Lingering After-taste

Circa 1139,named after the year the Qutub Minar was commissioned for construction,overlooks the monument,and serves as a perfect venue for a gastronomic adventure. Once you enter the courtyard,it’s hard to miss the air of tranquillity. The muted beige and earthen décor,the manicured lawns and the artificial waterfalls are an instant feel-good factor,as you make your way to the ground floor seating area,which can accommodate 20 guests and has an expansive bar,still awaiting its liquor license.

We move up to the first floor,which also houses the chef’s special table for six. To be booked 48-hours in advance,the table ensures that the chef personally supervises your meal and lays out a customised four course meal. Executive chef Achal Aggarwal has worked extensively with Japanese and Asian cooking,and previously worked with Japanese iron chef Morimoto in New York,before moving to Wasabi at the Taj and finally to Circa 1193. That apart,the 80- cover restaurant,spread over two floors,also serves a special Robata grill on the terrace and patio,where the meat is grilled in front of the guests.

We settled for a table by the window,overlooking the Qutub Minar,which the waiter assured us was the most popular corner in the restaurant. The menu consists of specialities from Korea,Vietnam,Thailand and Japan. For starters,we ordered the Truffle Scallops (Rs 545) and the Californian Oysters (595) that came in three bite-sized portions each. We also ordered a Poached Lobster salad (Rs 545),highly recommended by the server. The scallops were grilled well with sweet miso sauce,truffle oil and soya dressing,giving it a crunchy texture. The oysters,that are flown in every second day from Japan,were chewy with a very slight after-taste of lemon butter. The lobster was served without its shell and was garnished with garlic and soy,on a bed of rocket leaves,lettuce and shallots. Unfortunately,the garlic garnish overshadowed the flavour of the soft and well-poached lobster meat. The portion size too left us disappointed.

The entrées that followed however,made up for the disappointment. The Fiery Chicken Noodles (Rs 645) and the Saffron King Prawns (Rs 745) were in generous quantities and tasted just right. The chicken noodles were made of Inaniwa noodles,considered the best in Japan,but were not as spicy — the flavour of the xo soy rather overpowered the flavour of the chicken,making it taste closer to seafood than white meat. The prawns were sautéed with a moderately spiced tomato relish and were cooked to a buttery perfection. They were served with wild rice risotto and mushrooms,off-setting the tanginess of the relish with the creaminess of the risotto.

The lavish dessert menu had us rather undecided,so we finally settled for the Chef’s Platter (Rs 495),which included four of the chef’s personal favourites. The coconut sorbet and the chilled orange cheese cake were not much to write home about,but the hazelnut gooey slice and the green tea caramel chocolate were good going. The contrasting textures of the hard chocolate pound cake and the silky smooth hazelnut mousse added to the rich flavour. The green tea caramel cake won our hearts (and stomachs) hands down. Just that will be enough to draw us back to the restaurant yet again.

Circa 1193

Qutub Road,Mehrauli

Meal for two: Rs 3,500 (without drinks,exclusive of taxes)

Contact: 26644329-32