Spoons – Food Art

 

Replacing one of Delhi’s few Mexican restaurants, Amigo, the newly launched Spoons turned out to be a better treat than expected! Executive Chef Sanjay Singh Yadav said, “In Delhi, purely Mexican restaurants don’t seem to work out. Hence we revamped Amigo into Spoons which serves Mexican, Italian, Lebanese and some more innovative dishes as well.” Indeed, Delhi has had a bad luck with Mexican restaurants. The chef counted the few pure Mexican restaurants the city has had, which were just about five to six, and most of which have shut down!

 

But coming back to Spoons, it was tucked away in a peaceful area in Greater Kailash II, instantly giving you the feeling that you are entering into a separate world altogether. Once inside, the ambience is extremely calming. Interestingly, an entire wall on the left side displays large artistically made spoons. It was only when the chef pointed out that we noticed that they were made of spoons themselves! The ceiling also has a touch of art on it. It is entirely painted to emulate famous paintings, the highlight being Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel painting. In no way it compares to the original, but Chef Yadav assures us that it is not the intention as well. The paintings have only been done only to give a European feel to the restaurant.

 

I took a window seat with my companion which proved to be a good choice. The warm sunlight and green vegetation made a good view to have while enjoying a lunch in winters. On calling for the menu, we were handed a tablet with an interactive menu.

 

As jovial as he is, the Chef explained with great patience and selected a menu for us based on our preferences. We started with the vegetarian Sopa-de-Tortilla soup. With a base of tomato and cilantro, the Mexican soup was tangy and extremely flavourful on the palate. And while we enjoyed the soup, we were treated to a quick performance of the making of Molacajete salad. Some ripe avocados, spices, diced tomatoes and onions were wheeled to our table. With quick and careful movements, the chef scooped out flesh from the avocados and mixed it with other ingredients. He asked us to check the spiciness, which we told him to raise a notch more, and then presented it to us with Nachos. It was, basically, the guacamole dip, but very refreshing! My companion, thoroughly impressed with the preparation, kept going back to it throughout the meal!

 

Determined to give us a ‘filling’ experience, we were also treated to Cigar Rolls – mushroom and corn stuffed in crispy phylo sheets. Crispy it definitely was, and served with salsa and sour cream dips. But those who don’t like mushroom should steer away from this dish. The rolls were a little bland in taste when compared to the other Mexican delicacies they had on the platter.

 

The ‘Tacos with a twist’, as Chef Yadav called them, were indeed delights in little packages. Instead of the usual fried tacos, little baked tart cups were presented to us with a spicy Mexican filling of jalapenos and topped with salsa and sour cream again. To be had in one go, we popped them in our mouths and enjoyed the mix and blend of different flavours inside. “Mexican cuisine makes use of 60 different kinds of chilies. Over here, however, we use only nine of them,” explained Chef Yadav. We certainly had experienced each level of spiciness in all these Mexican dishes!

 

Though already quite overflowing with food, Chef Yadav was determined not to let us go without serving all the courses to us. So entirely waving off any Italian or Mexican dish, we decided to go with the unique Couscous Royale and Kushari. Exquisitely presented, our first impression of Couscous Royale was that it is beautiful! With the Moroccan couscous rice placed on one side, a stream of colourful, char-grilled, Balsamic glazed vegetables are placed below it. The vegetables were a little sweet owing to the Balsamic dressing, but they made a good blend with the blooming, mild couscous rice in case the sweetness got too much. This dish should not be missed just for the experience of having something unique not available in Delhi anywhere else!

 

Kushari was the stark opposite being spicy, flavourful and fragrant. This Egypt-inspired dish was a mix of pasta, rice and lentils mixed with tomato sauce. You could almost feel like you were walking in the Egyptian bazaars where fragrant herbs and spices are sold. Crunchy, soft and piquant, this dish makes you alive! Be sure you haven’t stuffed yourself with appetizers though to fully appreciate this dish. 

 

With an exhaustive selection of most alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, it was their signature cocktails menu which was the most interesting. Try the Firebird with Tequila, crème de banana, lime juice and lemonade. Or try the Azul Shark with Vodka, peach chnapps, blue curacao and pine apple juice. Their cocktail menu, however, is dominated by Tequila drinks only. 

 

The dessert land

Done with the main course, we quite looked forward to the desserts. We were obviously highly impressed with what we had seen till now, and consequently, had quit high expectations as well. In came the Fig ice cream and Mango Berry Trifle. Again, in a play of contrast, each was uniquely different from the other. The chilled Fig ice cream, presented in a cocktail glass, was slightly crunchy and saccharine of course. A delicacy to be savoured languidly…Mango Berry Trifle, on the other hand, was creamy textured but a little sour. It was refreshing to the core and suitable for those who don’t like too much of sugariness even in their desserts.

 

Spoons, on the whole, turned out to be a delight, mostly because of its creative menu including conventional dishes which were presented with a twist. It is best at its core offering which makes everything else delightful. Adding the cherry on top, not only does Spoons offer lunch and dinner, but breakfast as well! 

 

Coordinates: 3 Local Shopping Centre, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi

Make reservations at +91-11-29216221

Timings: Breakfast: 7:00 am till 12 noon; the All Day Menu with the exception of Grills and Main Course available from 12 noon till 1:00am; and The Grill and the Main Course section of the all day menu available from 7pm till midnight.