White (H)eat

White Waters in Connaught Place draws its menu from a medley of cuisines,and successfully creates a cohesive meal.

Connaught Place seems to be slowly getting back a pulse after nearly a decade of no life thanks to renovations and constructions as more and more restaurants open doors here. Encouragingly,these food joints seem to be doing good business and the latest entrant,White Waters,is no exception.

We go to C-Block market one afternoon,doing our best to ignore both the arid roads and the rivers of perspiration making pretty patterns on our shirts. Stepping into the restaurant after battling the elements outside is akin to entering an oasis. The restaurant interiors comprise stark white stucco walls,dotted here and there with gray bricks and wooden parapet flooring. The restaurant is split into several levels as well as antechambers,which increase the grotto effect.

After much meandering around the globe while flipping the pages of the menu,we decide to start with a Peri Peri Prawn Salad,Stuffed Mushroom Caps and Cold Mezze Platter. The salad comes first,a garden of greens with scattered olives in which thinly sliced prawns languorously lie. It is drenched in peri peri sauce,which makes it nearly as incandescent as Delhis current climate. While we enjoy attempting to burn holes in our tongues,others may not be as masochistic,so wed recommend the chef to turn down the heat a bit. The mezze platter with Hummus,Tsaziki,Muhamarra and all the other accoutrements is more Indian than Middle-Eastern,perhaps as a nod to the steady flow of Indian immigration to tax havens . This aside,the tsaziki is made of curd more sour than the proverbial grapes.

For our mains,we go Greek and order Lamb Moussaka and thus begins a wait that seems endless. We kill time by musing that perhaps the lamb was being reared from infancy. When the dish finally wends its way to our table,we are pleased to find the wait has been worth it. The lamb mince is juicy and succulent with clarion notes of roasted tomato,and combines with the smoky eggplant in an intimate manner.

Pleasantly satiated post the lamb,we decide to have a light dessert. This translates into a trio of crème brulee and a banofie cheesecake. The crème brulee are pleasant light confections in coffee,strawberry and caramel. The cheesecake,on the other hand,is a let down. Pretty as a picture,its ornamentation doesnt match up to the flavour,which is entirely dominated by banana with nary a trace of toffee. However,few burrs aside,a trip down White Waters makes for a pleasant dining experience.

Meal for Two: Rs. 1500 (with taxes,without alcohol)

Address: C 39,First Floor,Connaught Place

Contact: 30146022 ext:746