India Day Two: Lunch at Indian Accent

I'm thankful that Indian Accent accommodated our group even when we arrived so late because lunch at Indian Accent turned out to be the best meal we had in India.

Indian Accent is a modern Indian restaurant in New Delhi spearheaded by multi-awarded chef Manish Mehrotra. It has earned numerous citations and its latest achievement is being hailed by www.theworlds50best.com as the 2nd best restaurant in India and 29th overall in the whole of Asia. 

Here's the write up from the website:

Chicken tikka quesadillas with Swiss gruyère; tandoori bacon prawns with wasabi cream; masala miso Scottish salmon – Manish Mehrota pays little heed to culinary borders at his flagship New Delhi restaurant. Indian Accent is a luxurious, modern-looking space set within The Manor hotel that hosts a mix of international business people and moneyed locals who come to sample some of the most confident and creative cooking on the subcontinent.

Mehrota’s rock-solid classical Indian training at Mumbai’s prestigious Institute of Hotel Management – as well as his refusal to mix two styles of Indian regional cooking on the plate – ensures the fusion doesn’t turn into confusion. Dishes are intricate and multi-layered, but dinner at Indian Accent is a hearty and tactile affair: the dining room might be slick, but this isn’t a sterile, hushed temple of executive dining.

Diners are encouraged to get stuck in with hearty, meat-filled breads, while whole crabs are supplied with tweezers to extract the yielding, buttery meat. Overlooking a cool verandah and lush manicured lawn, the restaurant houses two gigantic silver diya trees of life to lend an Indian accent to the otherwise modern décor.

Bar

Dining Area

Indian Accent recommends the chef's tasting menu for first time diners. We had two sets and were presented with these beautiful plates of food: 

Potato Sphere Chaat, White Pea Ragda

Good opening dish to whet the palate. Crunchy fried potato ball that exploded with flavors.

Seared Prawns, Churan Ka Karlelra, Quinoa Puffs, Bitter Melon Crisp

The prawn could have been bigger but at least it was perfectly cooked. The quinoa puffs and bitter melon crisp added texture.

Duck Khurchan Cornetto, Duck Liver Butter, Chili Chutney

Delicate and rich, I appreciated the beautiful presentation and interesting but pleasant taste of the cone. 

Meetha Achar Chilean Spare Ribs, Sundried Mango, Toasted Kalonji Seeds

Indian Acent's signature dish didn't disappoint. Fall off the bone tender with flavors that were in perfect harmony with each other. I wish we had more!

Pomegranate & Churan Kulfi Sorbet

Sorbet to cleanse the palate before the main course. Reminded me of rose scented soap.

Rice Crusted John Dory Moilee, Market Greens, and Pinenut Portal

The fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce was divine! Bravo to the saucier for stealing the show.

Chicken Tikka Meatball, Chopped Tomato Makhani

For the tasting menu, one has to choose between the dory or meatballs. Opt for the fish course as this meatball was nothing special. Reminded me of home cooked meatballs soaked in marinara sauce.

Aside from the tasting menu, we also ordered a la carte. 

We ordered kulcha or leavened bread to start our meal. Indian Accent also provided blue cheese kulcha as amuse.

Caramelized Onion Kulcha, Blue Cheese

Applewood Smoked Bacon Kulcha

Roast Pumpkin & Cheddar Kulcha

Here are the other mains we had:

Soft Shell Crab, Flame Roast Coconut, Tomato Pickle Chutney

If there was a miss, this soft shell crab was it! Lacked the bold flavors other dishes at India Accent had.

Tandoori Bacon Prawns, Wasabi Malai Cream

Tasted as good and exquisite as it looked!

Keema Kaleji: Minced Chicken, Tandoori Foie Gras

Foie Gras Indian style! An interesting way to prepare everyone's favorite duck liver. It worked splendidly because the Indian spices enhanced the rich flavors of the foie.

Each tasting menu ends with dessert. We were able to try two:

Warm Doda Burfi Treacle , Desi Daru Reduction, Daulat Ki Chaat, Tart, Fresh Tandoori Figs

Loved the presentation! My favorite is the daulut ki chaat in the middle which is a famous fluffy dessert found on the streets of Old Delhi made from milk.  

Gujrati Suterfeni, Winter Chikki, Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream 

It's always a delight to indulge in pistachio ice cream and ours with gold leaf on top was no exception.

Indian Accent also served complimentary classic Indian sweets to end our meal.

Charpoy of School Memories:  Ram Ladoo, Fatafat, Aam Papad, and Rose Chikki.

Too exotic for my untrained tongue except for aam papad (lower left) which is made from mangoes. 

Indian Accent is one of the very few restaurants that lived up hype so make sure  to include Indian Accent in your itinerary when in Delhi. Prices are very reasonable too!.

Indian Accent is located at the Manor 77 Friends Colony (west), New Delhi, India. For reservations, call +91 11 4323 5151 or +91 9871117968 or email reservations@indianaccent.com. Click here for more information.