The signage of Delhi restaurants used to be fairly uniform. Mughlai-Chinese-Continental, it said stolidly, as if daring you to find a food category that didn’t fit into these. And indeed, chicken, the capital’s favourite bird, was available in all three culinary avatars, represented by tomato-butter gravy, chilli-garlic sauce and a white béchamel ‘bake’, respectively. Variations were few and far between, and generally short-lived. Even restaurants like Ritu Dalmia’s Mezzaluna came, saw and died; it just wasn’t time yet. In the 1990s, that was just how the kukkad crumbled.


Now, it suddenly seems like it’s time. In the last decade, Delhi has discovered that, like its enormous personality, its enormous appetite accommodates much more than tandoori chicken. And as you’d expect of a city that absorbs thousands of migrants a year, there’s a full cacophony of cuisines here, all rich in histories and recipes. That catch-all signboard has been chased off by speciality Sichuan, Korean, Bengali, Turkish and Vietnamese establishments, and new menu descriptions are long footnotes celebrating pedigree and technique: Kinnaur apples, Tsukiji tuna, beetroot foam, anjeer smoke.


All this interest in origins means smaller restaurants are finally getting their due. The state bhavans are stepping up to claim what’s been theirs for decades, pieces of Delhi’s culinary legend: that Andhra Bhavan pan-roasted mutton fry (23382031; meal for two Rs 200) or those Sikkim House momos (26115171; Rs 250).  At Assam Bhavan’s Jakoi (24355555; meal for two Rs 400), a Guwahati-based chain has taken over the dining room, with superlative results; try the zesty maas tenga (sour fish). Other little eateries abound: Rosang’s (Manipuri, Mizo and Naga specialities; 9811898923, meal for two Rs 200) or Tamura (Japanese; 9873659961; meal for two Rs 1,400). But hip Gunpowder (26535700, meal for two Rs 1,000) in trendy Hauz Khas Village clearly leads the pack.


But first of firsts in Delhi is 1911 (23341234; meal for two Rs 3,000), named for the year in which the city became the capital of British India. Their lithographs, paintings, war medals and the insignia of dozens of princely states practically demand that you pay your respects to the city of New Delhi with a gin and tonic out on the veranda.


And that city’s generous, shiny new heart is best seen in Lajpat Nagar. This roundly Punjabi enclave of tiny houses, big markets and nose-to-tail parking has always welcomed refugees. It’s home now to a crew of tiny neighbourhood restaurants: Tibetan, Afghan, Turkish and even Iraqi. Try Afghan Restaurant & Direct Pizza (9810905799; meal for two Rs 200) or Kabul Restaurant (9711319057; meal for two Rs 250) for Afghani naan and meat-stuffed manto. A little more upscale (just barely) is Afghan Lounge (49502058; meal for two Rs 600). At Anatolia (65160121; meal for two Rs 500), views of the Bosphorus and Cappadoccia surround you as you eat hummus and aubergine kebab. Both name and décor are more prosaic at Iraqi Restaurant (9999943759; meal for two Rs 400), but the menu is not; we loved the rotund fried bulgur-wheat kuba stuffed with minced meat, spices and raisins.


Over in Shahjahanabad, opposite Jama Masjid where the air simmers with tandoor smoke, stands the mouth of Matia Mahal, fondly called Gali Kababian. Framed certifications attest to how good Karim’s (23264981; meal for two Rs 800) velvet mutton seekh kebabs and nargisi koftas are. There’s even some passable Kayastha-style badam pasanda. The paya and nihari at neighbours Al-Jawahar (23269241; meal for two Rs 800) are just as good. And Gali Kababian is full of other possibilities, the best of which are sutli kebabs so soft they’re tied to the skewers with thread.


Meat reigns in this lane, but walk into Paranthewali Gali (meal for two Rs 100) for a 200-year-old trio of vegetarian-only parantha shops. Squeeze in to any of them for desi ghee paranthas stuffed with karela and lemon (average), papad (intriguing) and peas (amazing) or the sweet khurchan.


Not that there’s any shortage of dessert around here. In the summer, there’s kulfi from Kuremal Mahavir Prasad (2323-2430; from Rs 25) and Lala Dulli Chand Naresh Gupta (23235926; from Rs 25), chief among which is the stunning fruit kulfi—hollowed-out apples, oranges, mangoes and kiwis stuffed with flavoured kulfi. Don’t skip the chaat from Lala Babu Chaat Bhandar (23282806) and Ashok Chaatwale (23827740)—golgappas, dahi bhalla, matra (chickpea) chaat, shakarkandi (sweet potato) chaat and paapri chaat. Finally, there’s daulat ki chaat, that Delhi confection which isn’t a chaat at all: a cold morning’s milk foam whipped to solidity, glinting with saffron, brown sugar, silver varq and khoya. At Ghantewala’s there is fresh piste ki lauz, a rich emerald jewel of a barfi (Rs 1,050 per kg) and old famous Jalebiwala’s super-sized jalebis (9811020546; Rs 30 per plate).


