Backstreet Bites

The backyard of Select Citywalk at Saket is steadily turning into a glitzy spot for quick dining. Once a dim lane offering a tattered parking space between mounds of sand and rubble,it is now lit with neon signs announcing wraps,dosas and tandoori platters. Among the pioneers on this rather obscure street were Spice Market and Coffee Quotient — and they’ve now been joined by a string of new eateries. There is Chicago Pizza in one corner selling individual triangles of the Italian staple while the other end boasts Green House that can fix you falafel wraps at pocket-friendly rates. Among the sit-down diners are Indian-specialty Orange Hara,which has outlets in East Delhi and Gurgaon,and the new south Indian restaurant Kaustubh.

We went to Kaustubh for an early dinner of idlis and appams. The restaurant offers quite a few hits and misses. The meal began with a refreshing bowlful of Thair Idli

(Rs 75) that offered two perfect moons of steaming idlis dunked in thick sweetish yoghurt — a good start to a summer meal. The Thair Vadai (Rs 75) could be skipped,because it is just dahi vada with a curry leaf twist. Nei Roast Dosai (Rs 95) graduated to a meal in itself with its thick sheet fragrant with ghee. The curiously named Kaalan Thoran (Rs 80) would have you wondering if they are trying to pair two incongruous Malayali dishes,but the description reminded us that “kaalan” was a reference to mushrooms. But it was not batter-fried,as the menu claimed. It was just good old thoran that offered a plateful of button mushrooms sautéed with shreds of coconut and cumin seeds. Kai Stew (Rs 195) lived up to our expectation with a creamy coconut base. You could also ask for a Thali (Rs 275) that fetches an unlimited variety of several courses.

Contact: 44625611
Location: District Centre,Saket