took the chance to visit the recently launched Blue Water Grille in Rajouri Garden, on the main road opposite metro pillar no. 411.
It’s an initiative by MM Fisheries, which is one of the biggest seafood suppliers of the city. The journey from South Delhi to Rajouri Garden took me a good two-and-a-half hours which exhausted me. I entered Blue Water Grille hoping for reprieve in the form of some tasty food. And it surely was worth it.
The ambience of the place is simple, a bit dingy and cramped. It was jam packed for obvious reasons. I chose to sit right in front of the live kitchen. Chef Malhotra, a veteran in the business, made some delicious grills for me. It was interesting to see him working with full concentration inside the glass walled kitchen. While the grills were getting ready, he served up one of their signature seafood soups. The bursting seafood aroma was mesmerising. The soup was hot, fresh and delicious. Small chunks of crab, squid and prawn made it even better. I finished it down to the last drop.
Next came the grilled platter. I tasted the traditional grilled fish to start with. Made to perfection, it had a great texture. The peri peri fish was even better, and the spice levels were rightly balanced. Cooking seafood is an art as overcooking can turn it chewy or dry. Their dish of the day, Singaporean chili crab was the dish of the day for me too. It had an appetising aroma and a dry Singaporean curry around it.
So much for the seafood. The restaurant has traditional Indian dishes too. When in West Delhi, butter chicken is a must-try, and so is dal makhani. Both seemed pretty average. Even the rara gosht, one of the most popular dishes in the area, needed much improvement.
To sign off, the kesari phirni seemed a decent option. I paired it with a hot gulab jamun which made my day.
Meal For two = Rs. 1500
