I started thinking about club food when I was staying at the lush green Tolly Club during a visit to Kolkata many years ago. The delicious beef steak I had there got me interested in the subject of food served in clubs. My friends in Kolkata tell me that the city's thriving club culture, alongside a good fondness for food, leads to mini-wars on which club serves better food. I am not going into that — for the time being, I am taking a deep interest in the food Delhi clubs have to offer.
For a long time, many believed that the India International Centre (IIC) had the best kitchen. It certainly had a nice fried fish on its menu, and I always enjoyed its caramel custard, though not many people agreed with me. But, barring its annual festivals, I don't think IIC gives much thought to food.
The India Habitat Centre, on the other hand, is always on the move. Two of its restaurants — the American Diner and Eatopia — are open to the public, as is the bakery. Three restaurants — the Orient Octopus, Dilli O Dilli and The Deck — are only for members and their guests. And I had such a wonderful meal at The Deck the other evening that I thought I would write about it.
In the first place, the restaurant itself is beautiful. It's small and cosy, but there is a great sit-out area by the poolside. The menu is small, but excellent. You can order drinks — and they have a nice range of cocktails and liquors — and start your meal with a mezze platter, which consists of pita bread, chicken drumsticks, meat pastries, salads and pickled veggies served with baba ghanoush — a delicious dip made with roasted eggplant — and hummus, chickpea paste in olive oil. We had the platter, which was as good as ever, and then ordered a small platter of six pizza wedges. The pizza was superb. The crust was thin, the cheese chewy but not stringy, and the toppings, with basil leaves and vegetables, were nice and crunchy.
The night was a bit chilly, so we had some soup to warm us up. The asparagus mint soup was excellent and light. The soup whetted our appetite, and we placed our orders for our table of four — salmon with wasabi, sea bass with capers, Italian hot pizza, and a small platter of non-vegetarian pizzas. My pizza, with a topping of sausages and pepperoni, was excellent.
The friend who had the sea bass said hers was the best. The fish was moist, the sauces were flavourful (enhanced with bits of pomegranate seeds) and the outer skin was crisp. The salmon again was good (I took the leftovers home!), though the wasabi wasn't sharp enough for me. And the pizza platter, with different kinds of toppings, was perfect.
By then we were stuffed, but the night was still young. When a brave friend asked for a chocolate parfait, we all refused, holding that we were too full to eat anything more. And then when the incredibly smooth dessert came, we shamelessly dug in, and finished it for her.
The prices are low — soups are for Rs.80 or so, the pizzas for around Rs.200, and the salmon is for Rs.450. The food is superb, and you just can't beat the ambience of sitting in the open, looking at the city lights.
