Restaurant

The Spice Route

Name: The Spice Route
Address: Janpath Ln, Janpath, Connaught Place, New Delhi, Delhi 110001, India, New Delhi, India

The Spice Routeis in The Imperial hotel and serves top-quality Thai and South Asian food, in a restaurant decorated with antique, gaudily painted wooden pillars and panels. Even if the food were not excellent (crisp, spicy and fresh), it would be worth eating here for the setting alone. The tangy oriental salads and the piquant vegetable stews are particularly recommended.

City guide

Overview & visitor information

The Imperial, Janpath Tel: (011) 2334 1234. Website: www.theimperialindia.com Price:Main courses Rs 400-Rs 950 ($9.10-$22)

Muslim check

Halal dining checks

These checks help Muslim guests assess service details before booking or visiting.

Serves alcohol?Not verified
Serves pork?Not verified
Separate utensils for pork?Not verified
Washroom has bidet / Muslim shower?Not verified
Has prayer room?Not verified

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Bukhara Restaurant

Bukharais widely touted as the best place for Mughal and North-West Frontier specialities in Delhi. The food is delicious and everything its reputation suggests - one particularly recommended dish is the kastoori kebab, while the delicious dhal makes a splendid accompaniment to any meal. Diners sit on benches, at elegant low tables. The restaurant is crowded but the service remains attentive.

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Haveli

Besides the fact that Haveli's food is exceptional, it's almost worth a visit just to admire the sumptuous decor. One wall showcases fine floral frescoes and decorative reliefs, while the ceiling is adorned with carved wooden haveli eaves, gilt tiles, and Belgian chandeliers. In the evenings, musical and cultural performances are staged on a raised marble platform under a beautiful canopy. A great way to get a taste for North Indian cuisine is to order a Maharaja thali, a silver platter filled with tandoori prawns, masala chicken, spicy lamb, mixed vegetable curry, and heavenly black dal, a lentil specialty that's cooked for up to 20 hours over hot charcoal. Try the signature murgh dhanya, a mild chicken curry flavored with cilantro. (Note that the Taj Mahal Hotel also has a very good Chinese restaurant, House of Ming; it's not in the same class as Taipan in The Oberoi, but it's definitely easier on your wallet.)

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The Taipan

Singaporean chef Thian serves up amazing dim sum at this popular Chinese restaurant, arguably the best in town. Steamed and served in special bamboo baskets, Chinese dim sum are tiny dumplings filled with an assortment of tasty morsels; they draw a dedicated following, and it's quite possible to fill up on these starters without even moving on to the main courses. And, at lunchtime, when you can enjoy the fantastic view over Delhi Golf Course, an assorted platter of dim sum is ideal for a tasty midday meal that won't leave you feeling stuffed for the rest of the day. If you're up for a complete meal, don't miss the fantastic Peking duck or the chef's special, chicken tapering chili (sliced chicken and whole long tapering chilies, flavored with a light soya sauce). The chicken is not half as pungent as it sounds, unless you eat the whole chilies.

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Masala Art

Artistic rendering of classic Indian cuisine is all the rage in the country's upscale city restaurants, and Masala Art makes a very conscious attempt to dazzle. The chefs turn cooking into performance art, putting on engaging food demonstrations at mealtimes; spectators eat whatever delicacies are produced. Of the daily a la carte specials, look for achari jhinga (prawns flavored with raw mango), and galouti kebabs prepared with finely minced lamb and 126 different herbs. If you're up for sharing a small feast, order khushk raan, a whole leg of lamb pot-roasted in a secret, heavenly marinade. Order homemade puffy phulka bread, made from ground wheat, on the side, and be sure to have a glass of fresh sugar-cane juice or bhune jeere ki chaas, buttermilk seasoned with roasted cumin. End with cheena payesh, soft cottage cheese dumplings in reduced milk, topped with pistachios.

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Fa Yian

Judging by the exterior and the neighborhood, this might at first seem the type of place you don't want to be at night. But grit your teeth and venture inside -- the brainchild of Gregory Kuok, this is the most authentic Chinese restaurant in Delhi, and the well-established menu has been tried and tested by some of the city's fussiest diners for well over a decade. Steamed wheat dumplings, filled with prawns, chicken, or vegetables and served with a garlic soya dip, are what gave Fa Yian its excellent reputation. The dumplings are prepared, along with the homemade noodles, fresh each day. Try these as a starter, followed by honey chicken, pepper-salt jumbo prawns, or the Fa Yian hot pot, which is prepared at the table according to your taste. Fish, brought in from Mumbai and steamed with a delicate hint of ginger, is lovely. Covering two levels, the ambience is relaxed and simple; ask for a table upstairs. Service is friendly and casual.

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The Rampur Kitchen

Named for a former princely capital in Uttar Pradesh, this bright, yellow-walled restaurant is a fantastic place for meat-eaters, and ideal if you've been browsing the Khan Market. It's intimate and extremely clean, with modern artworks depicting scenes from Delhi life. The Muslim food here is rich -- the chefs don't exactly hold back on the ghee. Try seekh kebab Rampuri, tasty mutton kebabs that are generously spiced, mixed with boiled egg whites, and grilled over charcoal. Gosht nahari is a delicious mutton dish prepared in thick, spicy onion gravy and cooked overnight on a slow fire. Another delicacy is haleem, made from a thick mutton paste mixed with spices and pulses and garnished with chilies and ginger; order tasty kulcha bread as an accompaniment. Alcohol is not available.

