Surrounded by corporate and tall towers it is always a tough ask to get a quick yet diverse eating options in Connaught Place. But now there is relief as The Lalit New Delhi located right next to the Barakhamba Road crossing has introduced an Express Thali concept at their Indian restaurant Baluchi during lunch. It is designed keeping the corporate in mind by offering an express thali having a proper three course meal.
One thing that I liked about Chef Imtiaz Alam is that he comes to the guests and asks them to choose any two starters and two main course options and incorporates them in the thali.
It’s a good thing where the guests are not forced to eat a pre-decided menu and can enjoy according to their flavours. Apart from main course dishes and starters, non-vegetarian thali also contains one lentil, one vegetable, a portion of rice along with raita and dessert.
I started with the two vegetarian starters reserving the non-vegetarian ones for later. Grilled paneer was well-seasoned and had a typical Punjabi flavour. It was spicy and tangy. Mushroom ki galaouti served on a paratha was not perfect and seriously lacked in flavours. Its counterpart, fish tikka, though was awesome and juicy. Chicken tikka was also smooth and rich in taste. After the starters by the time my thali arrived I tasted a paya soup as well. The tender lamb chunks soup was light and good in texture. If the spice level of the soup hade been suppressed by 10 per cent, it would have become much tastier. My choice of main course delicacies included butter chicken, palak gosht, methi paneer and malai kofte. Methi paneer and palak gosht were exceptional and I finished every bit of them. But on the other hand butter chicken and malai kofte did not have much to recommend them.
Leaving the food behind the USP of the restaurant is its breads. I should say it has one of the best variants of North Indian breads I have come across in recent times. Paired with different chutney to go with sheermal, bakar khani, besan ki roti and red chili and capsicum topped roti were worth trying. I enjoyed my sheermal with the dessert of the day which was rabri. I should say it’s a combination I have tried since childhood and it’s divine.
Lunch for two: Veg thali: Rs.799 plus taxes
Non-veg thali: Rs. 899 plus taxes
