15 April,2009 08:28 AM IST | | Soumya Mukerji
Not one dish on Indian Accent's menu sounds familiar, and no two wines taste alike. We spent an evening in its lawns and emerged enchanted
Tucked in the calmest corner of Friends Colony is a dainty diner called Indian Accent. It hums to remixed bhajans and feeds its patrons inventive Indian exotica paired with wines chosen by the celebrated Charles Metcalfe, apart from fantasy. Our experience was garnished with breeze, peace and glimpses of the moon... dinners that dreams are made of. More table talk ahead.
Trance-ported: Indian Accent boasts of laidback Lutyen's Delhi-like charm
Food: The menu comes from the man who has to credit the Oriental Octopus and Tamarai, London, so great expectations don't go waste. We were recommended the chef's tasting menu (non veg @ Rs 1,900 per head, veg @ Rs 1,800 and Rs 1,000 extra for five half glasses of wine to go with the courses), which left us pleased with its wholemeal and semolina puchkas with five waters (you can also add a shot of Belvedere vodka) and panko crusted bharwan mirch in starters, rice coated red snapper moily in the main course and the innovative toffee chyawanprash cheesecake with badam milk among desserts.
The rest of the spread is bound to baffle you, so there's ready help at hand. "Attendants in Delhi never seem to be able to assist with light and heavy preferences, so we made sure our staff knows what goes into each preparation," says manager Yulina Kisel, playing the perfect host as she goes about greeting guests, lighting candles and placing mosquito coils in the garden. Chef Shantanu Malhotra, too, appears keen on the criticism, and on another table, expats' suggestions are well-received. We wonder why salads are missing from the fare, and they think the answer in the light cooking. We aren't completely convinced on that front, though.
Drinks: The place gives you a lot to wine about, with Brit expert Charles Metcalfe playing the consultant. Each course is complemented with a different wine from a list that includes the best from Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Hungary. We loved them all. If you're a cocktail person, allow Bharat Bhushan, Best Bartender at the Finlandia 11th Cup, to stir you with his shakes. With bar snacks like chaat masala crab toasties (Rs 475) and jeera khari biscuit with lasan hummus (Rs 250), you wouldn't want to miss the booze.
Ambience: The palette paradise's approach is a tad complicated, but once here, the drive seems well worth it. Understated ethnic elegance fills every bit, and you can choose your seating options from the indoors, the verandah and the quiet garden, which alone can shelter 50. As we made our way into the greens, Meerabai's chants with contempo beats, soft candle flames, floating flowers, low-hung lanterns and smiling service followed. An occasional mosquito or pet dog trying to make its way through the hedge did nothing to disturb the Lutyen's Delhi-like charm, with a train siren in the distance signaling it was a trip well-made. When are you getting trance-ported?
Indian Accent
Where: The Manor, 77, Friends Colony (West)
Timings: 7 am to 11 pm
Meal for two: Rs 2,800 plus taxes
Ring: 26925151
