Swagath..defence colony

If you live in Delhi and are fond of sea-food or coastal cuisine..you must already be knowing about Swagath..
For those who think South indian food begins and ends with the dosa and the idli..Swagath is a must-visit..
what you get is spicy prawn biriyani, appams with stew..or if, like me, you prefer something spicy..chettinad chicken!!yumm!! crabs, lobsters, fish malabari..you name it and they not just have it...but have it fresh and sometimes even live for you to choose the one you want to savour..on a weekend be ready to wait in queue ..but the service is prompt and efficient..
Now comes the sad discovery I made last week..With the new financial year..Swagath too has decided to hike its prices..now a glass of jal jeera is Rs 50..and that irresistible Prawn Biriyani about Rs 300..but thats not the end...on Friday the jal jeera was bland..to say the least..and in my 5years of visiting Swagath almost once a month..this is surely a first..
They seemed to be in a hurry too...and my comment on the jal jeera didnt evoke much reaction..
Worst..my favourite pickled onions..which are always 'pickled' in Swagath..were strong and pungent...
lets hope its a one-off experience!

First Impressions - Moet's shack

I noticed Moet's shack in defence colony while on way to dinner to Little Italy last Friday. Returned with another friend the next day. I wanted a quiet place but gave in to the joy of exploration.

Shack offers Chinese and sea-food. We went for Chinese not being sure of sea food in Delhi. Again, the place was closely packed and noisy. Again I ordered Chardonnay hoping for a repeat of the last week. Alas, the wine was too cold. But any regret was short lived as food was served a lot faster than we expected. It was pretty good. But it did not delight. It merely met the standard of good chinese food in taste and in size of helpings. A place worth another visit but not the kind of place where one can vow people.

Rating: 3.5/4

First impressions - Flavours

Well to be honest it was not my first time at Flavours which a friend had described as the best Italian fare in Delhi. I was reminded of this place by a close friend when we met after a long time at Bangalore's Italia (The Park). So, I went back with a sense of nostalgia more than anything else.

Flavours is a small place just off the Ring road near Moolchand flyover. Its quite distinct in many ways. First up is the view upon entrance: one sees a medley of desserts. I was instantly reminded of incomparable cafe churchill at colaba. Anyways, the second noticeable feature is that all waitresses seem to be of noth eastern descent and dressed in jeans. Third, it was closely packed and noisy like a Mumbai restaurant!

I was weary so I quickly ordered a chicken dish - the name escapes me now. I also gave in to the temptation of having a glass of chardonnay. It turned out to be the best decision of the evening. The key to a good glass of chardonnay is serving it at the right temp and the people at Flavours know that well. It was smooth and just the right "flavour". I quickly finished my dish and asked for Kahlua. Again its difficult to find good kahlua. But this was first class.

Overall good food. Great wine and dessert. Noise is a turn off. Definitive second visit and more

Rating = 4/5

Kashmiri Stall, Dilli Haat

I love Rogan Josh; the most famous dish to come from Kashmir. Hence, I am always on the look out for a place that serves genuine kashmiri food. The only place that I frequent and which serves (I think!) genuine Kashmiri food is the kashmiri stall at Dilli Haat.

I gave them a visit about two weeks back for lunch. I ordered a mini Trami which is rice, achar, rogan josh, goshtaba and kabab served together. An easy way to sample the cross-section of kasmiri cuisine. The helpings are not very large but the amount of curry is huge. Which is good given that the two curries are very different. One can keep changing between the two and never tire of just trying curry! The meat for rogan josh could have been cooked better. The goshtaba was very nice. For the uninitiated, gostaba is a meat ball served in a curd based curry.

Overall the place suffers from a lack of conducive ambience. Service is poor. But then its only place I know that serves genuine kashmiri fare. I'll keep visiting until I can find a better place.

Rating = 3/5