It was at this spot where the restaurant stands today that legendary landscape artists from the 18th century Thomas and William Daniell captured the Jantar Mantar on canvas.
Commissioned by the Britishers to paint India the way they saw it, the uncle-nephew team embarked on a cultural and gastronomic expedition of the country beginning from Calcutta to up North and West, travelling along the Ganges as far as Kanpur, visiting the Mughal cities of Agra and Delhi, and stopping on their way back in Lucknow. And proceeding further on to Madras followed by Mysore and Bombay, and discovering along the way iconic landmarks, bizarre customs, and not to mention, the diverse and eclectic local cuisine. As they progressed in their journey, the Daniells fell into a habit of noting down recipes they found interesting in a diary, ones they could recommend to family back home, including the local favourites. Recreating the magic of the old world recipes that Thomas and William Daniell discovered during their travels within India forms the basis of Daniell's Tavern, the pan-Indian restaurant at The Imperial, New Delhi.
Little wonder then that it took almost a year to finalise the menu which included extensive travelling to the places visited by the Daniells, and reviving the original recipes from there. Originally a North Indian cuisine restaurant, it was only a year ago the concept behind Daniell's Tavern was revisited in an attempt to serve the best of India on a platter, not to mention, from the eyes of the gifted painter duo. Unlike many dining places that are either big on food or ambience, Daniell's Tavern manages to strike a perfect harmony between the two by also taking you on an art tour of the restaurant where a sutradhar (Hindi for narrator) shows you the original lithographs of the landscapes by Thomas and William Daniell and the history behind them, virtually tracing the route followed by the artists in a bid to expand the British Empire in 1786. Memorabilia dating back in time like an antique lemon squeezer, a heavy copper two-tier lunch box too are on display. The brand new look, however, also comprises a live kitchen that dishes our hot Indian breads and other items from the tandoor. As you walk around you'll see vintage wine bottles, sacks of exotic spices and condiments placed around casually to uplift the Indian mood of the restaurant.Ambience
The interiors are mostly dark wood with dim lamp lighting to instantly draw your attention to the cobalt blue wine glasses standing in contrast to the stark white table tops. Perhaps not of much significance, the blue wine glasses we thought added a sense of drama to the interiors lending them an Awadhi touch. At the center of the hall is a little podium for live musical performance by resident crooner Animesh Bhattacharya, who enlivens the atmosphere with his melodious renditions of contemporary light Indian music. As you get on with the food menu, you realise just how little you know about India's culinary traditions and its mind-boggling diversity. And when you have offerings from lesser-known regions to the more commercially accepted pockets, the result is a crazy amalgamation of flavours that best defines the country.
A very hospitable staff can help you decide the menu, but it's best to cast your inhibitions aside and pick a diverse mix from the prominent regions traversed by the Daniells. You could try out the Bengali household favourite 'Kosha Mangsho' called Angrezi Sahib's Choice, a portion of Railway Chicken Curry, discovered by them on one of their trips in the Southern Railway among other offerings. The fact that the restaurant has retained the original names of the dishes the way they were mentioned in Daniell's diary add novelty to your dining experience. So, while ordering your dishes you also get a sense of the local favourites of the ruling British government, and how some recipes were tweaked to suit the European palate. General Whitelock's Demand called 'Tandoori Pasliyan' is actually an Australian rack of lamb marinated and cooked in tandoor, where the tandoor brings in an Indian element to an otherwise popular Western cut of meat. And if you have a weakness for prawns, you must go for the Shamiana Prawns, a tandoori succulent jumbo prawn dish marinated with fresh lemon juice. Surprisingly for a predominantly Lucknowi restaurant, there are some glorious finds from across India in the vegetarian category. Turning the ubiquitous vegetarian staple paneer tikka on its head is the dish Clive's Order that first marinates the everyday paneer tikka with kasundi, a pungent Bengali mustard sauce, before cooking it in clay oven. But the star dish among vegetarian starters is Azeezun's Glory or Navrattan Khas, which is essentially a soft, melt-in-mouth patty made out of nine vegetables, nuts and spices. You are sure to ask for another helping of this delicacy owing to its delicate fragrance and subtle flavour. And then they say Indian food is spicy and greasy! Since at the time of reviewing the restaurant a Tamil Nadu food festival was on, we were fortunate to be able to sample some true gems from the Tamil and Chettinad kitchens. For instance, you may have had tomato rasam dozens of times, but the way it's served here leaving chunks of tomato pulp in the broth makes it unique. Nellai fish curry was another item on the promotion menu which was a perfectly cooked Sole fish in traditional South Indian style with tomatoes and curry leaf. With steamed rice, this dish is like a garden of flavours.
When at Daniell's you cannot leave without trying out the in-house favourite Dal Daniels, which is basically dal makhni but nothing like the creamy dhaba dal makhni we have every so often. The dal here is cooked with milk instead of cream and is let to simmer overnight to bring you that rich red colour and flavour. When ordering your main course, do ask for Merchant's Bounty, a South Indian preparation called Keerai Masial, made of fresh spinach leaves tossed with yellow lentils and curry leaf, and enjoyed with piping hot rice with a dollop of pure ghee.
DessertsDebunking the myth that Indian desserts are all about syrup was our simple dessert menu comprising a portion each of Her Highness Weakness (Gulab Jamun), Rawa Kesari with saffron and dry fruits, and Hasting's Choice (Matka Kulfi). You may think twice under normal circumstances to have all the three together, but from the way they were presented here in a clean, grease-free style, and not to mention, in moderate helpings, made us appreciate our traditional sweets better. The kulfi topped with pistachio flakes served on a glass jar filled with ice-cubes and rose petals was vintage, and so finely summed up the evening.
Daniell's Tavern is a delightful archive of India's culinary heritage, only you should be willing to step out of your comfort zone.
Rating: 9/10
Venue: Daniell's Tavern, The Imperial, Janpath road, New Delhi
Meal for two: INR 4000 exclusive of taxes and without alcohol
Timings: Open only for dinner; 6:30pm to 11:45pm
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