1. 78|CityScan|november 2012 november 2012|CityScan|79
Verve
Ambience
Taste
Service
Meal for two Rs. 1200 plus taxes
Cuisine Multi-cuisine
R
each Verve on an ordinary day
and you might just have the place
to yourself along with a few other
guests. This rugged looking space has a
massive balcony overlooking the village
greenery, where they serve sheesha. The
interiors are nothing extra ordinary and
the massiveness of the place might just
make you feel lost. The servicemen,
though dutiful, were a bit astray too.
However, enter on a musical night and you would
experience a new Verve with a punk crowd dancing like crazy.
Then again, the mention of multi-cuisine on the menu
would make you unsure about what to order. Once on the
tongue, the food actually sets your mood. We ordered for Dahi
ke Kebab and Shishtaouk Hummus Pita for starters and Veg
Stronganoff for main course. The taste is decent (except the
chutneys felt a bit sour) but the dessert
menu is disappointing with just gulab
jamun, chocolate brownie and banoffee
pie in the offering (and the banoffee
was unavailable).
The cocktails and mocktails are well-made, although they cost
nearly the same. Verve is definitely going to improve during the winters,
considering its apt location setting. Visit during an afternoon to have a
‘we-need-to-talk’ meeting.
28 – Hauz Khas Village, 3rd Floor, New Delhi/ 9811686949
Pizzeria Rossa
Ambience
Taste
Service
Meal for two Rs. 2000 including taxes
Cuisine Italian
I
t’s like an Italian family woke up one bright morning and decided to open
up a restaurant! Pizzeria Rossa, with a hand-made Italian wood fired oven,
made visible from as many corners of the restaurant as possible, pretty cane
baskets with dried flowers on the walls and effortlessly
relaxed wooden furniture, felt like
a warm and inviting place with a
high recall value.
The Florentina pizza that we ate
had an authentic thin crust base with
an innovative topping of mozzarella,
baby spinach, parmesan cheese and
half fried eggs. The chef modestly told
us the culinary secret - the dough is
prepared daily and all their pizzas are
carefully hand tossed. The staff was
easy and cheery. You may even ask the
server for whole wheat dough options.
Consider having the surprisingly huge
‘RossaAntiplastiGrande’worthRs.1350
(including poached prawns, skewered
sausage with artichoke, salami, broccoli
tossed in lemon and garlic, wood roasted
asparagus with melted parmesan and
much more) which will easily gratify
the appetite of a group of five.
Thebarisconstructedbuttheservice
is at a halt till they get a liquor license.
Visit this place if the idea of wood fired
Italian food excites you and you want to
impresssomeonewithyour‘discoverbest
pizza breakthrough’ in the city.
26, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi/
011-40587275
Critic’scrunchBecoming responsible food critics was such a task! We had to cut down on
our routine food to not feel guilty, climb stairs instead of taking the lift in the
hope of reducing some calories and expand our horizons towards all kinds
of food, good and bad. Acknowledge our noble assessment of the recent
eateries in the city that caught our attention, so you land up at the absolutely
right place at the absolutely right occasion.
Raas
Ambience
Taste
Service
Meal for two Rs. 2000 plus taxes
Cuisine Indian-Pakistani
H
aving captured the second best location in Hauz Khas after
Out of the Box (OTB), Raas is a serious addition to Delhi’s
ever changing culinary scenario. The decorators have placed
golden brown and cream pouffe’s on one end, and sofas on the
other end of the tables(we insisted on sitting on the pouffe). The
huge see-through bay windows, overlooking the ruins make the
ambience lively in the afternoon and dreamy in the evenings. The
Sufi and India-Pak fusion melodies add on to the romantic element.
