Govinda ala re, but kaiko?

Isckon's multi-cuisine restaurant, govinda, is nothing great. Still it has its moments

IT was on a bright sunny day when an invitation for lunch dropped in. Usually, being invited to a meal perks me up. But something was just not right that day. To begin with, the sun was unrelenting after a nice spell of rains. And then the long commute was just not called for. There is a lot more I could crib about, but I stop here (for now), having reached the huge, clean parking lot of the Iskcon Temple.


The interiors were quite serene

Are you wondering why I have been invited to a temple for a full-course lunch and not for the free prasad that every visitor is entitled to? Well, my path leads to Govinda, the multi-cuisine restaurant right beside the entrance, inside the temple premises.

I am not a devotee, but for some reason I generally like visiting Iskcon temple. And this time it was for a special reasonu00a0-- tasting the food at Govinda. We enter and I thank God that I have company to keep me alive. It is dull, so very dull. But, to its credit, it is also serene. Paintings by devotees from Russia have been used to decorate the place. There is no menu card as the chef decides what is to be served.

Nothing for the tastebuds
The jal jeera and a rose-flavoured sharbat which are served as welcome drinks could have been welcome had they not looked clumsy. However, they taste just fine. I was barely done with the drinks when we are served something called a one-meal soup.

Now what's that? Well, it is soup to which potatoes, dal, carrots, cheese and tomatoes have all been added. It was bland and could just as well been some Ayurvedic syrup. "The food here is completely satvik, we don't use onions or garlic and spices are used in small quantities. The entire khana is cooked in desi ghee," says Manoj Sharma, the executive chef.

Off to the mains
No time for thoughts. The snacks have been served in modest steel platesu00a0-- fresh chana chaat and small aloo tikkis, which are just about edible. We hesitantly proceed to the main course, and the sight of the large heavy thalis promise something uplifting. The multi-coloured pulao, gatte ki sabzi and bhindi masala certainly make up for the soup. The naan is seriously fattening with butter dripping and goes well with the dal makhani. The baked stuffed potato is somewhat unique, done in a desi white sauce that the chef has made using, milk and flour.
After a not-so-great meal, the tasty, humble kheer and malpua come as the saving grace.

Govinda
Food: Okay
Service: Nice
Ambience: Dull
At: Iskcon Temple Complex, East of Kailash
Timings: 12.30pm to 10 pm
Ring: 011-26280069
Meal for two: Rs 700