The vegetarian dishes at Imperial Spice can put up a stiff competition for the ones with meat, says Chahak Mittal
They say that food is not just about taste or smell, it is an experience. Well, what they say is right. Adorned with exuberant golden walls, wine-coloured chaise lounges, wooden tables, brass décor and glass furnishings, the Imperial Spice has a warm and intimate ambience.
As I entered the place, I was welcomed by the brass wall that separated the dine-in area from the bar counter in the front; a black mirror on the ceiling with golden lotuses created an illusionist infinity; the soft music and spring couches let you sink comfortably in. However, the décor doesn’t offer anything new or fresh, rather takes you back to the royal set up. The starters include the mandatory Sev-infused masala papad rolls with finely-chopped onion-tomato-cucumber mixture and a pinch of lemon.
A garlic-infused vegetable Manchow soup was served with fried noodles and the broth filled with finely-chopped ginger, French beans, mushrooms, grated carrots, shredded cabbage, bell pepper and celery. It was indeed a perfect blend of spices with no excessive flavouring. For starters, we decided to order a Tandoori platter where the focus was on Dahi kebab made of hung yogurt and chick pea flour. The finely-chopped coriander leaves, green chillis, onions and roasted cumin seeds never once made us feel that we were gorging on a vegetarian kebab. It was one dish that certainly would even have the carnivores asking for more. More mouth-watering dishes were to follow.
While I was still relishing the flavours of the Dahi kebabs, next up were Wild mushroom cigars served with sun-dried tomato pesto, mozzarella cheese and black pepper seeds. Tomato and cheese can never go wrong and with the peppery kick, the dish got attention. Next in line was the Paan-paneer tikka and full marks to the presentation where paan leaves were wrapped around every cube of paneer dipped in aamchur powder, with sprinkles of mint and coriander leaves and a mix of hung curd, cottage cheese, ginger, garlic and green chillies. You might just be tempted to load up on the starters but the main course was awaited. Now paan has a decided tang but here did not stand out as odd.
For alcohol lovers, the place offers an array of cocktails and mocktails like Cosmopolitan, Sex on the beach, Bourbon mint julep, Italian smooth, Guava blast and Virgin colada. However, it was Black Russian, a cocktail of vodka and coffee liqueur which was after my heart.
The expansive menu has prices that are slightly on the higher side but the experience makes it totally worth it.