Taste with a twist at Baar Baar...
You might want to check the credentials of Chef Sujan
Sarkar before walking into Baar Baar at Khan Market. He's an illustrious one.
One of the first proponents of the farm-to-table concept, Chef Sarkar's mark is
felt at this sunny little restaurant. That is if you are seated on the top
floor. The lower rung is stylish in dusky pink and jade, in tandem with its New
York cousin, the original space where the Chef dishes out a modern
interpretation of regional Indian cuisine.
Well,
haven't we heard that before? Modern Indian, contemporary twist, nouvelle, et
al... It was time to test Chef Sarkar's rendition... Or rather, the tricks he
has trained Chef Harpal Singh with… We couldn’t wait. The sun was streaming in,
the homemade hummus and crisps had been pecked on and we were raring to go.
Winters are for digging into good food and after Olive and Ek Bar, this was
another turf that promised fun.
While we waited for the food to be brought out at this
Indian Tapas Bar, we sipped on some interesting mocktails. I chose a sea
buckthorn (a berry from Leh) and fresh lime drink while my friend settled down
with an orange, angostura and kaffir lime mocktail.
The first dish to be put before us was the Kashmiri
Duck Kulcha that looked fancier than its humble cousin dished out on street
carts in the Capital. Topped generously with parmesan shavings and accompanied
by garlic white butter, the dish certainly was much more than an appetiser. Stuffed
with braised pulled duck, I could have had the whole thing if I was not saving
space for the other dishes.
Next up was the Masala Jackfruit Taco served with Pineapple
Kut and Avocado Sour Cream. Let me tell you a bit about the jackfruit I grew up
on. Back home, we call the fruit gaachpatha
(a meat that has been grown on a plant). The name meant that the preparation
used an ample amount of onion, garlic and ginger apart from the other spices. My
grandmother cooked a mean dry curry with it, which, I remember categorically, had
a sweet and spicy flavour. The fruit was cut in chunks and wasn’t cooked too
much. So, when we ate it, it still retained the bite. Ahh, memories…
I do not know whether the jackfruit in Delhi lacks
that flavour or it was the preparation here, but the filling was bland. It was
too pulpy, which in turn, made the tacos (I gather they were rotis) really soggy.
The dish needs a makeover, a kick maybe…
At home, we are not very particular about chicken
liver. Maybe because it is a tad insipid compared to the mutton variant. I need
to rethink. I tasted a darn good chicken liver pate at Baar Baar today. It
comes spiked with a Liquid Bheja Pate and maybe that makes all the difference.
But then, what’s good aught to be declared good. With the masala Taftan, it
makes a delish treat.
While the Baar Baar Fried Chicken didn’t cut much ice
(it’s merely fried chicken that reminds one of the Fish Amritsari), the Duck
Seekh Kebab is moist, succulent and full of a robust flavour. It was served
with a mixed berry chutney and ulte tawa ka parantha. It holds the promise of
being the perfect accompaniment to a delicious single malt when the restaurant
gets its license.
I am not an expert on pork (as I have only started
eating it recently) but the Pork Belly was tasty. It had no twist or taste intervention
as such but it was scrumptious nevertheless.
Stuffed to the gills already, we dug into our Nalli
Nihari with a wee bit of reluctance. But couldn’t help polishing it off. The
chilli and chocolate gravy is new. Try it.
Baar Baar in Khan Market is a little experiment that
Chef Sarkar is trying. To gauge how food connoisseurs in Delhi react to his style
of cooking. This restaurant is a six-month pop-up, before the eatery shifts to
Mehrauli. So please, do go. Trust me, Khan Market is a cheerful place to be in
winter. Definitely worth much more than the trek to Mehrauli. And when there,
do ask for the Cashew cake to wrap up your meal with. It’s got cashew, it comes
with ice cream and it’s got butter. What’s not to like!
Ph: +91 7303543969
Meal for two: Rs 1,500.
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