On reaching, they serve you triangle shaped papads with
four chutneys complementarily. Now if you’ve had Dahi ke
Kebabs elsewhere, this place would change the very notion
of this dish for you. While we were pouncing on them, the
smiling server, clad in a Paithani salwar kameez, came with
another scrumptious appetizer – Murg Lemon Grass Tikka. The
chicken was really soft and the chutneys balanced it
perfectly. On the recommendation of
the staff, we ordered for Kalongi Wale
Baingan, Khoya Methi Matar Malai and
Lahori Murgh Masala for the main
course. Each plate had its own set of
unique masala flavours; while some
tasted familiar, others tasted totally new.
Do not come back without having their
Beetroot Halwa and Zafrani Jarda Pulao
for desserts.
The alcohol is yet to come after Raas
receives the license. Come here if you
really want to taste the cultural ties of
two countries which could never be
together, yet are so much similar. Our second visit would happen
soon, this time with family.
9A, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi/ 9953180815
restaurant launch restaurant launch

2. 80|CityScan|november 2012 november 2012|CityScan|81
Harem Meeza
Ambience
Taste
Service
Meal for two Rs. 4000 including alcohol
Cuisine Indian-Pakistani
A
t the recently recreated and refurbished Harem Meeza
restaurant (previously Harem) tucked inside the greens
of the arty Garden of Five Senses in Saket, you can fine
dine open-air with finesse! If you’ve dined here before,
here’s why you should go back…
The stone and glass interiors have been extended to
the outside by way of a partially-wooden-partially-open
roof with curtains to create a semi al fresco atmosphere.
There are three parts of the edifice you can enjoy – the
lounge dome with low seating, the curtained outside
and the full-fledged open-air space.
Fusion Indian music beating live would soothe your senses
and strangely add flavour to your food. Inviting unique
artists each Friday, Harem Meeza promises to make you
experience a little bit of magic through a union of high-
quality food and music.
Further, the menu has not only been extended but has
become more meaningful. We were explained by the
staff that this restaurant, lounge and al fresco dining place intends
to create a unique theme on the rich nomadic experiences of the
Cocoa House
Ambience
Taste
Service
Meal for two Rs. 1200 excluding alcohol
Cuisine Multi-cuisine
great traveller Ibn Batuta. So we had
a taste of it all – the Chaat Platter to
get our tongues rolling, the Mojito Fish
Tikka, Lamb Tajine with Cous Cous
and finally, Kunafa with rose petal
ice-cream. An answer to our Arabian
world fascination after all!
The cocktails are strong and the food
lip smacking-ly heavy! Nevertheless,
it’s not a place for quick eating. Spend
time with your bevy for a couple
of hours and you would come back
refreshed and comforted.
13 To 17, Garden of Five Senses, Saiyad Ul Ajaib, Saket,
New Delhi / 011 65650051, 011 29531823
P
ost a successful launch in Gurgaon, Cocoa
House has now found its place in Vasant
Vihar (they swear to have more soon).
Unless you were mistaken, Cocoa actually
focuses on delivering a divine coffee experience
to the average Delhiite who is not short of coffee
shop alternatives anyway. So why go there?
Well, for the lip-smacking shakes, coffees,
desserts, juicy kebabs, tikkas and more. The
bistro even a handpicked selection of books
and magazines, a wi-fi zone, an in-house printing zone, a home
bakery and a laptop, just in case you forget yours at home!
The ambience is calm and vitalizing with white bricks and pastel
shade walls. It’s a place good to spend time alone as well as with
friends. You would not get a hookah here, nor will you find just
youngsters. In fact, people from all age groups seeking some time
awayfromthebusyeverydaylifecanbeseenflockingtothisserene
place.Dotrytheirfreshlybakedcakes,cookies,browniesandbreads.
The fresh fruit juices cater to the health freaks in the House.
We cannot really point out a perfect time to come since the place
has a unique aura during different times of the day. Come in
the mornings for a snugly breakfast, in the afternoons for a light
chit chat and in the evenings for a cool time out.
D-8, Community Center, D Block Market (Near Modern School),
Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi/
011-41420233, 9560070731 u
restaurant launch