The newly-opened bistro is inspired by the quaint town Kinbuck of Norway in decor, delicacies and design. By Rupinder Kaur
To have an epiphany while eating is a rarity but that is what we experienced at Kinbuck 2 which is being promoted as Delhi’s first Roman bistro ensconced in the outer circle of Connaught Place. While you are here, surrender your tastebuds to someone who is passionate and intensely involved with the food he creates and presents. Brand chef Anay Mukherjee’s admirable attention to minute detail of what was being served along with the side lessons in food history made us give in and let him lead us on this escapade.
Chef Anay served us their fresh in-house baked breads or the Romanian bread basket which included soft rolls, lavash, focaccia, the famous Dutch tiger bread which was yeast free with a well-browned pattern on top and had the perfect crackle. It was served along with tomato and basil pesto dips.
A warm bowl of cream of mushroom soup with fresh cracked black pepper and truffle oil was truly the food for the soul. It was quite delightful to see the aromatic truffle oil being incorporated by chefs nowadays in their cooking.
We got the ‘appetite-enhancing’ warm chicken salad with sliced oranges, iceberg lettuce and balsamic vinaigrette as well as the beautifully plated and colourful fattoush salad with bell pepper, cucumber, onion rings and crisp pieces of pita bread tossed in lemony vinegar dressing.
What followed next was ‘starters galore’ which were both visually appealing and appetising. From the Chinese section, we were served the fiery Beijing chicken with roasted peanuts and red chillies, eggplant schezwan and the crispy corn chilly pepper served in a rice papad bowl. The succulent chandani paneer tikka with silver coating and murgh malai tikka with mint yogurt chutney had us nodding our heads at its sheer deliciousness.
Our mains consisted of juicy chicken roulade stuffed with spinach, roasted bell peppers and mozzarella cheese served with boiled but a bit too salty veggies, mashed potatoes and warm mustard dip. Ratatouille, a healthy French veggie stew served on top of a fluffy couscous dome and saffron cream, was delectable. From the chef’s bustling kitchen came the chilli garlic noodles which paired really well with the assorted vegetables in hot garlic and the pungent black bean curries.
We were a little disappointed to see no dessert section in the menu as it’s only been a month since the joint’s inception and a more elaborate menu would follow soon, but chef Anay did not disappoint. The red velvet cheesecake topped with fluffy cream frosting was served to make us happy again.
Anay talked about the venture, “The bistro is named after a small town in Norway called Kinbuck which we visited some time back. Its design and decor is inspired by both the Norway town where we saw a lot of graffitis and of course the fire brick tiled arches are inspired from Roman architecture.” He said there is no target clientele for them but they wish to serve all. “Our motto is to serve good food and and make sure that our customers have a good time. We also have two babysitters with us to take care of the tots while the parents can relax and have a good time.”