By the time we cut our way through Delhi’s traffic and reached Saket, it was way past tea time. So we decided on dinner. The moment I entered the Smoke House Deli in DLF Place, its cheerful ambience began to work its magic on me. Done up like a colonial style tea parlour – colourful patch-work upholstery and furniture made of woven cane and wrought iron, made the interiors look cosy enough to drive the winter gloom away.

The deli is spread over a considerable area and has an outdoor seating arrangement with comfortable sofas. Though it is located inside the mall, the Smoke House Deli tries its best to drive your attention away from it but somehow the shopping mall feel creeps in.

We started with the grilled prawn sambal skewers as appetizers. They were perfectly spiced, slightly tangy, a little sweetish with a hint of smokiness and very juicy. A must try for sure. I ordered a watermelon martini to go with my food and it was sweet and fruity, just how I wanted it to be.

I wanted to try one of the salads. The manager recommended the smoked beetroot with tangerine and asparagus. It was lovely, the flavours were distinct and went well with each other. Next, I tried the assorted bruschetta. It came in three different flavours, tomato and feta cheese, chickpea and onion, and sundried tomato and artichoke. The tomato and feta cheese, and the chickpea and onion bruschetta, were great.

It was time to move to the main course. I directly ordered a sundried tomato, artichoke and spinach risotto. The risotto was perfectly cooked but it lacked flavours, a little too bland for my taste. So, I was looking forward to the dessert, which, happily, did not disappoint. I went for vanilla panna cotta with kiwi gastrique. It was amazing; the kiwi extract with the smooth yet not over-powering taste of vanilla was the perfect ending to my almost perfect meal.