The Hindu : New Delhi News : Multicultural food court with the spirit of London

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 27, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Multicultural food court with the spirit of London

Lakshmi B. Ghosh

GOURMET JOINT: `Piccadelhi' in the heart of the city

NEW DELHI: A generous helping of London in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi, this is a ride that comes only for those with an appetite. A trip around the streets of London, this is one junction where telephone booths open the door to a culinary world where Marwari chaat co-exists with dim sum baskets and biryani is a counter away from sumptuous pasta.

In short, it is the closest to being in the multicultural Piccadilly Circus -- complete with the entire buzz that makes it one of London's most popular hotspots. A recent addition to Delhi's gourmet joints, bringing London's multicultural popular cuisines closer home now is the ``Piccadelhi'', a food court opened by the ARA Hospitality group in the PVR Plaza complex.

If the London-inspired décor provides respite from the usually loud fare at most of the city's restaurants, the cuisine offers a wide range, giving everything from Indian to Oriental and Italian to Continental. A popular London junction that forms the centre point of London's five busy streets, the Piccadilly Circus represents the multicultural spirit of the city.

And much like the original streets that it tries to recreate, Piccadelhi offers more than a slice of London. From Southall offering Indian -- the most popular cuisine in London as of today -- to Soho that offers Oriental and Little Venice that has Italian delicacies on offer, there is a Victoria corner that offers mouth-watering desserts.

Spread over 10,000 square feet, the restaurant has a cover of 250 and is all set to add a bar very soon. Adding to the ambience is the live music, another conscious attempt to keep the spirit of London alive.

The interesting trips that corporate chef Umesh Matoo has on offer in Southall here include chaat combos from the little tasted Marwari and Gujrati chaats to Delhi's popular street food and Mumbai's paav-bhaji. Only, the chaats here have been redesigned at times to make it a little more suitable for the health conscious. "We have made a few alternations, like adding sprouts to the Delhi chaat. Since most people are very health-conscious these days, we thought this would go down well with most,'' says Matoo.

With the Soho area being the stronghold of the Chinese and oriental community in London, this section offers delicacies like prawns red and green chilly; crispy lotus honey chilli, dim sum baskets, drumsticks and spring rolls and an array of seafood.

For those with a sweet tooth, there are some rather special treats ere. Right from fresh Italian gelatos and tiramisus to truffle pastries, fruit tarts, fruits and chocolate dips, there is much on offer.

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