Date: 23 Dec, 2019
Venue: Qla Mehrauli, Delhi

Have you been to Qutub Minar recently especially at night? It is glowing and literally so thanks to the lighting project by Delhi Government. Qla overlooks Qutub and the view from here at night is dreamy to say the least. We have fond memories of spending some great evenings here while attending movie screenings, dinners or a recent event held by Star World MasterChef. The experiences have consistently been worth cherishing.

It was Christmas, the season to be jolly. It looked like whole Delhi was out to enjoy the winter and the food that came with it. Qla, on its part, had created a specially curated winter menu. They had invited us to taste this special menu and we were happy to accept. Given the beautiful architecture of this property, coupled with heritage oozing over from the backdrop, good times were guaranteed anyway.

Coming to the spread, it was not totally Christmas – no mulled wine or eggnog. It was geared more towards the whole winter season. We started with a cocktail making session and the good bartender made two refreshing drinks for us. These cocktails could be a great way to start a winter brunch.

The seven-course meal thereafter took us through various levels of gastronomical delight. The menu was sensitive to vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian choices and we chose accordingly. The delicately crafted dishes from the tasting menu were mostly continental.

We started with cauliflower and chicken broth which was deliciously thick with a hint of leek ash and truffle.  Totally exotic – well begun – half done we thought!

The second course was cured smoked salmon with smoked cucumber. This was probably the best salmon dish we have ever had. Super tender and flavorful, this dish actually raised our hopes from the rest of the meal. Next was Qla fish and chips. We mention Qla as part of this dish because it was hard to believe this was fish and chips. The presentation was very unique. We have never had fish and chips looking like this. It was topped with three different sauces so that you get three different flavors from each bite. We missed the usual way of having chips though. We are too addicted to American junk food we guess.

The fourth course was chicken garganelli pasta that we found rather bland and dry. This dish had scope for improvement. Taste as well as presentation wise. Next course was chicken with sherry cream sauce. A big chunk of chicken with creamy sauce, this was quite filling and served the purpose of a main course dish.

The Bengali among us was missing on this dinner. The next dish belonged to him. The Bhetki fillet with red curry cheese sauce with mushrooms was delicious to the core. Warm, tender and very comforting this was our second most favourite dish of the dinner – and again a seafood.

We ended this gastronomical journey with a sampler of their yummy desserts. We loved their Signature chocolate tiramisu and also apricot and white chocolate. This definitely added oomph to an overall fantastic dinner.

The service is laid back and relaxed but at times we wish there was lesser delay among various courses. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and we highly recommend the winter menu at Qla. Do have some time on hand when you come here though – it is not your average dining experience – but an indulgence or what one calls – a splurge!

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