Another new chic restaurant has opened in Delhi, this time around it is not Japanese or Italian or even Mexican, it is well for the lack of a better word – "Indian". It is not easy to describe this cuisine but I will make an attempt – imagine Liz Hurley in a Saree – well now that you have, this is not the correct analogy, this would be the correct analogy for Chicken Tikka Masala served at Chutney Mary in London but imagine the exact mirror image of this, say Aishwarya Rai in a gown on the red carpet at Cannes – this would be the correct analogy. Bear in mind, this does not take into account Aishwarya Rai's acting skills, the point I am trying to make is simple, take something Indian and put a twist on it to make it more contemporary. That is what Varq does that to Indian Cuisine, it takes it to the international stage.
The decor keeping with the theme is contemporary, red glasses on white table covers on black floors, ceiling pasted with gold foil. Very very chic.
Now to the main act - First on the table was a fruit chaat in a degustation spoon, a small bite of fruit chaat to tingle the taste buds before the appetiser arrived. Each plate of appetiser comes in individual portions, each a piece of art, neatly arranged or rather decorated on a stark white plate (the canvas of choice of most good chefs today). Hemant Oberoi seems to have been inspired by Masaharu Morimoto with whom he co-founded the Wasabi restaurant. For the appetisers I ordered the crabs with shrimp – crab minced between filo sheets and topped with a spicy shrimp and Corn Gilaafi kebabs – both were exceptional, the crab more so, the Gilaafi is available at Masala Art too so nothing unique about it. Between the appetiser and the main course is the Sorbet – the tamarind sorbet – to cleanse the palate for another line-up of extravaganza. The sorbet itself is exceptional – tangy, cold and an excellent dessert in my books, but it will also do as a palate cleanser. The main course was Yellow Dal (ordinary nothing much to report on this), excellent raita (the kind which goes well with biryani – which I did not order but I am sure would be wonderful) and Lamb in a martaban – for the uninitiated a martaban (which your grandmother will confirm) is the white and mustard colour container to keep pickles. The lamb was cooked with red chilly pickle – an excellent fusion of flavours. Surprisingly what was missing on each dish was the clichéd varq – not that I am complaining but would have been nice to see some gold leaf on some food item, although I would not be amused to see the bill after that.
The entire experience was a Jambalaya of senses – spicy, sweet, tangy, cold and hot all at the same time, never before have I teased my senses in so many different ways in so short a time. On the whole an experience worth repeating when you are in the mood for Indian but not the solid desi ghee Indian – head to Varq.
Food: 8.5/10
Ambience: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10
Value for Money: 6/10
Repeatability: Yes
Cost: INR 2500 / head without hard drinks inclusive of tips.
