When it comes to dining at a terrace or a café or a bistro, a place that comes to my mind is Amour at New Delhi’s Haus Khas Village. It is one of the very few joints in Hauz Khas which is in a class of its own. Its alfresco area is beautiful and so is its covered space.
The other day, I reserved myself on the comfy sofa at Amour and ran my eyes through the menu with a Mediterranean influence comprising dishes not easily available in the city. I started with its chickpea and chicken broth soup. It had balanced seasoning where the flavour of chickpeas blended well with the broth providing a good texture as well. Even the salad, a paprika grilled chicken variant, was refreshing, ideal for summers. The mango dressing provided a nice sweetness and complemented the spiciness of paprika.
For starters, I had Spanish chicken, roasted baby aubergine and a slice of grilled sole. Of the trio, it was the aubergine which stood out. Ricotta stuffed small aubergine, roasted to perfection, seemed like a perfect finger food to complement a drink. However, the fish was a tad bland. Its duck leg confit, served with corn and potato tossed burgul pilaf, was overcooked. It was a case of over roasting the meat which made it chewy and dry. The pilaf was interesting though, topped with a sweet and sour pineapple sauce.
In fish, Amour offers a tilapia as well, a good find unlike the usual sole or basa. Grilled to perfection, the tilapia fillet had that aroma of a fresh water fish. The sweet potato fondant complimented well the fish.
The next two dishes that followed it were some of my favourites and surely loved by carnivores visiting Amour — lamb chops and a mixed meat platter.
The cut of the lamb chop was not as per my preference as it lost its symmetry but flavour wise, it was decent. In the mixed meat platter, I chose my red meat to be done in harissa and the chicken was done in chimichuri. The Tunisian hot chilli gave the red meat a nice spicy zing which I loved and so was the chicken which had the flavours to its core. I enjoyed the meaty after taste and decided to give the dessert a miss.
Meal for two
Rs 2000 plus taxes
