Good times at a great cafe...
Have you
ever been accidentally locked up in a tiny room? When you bang and yell to be
rescued
while the walls almost close in on you. Frustration and desperation builds
up until the door is prised open suddenly and you walk out in the world again.
Feeling alive. And HAPPY.
If yes, you’d
probably get my next point.
Navigating
through the great Delhi crawl for almost two hours, when I reached Café Dori
today afternoon the pent-up frustration and anger at the epic traffic snarl and
burgeoning automobile population almost dissipated in a snap. Cheerful, sunny
and with lots of leg room, the casual diner, housed in what used to be Nappa
Dori’s warehouse in Chattarpur, is exactly what you need after a rough day. If
I was looking forward to a luncheon with my girl gang, the look of the place
just heightened the excitement. To top that, the naturally lit-up restaurant housed
a bedecked Christmas tree and Yuletide decorations to ring in the festive
spirit. And of course, the
innovatively curated space showcasing founder Gautam
Sinha’s creations, tantalisingly beckoning the borderline shopaholic in me… But
today was about food. And gossip. So, we stayed faithful…
Café Dori is
a multi-sensory experience. The food, the ambience, the products, the décor,
the attention to detail (courtesy NIFT graduate Gautam’s keen aesthetics and
eye for great design), everything makes the
hearts. The décor is simple, focusing on white cobbled walls and earthy brown furniture (some with cushions in ikat weaves) so as not to take away from the gastronomical delights. It’s the atelier in the back end of the eatery, the unique lights and the bric-a-brac that inform the diners about Nappa Dori’s signature finesse in leather and luxury.
Absolutely famished,
we order a Gambas Prawns and Poached egg with greens. The prawns, tossed in
garlic butter and herbs with a dash of Mexican chillies, are cooked to
perfection. The Poached eggs, replete with a generous helping of hollandaise
sauce justifiably whet our appetite.
It’s winter
so we skip the drinks and head straight to the mains. Despite my reluctance for
saffron
risotto, I’m talked into opting for the Saffron Risotto with shredded
lamb that my best friend says is the café’s signature. She orders a prawn
pappardelle in a tomato based sauce. The other two ladies choose a Sole and
Prawn muniere and a Pork Carbonara. We take a side of fries, which are crisp
and nicely seasoned. The pappardelle, despite being homemade and spiked with succulent
prawns, is overpowered by the tomato gravy. The sole and shrimp muniere is aromatic and grilled to perfection.
I have never
been too sure about the saffron flavour (a recent pasta I ate at a fine-diner
added to the apprehension because of the heaviness of the saffron) but this risotto
was a pleasant surprise. The creamy rice was perfectly foiled by the shredded
lamb and every mouthful was simple yet wholesome.
I’ve never
tasted pork so I am not the best judge of the white meat. Prodded by the girls,
when I put a spoonful of the Carbonara into my mouth, there was an explosion of
creamy deliciousness. The delish white sauce beautifully came together with the
rich umami flavour. This was the dish of the day, we decided unanimously!
Pretty full
we stuck to two desserts instead of four, which also meant, to our glee, that
we would be visiting again to try out other items in the biggish menu. The wild
honey pannacotta was subtle and countered by the chunks of berries and wafers
that garnished it. Because I have a thing for chocolates, next up was the
Chocolate pots de crème, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream garnished
with caramel sauce and an almond tuile. As we tucked into the sinful delight
little realising that we had hung
out in the pretty eatery for a good five
hours already, giggling and gaggling just as we always do, we knew we would be
back to relive the good times soon. Very soon.
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