A mere Metro ride away is Moti Mahal (23273011; meal for two Rs 1,400), the birthplace of the city’s mascot, the butter chicken. And just a few streets down on Asaf Ali Road is Chor Bizarre (43663600; meal for two Rs 1,200), whose very palatable pan-Indian menu is overshadowed by the Kashmiri taramis that reveal a banquet of majestic wazwan selections: tabak maaz, succulent haaq, gushtaba, rogan josh.


At the other end of the spectrum stands a worthy trio of high-style desi restaurants. Marut Sikka’s Kainoosh (9560715544; meal for two Rs 3,500) whips up excellent tapas- and thali-style Indian food, while the Taj Mahal’s Varq (23026162; meal for two Rs 5,000) is even haute-r, with Bailey’s rabri and Varqui crab in layers of mustard seed-dotted filo. But my favourite is peaceful Indian Accent (26925151; meal for two Rs 3,500).


That said, the possibilities for prettied-up food are endless. Should you go to pan-Asian Mamagoto (45166060; meal for two Rs 2,000), for their gimmicky but charming décor, Chiang Mai ‘train station’ noodles and mirin-marinated eggplant; Diva (29215673; meal for two Rs 3,500) for Ritu Dalmia’s cheerful Italian food and wine; Smoke House Grill (41435530; meal for two Rs 3,000), where smoked cocktails (smoked melon and cinnamon) accompany smoked food (smoked duck in raspberry emulsion, baked pumpkin and miso ravioli), or ai (40654567; meal for two Rs 4,000) for brunch-time black cod and gari ginger martinis? Even cocktails come spiced-up and pricey. The Blue Bar’s mixes are expensive, but outstanding: try the (hideously-named) monkey gland, absinthe, orange and dry gin and the demure (but deadly) left field—Tanqueray, elderflower and balsamic vinegar (both Rs 450). Then there’s summery, kaffir lime-inflected Bangkok gin and tonic at Mamagoto; fruity white wine sangria at Indian Accent livened up by a green chilli; and addictive kala-namak vodka-nimbu lemonades and green tea Zen mojitos at new ape-on-the-block Red Monkey (9910808654; from Rs 325). Choosing is so hard.


Between Portuguese (Casa Portuguesa, 26671270; meal for two Rs 3,000) and Tibetan (Lhasa Sakhang, 99104 33580; meal for two Rs 250), there’s plenty to fatten yourself on in this city. And Delhi’s personality infuses everything, even the most removed of cuisines: there’s chicken tikka maki sushi, tandoori chicken pizza and chicken dosa. That Mughlai-Chinese-Continental state bird isn’t going anywhere just yet.


Well said


Tucked away in a leafy, residential part of Friends Colony, Indian Accent at the Manor Hotel (011-26925151) is one of the most convivial places in the city for a meal. The obliging staff show no trace of that patronising air when you admit to not knowing what a mille-feuille is. But that only partly explains the growing stream of loyalists. The big reason, of course, is the fabulously inventive food.


The menu offers dressed-up Indian food via the rest of the world, flitting between amla confit, galangal, truffle oil and parmesan papad. A tip: the tasting menus (which come with wine pairings) are a good way to avoid having to make that agonised choice between foie gras galawati kebab and wholemeal phuchkas with five kinds of ‘waters’: raw mango and mint, pomegranate and tamarind among them.


That notoriously excessive foie gras-stuffed galawati kebab deserves a moment to itself, though. It sounds like an uneasy mishmash of two already overwhelming meats, but it’s an expert three-part harmony: rich galawati, followed by sumptuous foie gras, tailed by a little blitz of green-chilli-strawberry chutney. Then again, the silky red snapper moily with a thin but filling pine-nut poriyal, and this summer’s addition of spare ribs in a meetha achaar glaze with toasted kalonji seeds deserve your attention too. And how could we ignore that aloo-zeera sabzi gussied up as addictive zeera anardana gnocchi?


It’s carefully thought-out food and you’ll probably spend some time pondering the menu, but there’s nothing complicated about eating here. The food is all reliably good and it has a sense of humour, visible in the now-vanished toffee chyawanprash cheesecake and the flaming Old Monk Valhrona rum ball, a little nudge-nudge-wink to Delhi’s favourite dark drink.


Indian Accent’s charms are self-evident: an elegant restaurant, a sunny lawn, determinedly friendly staff and novel, well-cooked food.

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