From the decks of Aerocity, One8Commune has spread its roots of delicacy to Mall Road as Khushbu Kirti defines her experience
Launched by Virat Kohli in Aerocity Delhi long back, the Indian skipper decided to open a new branch of One8Commune at Mall Road, North Delhi, and it speaks of ultimate panache.
It was drizzling slightly, on a winter evening and I was cold and parched. So, entering the grounds rendered to me a different form of relief, besides the evident warmth and style the place reflected.
The new branch showcased a large open space, with a combination of grey and beige furniture, which was, and hear me out, a repose for the eyes that were used to the turquoise/teal and pink pastel everywhere!
It featured a luxurious terrace seating and I was ready for the Al-fresco dining experience. In the background, pop music made me groove as one of the servers, Swain, helped me with deciding, for I’m not good at picking from a plethora of good meals, especially drinks.
I started with their famous Gin cocktail twist 2. It had a smoky-ish taste, was rose flavoured, specifically like a khatta roafsa, but immediately calmed the mind. I could taste grapefruit and rosemary.
The Chicken nachos encompassed sauteed chicken chunks served cold. The chicken was brilliantly cooked with mustard sauce only augmenting the taste.
Next up, the Paneer tikka with mint hari chatni was served. The gravy was warm and just right but the paneer felt slightly rubbery.
One of the glories of the one8 brand that I had heard of was the fine line of culinary dishes that Chef Pawan creates. The Black and fiery chicken along with the Mushroom googly dimsums were too popular to be ignored. However, since spicy food and I don’t go along well, I chose just the dimsums. The name was unique. But Kohli being the owner, it sorta made sense with the cricket metaphors.
The truffle oil dimsums had assorted mushrooms which I paired with gin. The combination turned out to be better than I had imagined.
I was excited for One8’s Classic mac n cheese which quickly became one of the best I had had. The mozzarella cheese, and Parmsan cheddar cheese made it soft and creamy — very American. Yet, the crust was crispy, and indulged in goodness of oregano, became lip smacking.
Towards the end, I tried the Sriracha chicken taco which gave a tangy taste, I’m guessing, because of the siracha sauce. The shredded chicken was juicy, slightly spicy and the covering was soft. It was one of the best and I highly recommend taco with Passion session, vodka with green apple.
They had added a huge screen across the terrace, which suited the ambience well.
Finally came the One8 Commune signature chicken, which was basically Korean fried chicken on an extravagant spread of cheese and heavenly in every bite.
Chef Sanjit Kumar had praised the Khau galli soya boti kebab, Garlic butter prawn, Grilled fish and Bamboo cashew nut tofu but since I was content and full, it went straight to my future food drive agendas.
Abhinav, the corporate CDC for the brand, who handled the European part of the menu, explained the secret behind their delicious Butter garlic prawns, “Our rendition of the Butter garlic prawns has a bit of olives, cherry-tomato, star anise, and a lot of herbs.”
The Civil Lines branch also has a rooftop set up with cabanas, a separate chic bar and a well-lit live kitchen, serving dimsums, sushis, and pizzas. It made for the perfect place to relax and have good food with splendid views of the lanes of Central Delhi.