Bulk it Up

Warehouse Cafe,a new eatery in Connaught Place,serves comfort food in a plush industrial setting.

We venture out to Warehouse Cafe on a baking hot afternoon,the summer pounding down mercilessly on us and the cracked flagstones of Connaught Place with equal impetuosity. We are ushered into a lift that whisks us up a floor,its doors opening to what the management assures us is the longest bar table in Delhi. And given that it seemingly stretches for half a market block,were inclined to agree. The restaurant is cavernous,decorated in,what else,the industrial style,a la exposed brick walls,iron rafters,and a row of exhaust fans. Small detailing such as huge metal chains wrapped around pillars and burrs in the iron,exposing faux wiring underneath,add to the authenticity of the whole warehouse feel. Ironically,the furniture is plush leather seating and gleaming wooden tables,a subtle reminder of the bounty that capitalism delivers. Considering its a weekday,an especially sultry one,the place is surpisingly packed.

The menu is in the form of a desk calender,containing the restaurants much touted 365 dishes,a dish a day menu,with January containing soups,February salads,and so on. Like the Gregorian calendar format its presented in,the menu traverses the globe,encompassing European,Indian,American,Oriental and Middle Eastern cuisine. We spend an inordinate amount of time just going through the menu,before even deciding what to eat. This is something the friendly staff is clearly used to,hanging back and letting us take our own sweet time to decide.

Finally,we decide to start with the Lamb Doner Kebab and Butter Fried Squid. The kebab is served with pickled vegetables,hummus and a kind of tsaziki,the soft pita bread,stuffed with juicy lamb shreds and other doner dos. The squid is springy and fresh,nicely seared in butter and herbs. Both the starters,despite their innate goodness,are over salted. We suggest that the chefs dont adhere so zealously to the desh ka namak campaign,despite Tatas strong campaign.

Post our starters,we take a deep breath and plunge again in to the menu trying to figure out our mains. Though toying with ordering fish,given the calescent day outside,for some reason we find ourselves drawn to the Indian section,more specifically the fiery Laal Maas. Figuring well have something to add to our discussions with our shrink on our rampant masochism,we order it with further ado,along with some garlic naan. As it turns out,its just what the doctor ordered. The curry is a dangerous red shade,redolent with the flavours of red chillies,though its really the meat itself that steals the show. The protein and fat cuddle together like a particularly amorous newlywed couple,wrapped in layers of spice,leading to a fantastic texture and flavour,and were happy to polish off the entire serving,weather be damned.

After the heat of the meat,we decide to play it cool and go with a mango mousse and blueberry cheesecake. The chilled mousse is sweet and drenched in the delicious flavours of mango,reminding us that summers arent all bad. The cheesecake is more reserved,not as sour as many of its bretheren,but rather a well composed dessert,flavoured with the fruit rather than its sourness.

Meal for Two: Rs. 1500 (with taxes,excluding alcohol)

Address: D-20,Inner Circle,Connaught Place

Contact: 24316025

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Connaught Place