b! review Ignis @ Connaught Place | Delhi | Know your city

Our burrper MangoM braved Delhi traffic to Inner Circle to eat some highway off her platter at Ignis and came back fairly satiated, although she had expected much much more.

Situated in the heart of the national capital?Connaught Place?Ignis is one of the city?s posh eateries. As soon as we entered, Frank Sinatra greeted us by singing ?Don?t change your mind about me?. We promised him we won?t and took our seats. The decor of the place comes across a tad bit garish with drum like shapes trying to adorn, but actually ruining the ceiling. Then there was a strange eight-shaped structure which hangs mid-way on the wall that divides the seating area. The friend who had tagged along with me was curious to know what that symbol means. The waiter informed him that it is a symbol of fire, to ignite your hunger? hmm ?hunger for what?? we wanted to ask.

After slogging at our work places the whole day, the thought of wholesome dhaba food sounded heavenly and our tummies were growling out their cravings- thank God one can now experience this in an air conditioned fine dining setting now. However, being a vegetarian and reviewing food is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole and especially when the world is insensitive towards us vegetarians. However, I didn?t expect to face such discrimination in India. I was almost in tears to see that while my friend?being a non-vegetarian?had plenty of stuff to order from the starters section (well not really, just two items, but still!), there was nothing for me. So while my friend ordered Paramjeet ki Tandoori Machhi (a special dish from the popular Paramjeet da Dhaba in Karnal), I had to make do with Ludhiyana ka Kadak Paneer (a dish from the main course section).

For the first round of drinks I opted for a Long Island Iced Tea (I just love the bloody drink) and my friend ordered the Ignis special. The Long Island was nice, but not Hard-Rock-Cafe-nice. I wasn?t too happy, but not disappointed either. The Ignis Special however, was spectacular, to say the least. A concoction of watermelon, musk melon and vodka, it tasted absolutely fantastic. While we were quite impressed with the drinks, the starters were a bit of let down. Let?s just say that Paramjeet won?t be all too pleased with the Ignis rendition of his Tandoori Machhi. It lacked the much needed spicy flavour; the carom seed (ajwain) flavour overpowered the dish. Cooked in mustard oil and coated with gram flour, this should have been an absolute delight, but the blandness made it taste like ?boneless fish cooked in ajwain? (so says my friend). The Ludhiana ka Kadak Paneer was bit too soft and failed to justify its name, and it also could have done with a bit more spice.

After the disappointing starters, it was time to order the main course. While my friend ordered Colonel ji Da Meat, I ordered Bharan da Palak Paneer; Haveli ke Kulchey were ordered for the both of us. My friend informed me that Colonel Ji Da Meat tasted like Mutton Rara, but with a difference. So we checked with Mmanav (who has been a chef with the Taj Group for seven years) about the difference in taste. He tells me that it is exactly the same recipe as Rara, but what the good Colonel of the dhaba fame did was, he broke an egg over the gravy and a unique dish was born. In the words of my trusted ally who tasted everything on the table (unlike yours truly) this was the best dish served. The meat was cooked well, the spices were added in generous amount this time, and the gravy (all thanks to Colonel Uncle) was a treat to the taste buds. The palak paneer?if you are a North Indian?is something you have grown up eating. They still managed to mess it up. It was bland (again!). The Haveli ke Kulche, however, were a refreshing change for me. The bread stuffed with mashed potato, Indian herbs and lime was a gastronomical delight. Now this may sound like aloo parantha, but the kulcha was nothing like it; it was fatter, more dough-y, fluffy and had a sour tang to it.

By now, we were done with our first set of drinks, and were looking forward to the second round. This time we settled for something ?desi? to blend with the food. ?So we ordered the Whiskey Desi Narangi and Pehli Dhar Ki Mausami. Served in dhaba-esque glasses, these were the best things on the Highway on your platter menu. Extracted straight from the desi sharab ka theka these were drinks which you won?t normally get in posh/semi-posh/not-posh-at-all places, unless you are sitting in a desi sharab ki dukaan. The spoilt and not-so-spoilt Delhi-ites alike should try these, because let?s face it, most of us haven?t visited these thekas and chances are that we never will.

Finally, we ordered the Sher-e-Punjab Kheer, which was your regular chawal ki kheer, but garnished with peanuts instead of almonds. The peanuts gave the kheer a weird flavour, but it was the ?good weird?.

The verdict? The food wasn?t all that great, Indian food is popular for its spicy flavour, which was missing in most of the dishes; the drinks were the best things on the menu. As we got ready to leave, Bryan Adams asked us, ?Have you ever really loved a woman.? My answer to this would be: if you have, and if she is a vegetarian, don?t bring her here.

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Average meal for two (without alcohol): Rs 1000

Rating: ***

Must try: Whiskey Desi Narangi, Ignis Special (drink), Colonel ji da Meat, Sher-e-Punjab Kheer

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Source: http://know.burrp.com/food-dining/b-review-ignis-connaught-place/44542

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