Cruise Along

We take our seat at the second level,and leaf through the menu that is peppered with Catalan,Greek and Spanish specialities. The menu itself makes for a great read,where apart from regular fare like pasta,pizza,steak and mezze,you have the traditional fideua (a traditional Spanish preparation of noodles,vegetables and meat),paella (again a Spanish dish with rice,vegetables and meat) and coca (an unleavened Spanish bread with vegetables and toppings). We asked for a Plato Non-Vegetariano (platter of grilled chicken and pepper skewers,crumb fried fish fingers,crostini of Chicken and Lemon,Hummus and Pita Bread (Rs 425) and a Chicken Meatballs,Chickpeas and Lemon Soup (Rs 165). The soup was lemony enough,and the meatballs were quite a mouthful. In the non vegetarian platter,the chicken was delicious,the fish a tad too chewy. The pita bread and hummus had just the right hints of tahini,olive oil,garlic and lemon juice.

Spanish music played host as we waited for the main course orders to be taken. The restaurant seems to already have its set of regulars,thanks to its central location. In fact,the restaurant also offers a buffet lunch for office goers as well as sandwiches,pastas and pizzas. For the main course we ordered the pan-seared rainbow trout with orange and mint emulsion (Rs 495),and braised shanks of lamb in red wine gremolata (Rs 475). While the tanginess of the orange did help bring out the freshness of the fish,the emulsion on the whole was too sweet. A higher proportion of the mint might have salvaged the dish,but in its present avatar,it failed to impress.

The lamb shanks on the other hand,were wholesome and came with a base of cooked polenta (ground yellow cornmeal). The gremolata (mince of fresh parsley,garlic and lemon peel) however,was negligible. For dessert,we ordered the spanish orange cream caramel (Rs 155),which with its crispy creamy top and moist orange centre was delicious,to say the least. This place is worth a visit with your office buddies,or when you want something apart from South Indian and Chinese fare while you are on the shopping circuit in Connaught Place.

Meal for two: Rs 1,800 plus taxes

Address: 78,Janpath,Connaught Place

Contact: 43620220,9310020740