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Punjabi by Nature

Family-friendly

You'll know from the many Sikh families that eat here that this is one of Delhi's best-regarded Punjabi restaurants, with two floors for diners and a pub upstairs, all a mere 10 minutes' drive west of Haus Khas Village (or 15 min. from Safdarjung's tomb, the Hyatt Regency, or the Santushi Shopping Complex). On the first floor is a display kitchen where you can watch tandoori items and desserts being made; ask for a table here, where it's more atmospheric. Try tandoori trout, flown in from the icy streams of Himachal Pradesh, or masala quail (bataear masaledar). Lobster is brought fresh from Mumbai and cooked to perfection in the tandoor oven. Vegetarians can look forward to tandoori broccoli, prepared in a mustard marinade; or sarson ka saag, fresh mustard greens served with homemade cornmeal bread. Try the house specialty, a "gol gappa" shot: a tiny puri (fried puffed bread) filled with vodka, which you pop into your mouth whole.

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Chor Bizarre

A fantasy of kitsch twisted into a unique and wonderful space that is more irreverent museum than diner, this is one restaurant that truly lives up to its name. Its name a pun on chor bazaar, which literally means "thieves' market," Chor Bizarre is packed with fascinating odds and ends, mismatched settings, out-of-place furnishings, and reassembled bits and pieces (matchboxes, coins, chessboards, antique combs, ivory sandals, jewelry, chandeliers, a jukebox... ), innovatively displayed to create one of India's most visually dynamic restaurants (a branch of which is now also open in London). One table was previously a Maharaja's bed, while a 1927 vintage Fiat has become the buffet-carrying "Chaat mobile." Start with deep-fried lotus roots, prepared Kashmiri-style, and move on to kakori kebab, lamb marinated in 36 different spices and grilled in a tandoor. Cardamom-flavored lamb meatballs (goshtaba) are another delicious Kashmiri specialty, slow-cooked over an open flame. Alternatively, if you're up for a feast, try the Kashmiri taramis (thali), filled with treats and served from a traditional royal platter. Ask about walking tours that combine lunch with sights in Old Delhi.

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Flavors

Genuine home-style Italian cooking is the hallmark of Delhi's favorite Italian restaurant. Italian owner-chef Tarsilo Nataloni began this as an ice-cream shop and soon expanded to an extensive menu. Unless it's a blistering summer day and you prefer the air-conditioned section, grab a seat at a pretty wrought-iron table on the veranda. Order a wonderfully refreshing pink ginger fizz to sip on while you decide on what to eat. You could snack on panini made with ciabatta and imported cheese and meats, or get a delicious Greek salad followed by one of the perfect wood-fired oven pizzas (try the unusual pizza peri-peri). Flavors serves consistently good food, so go ahead and order any of the risottos or the fresh homemade pastas -- you won't be disappointed. Pleasant young college students wait tables here (a rarity in India), and are eager to chat if you care for interaction; if not, this is a perfect spot for a relaxed evening after an exhausting day navigating Delhi's streets (about 10 min. drive south from India Gate; 10 min. drive east of Lodi Gardens). Advance booking is recommended on weekend evenings.

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Karim's

When it comes to Mughlai food, Karim's has no match. Established in 1913, Karim's is something of a Delhi institution. It serves Mughal food in rudimentary but clean surroundings off a courtyard that is close behind Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The food here is cooked according to age old recipes.The tandoori chicken here is highly recommended. The bird, surprisingly, arrives whole and spread-eagled but is mouth-wateringly good. Some of the other popular dishes include kadhai gosht, chicken Mughlai, chicken Noorjehani and mutton stew. Served with butter naan or other varieties of bread, it makes for an unforgettable meal. Don't forget to try out the special dessert, kheer, which is set in shallow earthenware bowls.

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What to do with Children in Tow

Activity

There is no dearth of attractions for children in Delhi. With parks aplenty, museums of varied nature and theater for kids where you're bound to find something of their choice, there's never a dull moment for your little ones. Be sure to check out these places for they're as compelling for adults as well!

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Fortress

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Tomb

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road

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Market

The bazaars that surround Chandni Chowk, in Old Delhi, offer a colourful, heaving and pungent slice of Delhi life, with shops and stalls displaying a spectacular array of goods, from fish and poultry to second-hand goods, gemstones and gold, garlands, turbans, tinsel and spare car parts. They are an unmissable part of any visit to the city. The covered Gadodial Market is the wholesale spice market with an incredible display of aniseed, turmeric, pomegranate, dried mangoes, ginger, saffron, reetha nuts, lotus seeds, pickles, sugars and chutneys. Chawris Bazaar is packed with shops specialising in copper and brass Buddhas, Vishnus and Krishnas.

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Tughluqabad

Fortress

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South Delhi

Town

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Taj Mahal Hotel

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Situated in the upscale neighborhood of Lutyen's Delhi, the Taj Mahal hotel is a classy mixture of Mughal architecture and high-tech facilities.

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The Imperial

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The Claridges

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The Oberoi New Delhi

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Jukaso Inn

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Bajaj Indian Home Stay

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Ahuja Residency

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The Ahuja Residency is located in Defence Colony, a quiet suburb popular for its market and restaurants. Its rooms are a bit small but have all the basic necessities like a bed, bright light, and clean facilities. Also, there is a houseboy who cleans and prepares breakfast.

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Blue Sapphire Hostel

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