Townhouse Café, nestled in N Block, Connaught Place, is a new venture by the invisible restaurateur Priyank Sukhija, who owns many of the well-known restaurants of Delhi. Its location is perfect, with ample parking space (which is a major concern these days).
As soon as I stepped in, I fell in love with the place. Gothic architecture and décor, with cast iron and red velvet lounge seating give the place a plush and opulent air. The menu is an extensive list of dishes from across the world and is divided into three sections — namely European, Indian and Oriental. The menu’s only drawback is that it doesn’t mention desserts.
To test the waters I had a truffle oil scented chicken velouté and just loved it. Subtle and creamy with tender little juliennes of chicken, the soup was close to perfection. The mustard chicken salad didn’t have that robust flavour, but the shrimp cocktail salad is certainly a must-try preparation on every visit to the restaurant. Balsamic vinegar gave a welcome twist to the fresh prawns.
Another major plus is the outlet’s chef, Anay Mukherjee, a young and motivated professional who takes his food very seriously and likes to work according to the palate of the patrons. I liked that he pays attention to minute details and expects the same from his customers. The mutual love for food was heartening.
The pan roasted prawns and chicken basil and olive tikka were both good and had impressive flavours. The chicken popcorn, however, could have been crunchier and juicier. To change the flavours, I tried a quarto formaggi pizza. I am not sure if it was intentional, but the pizza came charred and that did it for me.
Though pastas, risottos and burgers were also on offer, the bakes and grills section seemed more interesting. Grilled fish with lemon caper olive was cooked to perfection, and de polo ala cognac, which I had on the chef’s recommendation, was also excellent.
The minced patty of corn fed chicken was flavourful; the grilled orange gave it a dash of freshness.
From the vegetarian options, the grilled cottage cheese was surprisingly one of the best dishes I tasted that night.
Warm chocolate brownie served along with three flavours of ice cream and roasted cashews on top was the only available dessert but — and what would you expect with ingredients like that! — it was worth every bite.
Meal for two: Rs.1200 plus taxes
