Two month-old Gastronomica is gaining popularity among food lovers for its unique take on the regular daal. But chef Raminder Bakshi tells Christy Varghese that the restaurant is more sought after for its non-vegetarian dishes
The low-key ambient lighting, sparse bare brick walls with champagne bottles embedded in them and music ranging from jazz and trap to house and RnB help us to sit back and relax. But it also serves as the best possible protagonist in making us wonder if the atmosphere is this enticing, is it plausible for us to form high expectations of the food served, which is the primary reason why we are here. Well, on no account does Gastronomica,GK1 let down our high hopes.
We happened to observe and overhear minute details like the tilted glasses and black napkins delightfully serving the purpose of a conversation-starter amongst patrons here. While we were waiting for the sumptuous fare promised to us, Sumit Goyal, owner of Gastronomica, came over and indulged in some friendly interaction. “From the glasses and cutlery to the music playlist and the furnishing, everything has been personally overseen by me,” he told us. About two months old, Gastronomica is a fairly new restaurant with Goyal describing it as his little baby but this place has already gained much popularity amongst people from all walks of life in Delhi which we observed quite plainly.
We did not have to wait for long though, as chef Raminder Bakshi sent his regards withkadak papad kebabs. As our visit coincided with Ramadan, the chef sought to showcase the various gems offered in the iftar menu amongst other culinary delights. The succulent broccoli and spinach kebabs were covered with crushed papads and flash fried to form a delightful novelty. As we carefully chewed on one, we could feel the crisp outer papad crumbs giving way to the almost meaty texture of the encased vegetarian kebabs which seemed to melt in our mouth immediately.
The next dish was the signature of the Iftar menu, bater masaledar which we looked forward to, as Goyal had told us that it is one of the best dishes served here. It comprised of whole tandoori quails. Chef Bakshi equipped us with the information that the spicy gravy forms an essential companion to the quail meat which is imported and not as tender and revealing as we had expected. Its chilly nature had us gasping for water with delight and we had to agree with Goyal’s claim that quail meat of this quality is probably not served in any reputed establishment in Delhi NCR.
We realised that the dish had increased our appetite as we were served the nalli nihari. As the name suggested, it is prepared quite slowly to produce an exquisite dish. lamb meat simmered on low-heat, cooked overnight with onions, ginger and Hyderabadi spices resulted in a platter of meat which was chewy and tender at the same time, much to our astonishment.
The next dish was described as the ultimate Mughlai dish by Goyal, but we would prefer to call the rara meat as “heart attack on a platter.” It consisted of thick meaty chunks of lamb cooked in spiced up gravy which contained an overwhelming amount of minced lamb or keema. This was one dish which made us rue the fact that our tummies could only accommodate as much.
Chef Bakshi told us that every reputable food establishment dishes out its own version of the hyped up daal makhani, which is supposed to be the trademark Indian dish. But in this restaurant, it comes christened as the daal gastronomica. Its highly rich contents, which included more than adequate amounts of butter and light spices actually reminded us of ghar ka khana, which mothers prepare lovingly, using the choicest of ingredients. This is one dish which can hold its own against the evenly filling and highly sought after non-vegetarian counterparts served here we thought, as we felt its course, buttering its way down our gullets.
Next in line, the humble biryani, considered to be the choice delicacy of every Muslim household, held our attention. But the biryani here earned the unique distinction of in spite having a mellow oily taste which was pleasant in itself. It complemented well with almost every sumptuous dish that we had. It boasted of layers of the choicest cuts of lamb and saffron along with huge long grains of basmati rice, and a rich aftertaste which we had not experienced with any variety of the biryanis we had tasted before.
Goyal as well as chef Bakshi, recommended that it would be to our interest if we end our heavy, protein-flooded meals with some desi delicacies which are served as desserts here. And we were not complaining as two varieties of desserts were put in front of us by the ever-smiling, diligent staff waiting on us.
The alphonso phirni is rooted deep in our traditional Indian customs, being a homemade delight most of us have tasted. We found out that we liked the grainy texture of thephirni as we swirled it around our tongues was much better than its just-right, heavenly taste. But our definition of ‘heavenly’ changed as soon as we bit into a shahi tukda which looked quite plain and unassuming. But looks can be deceiving, we found out, as with one bite of this piece of toast overloaded with a thick layer ofkhoya and garnished with pistachios caused in us an overwhelming sense of unexplained happiness.
Goyal was disheartened by the fact that we could not taste some more dishes out of the 130 prepared in an exclusive manner available here. But while bidding us goodbye he voiced his concern, “I hope Gastronomica hosted you well tonight,” indicating him not knowing that the evening had overshot our high expectations.