{ Ma vie de voyage }: { Top ten restaurant: THE SPICE ROUTE }

Friday, December 16, 2011

{ Top ten restaurant: THE SPICE ROUTE }

My new favorite restaurant:

It's a quaint little restaurant located just inside the Imperial Hotel - we went to eat at the Imperial once at 1919 - remember this? The Imperial Hotel really is one of our favorite places in Delhi.

According to Condé Nast Traveler, it is one of the top ten restaurants in the world.

But really, it is that good.

It's AMAZING.

We went there almost a month ago for me to celebrate my boyfriend's 6 month mark on his LDS mission (seemed perfectly appropriate to go fine dining for my chef :)) and then again just a week ago when my friend, Derrius, arrived here for 9 days! It's a great way to kick off a pleasant adventure in India.

I will always order the Tom Kha Pak Soup...it's a warm coconut curry soup with vegetables...I only get it with 1 chile so it's not too spicy. It's delish. And I get the Malabar Paratha brown-layered bread. Simple, yummy dishes and totally affordable!

This is the description as written online...but it's all true. And I testify.

The Spice Route reflects the journey of

spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia to Thailand

and Vietnam. The restaurant is an overwhelming visual depiction of the art and culture that travelled with

the spices through these regions, presented in a folk, religious and cultural fantasy of the Orient. The
Restaurant, that was seven years in the making, is completely hand painted with vegetable and flower dyes
by mural painters brought in especially from a temple in Guruvayur in Kerala with a tradition dating back to
3000 years.

Designed on the principles of Feng Shui, The Spice Route is a treasure trove of antiques and is divided into

nine different sections, each depicting part of the journey of life. Besides the stunning décor, The Spice

Route boasts a menu that ensnares the taste buds of a seasoned food connoisseur. Orchestrated with
passion by Chef Veena Arora, the menu crafted almost artistically is starred by gems such as Chemeen
Thoren (Kerala style prawns, stir-fried with coconut, curry leaves and black tamarind; flavored with
mustard seeds), Tom Yum Kung (the famous Thai soup with prawns, flavoured with lemon grass, lemon
leaves and galangal), Kung Nang Phad Khing (Stir-fried lobster with ginger and Thai black mushrooms,
served in the shell), Kaeng Kheow Waan Kai (Chicken in Thai green curry with pea and cherry aubergines)
and Phad Phak (Chef’s special stir-fried baby pok-choy with black mushrooms, flavoured with soya bean
paste).

The Spice Route Courtyard transports the guests to the wonderful world of Southeast Asia. Adorned with

traditional Thai sculptures from the Chiang Mai region in northern Thailand, the Courtyard is a visual

spectacle. A picture perfect water body with floating candles and thoughtfully strewn petals forms the
center of the Courtyard. The far end of the pavilion has traditional Khantok seating for six under an Oriental
pagoda.