24 June,2011 08:08 AM IST | | Daipayan Halder
Everything about The Qube in Leela is spectacular, from the mashals to the Mascapone
Dining at The Leela Palace is like watching a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie. The sho-sha takes your breath away. Which is why for this rather delayed review, I visited The Qube, the all-day dining restaurant, three more times after the first time I came back heavily impressed.
The Qube is all about opulence
In sharp black, white and orange in a glasshouse structure -- with mashals lit on the water perimeter around -- The Qube is the highlight of the mammoth structure in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi that is the The Leela Palace. Not that I expected anything less from this chain of hotels known for their grandeur.
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The USP of The Qube is 'modern dining' and the signature dishes such as the Wood-oven baked Black Cod, the Red Snapper with Spicy Mango Sauce and Maryland Crab Cakes came highly recommended, not just from the staff, which is thankfully well-informed, but from other friends who have not wasted any time in declaring The Leela their favourite hotel 'in this part of town'. There is also The High Life Pizza, which costs Rs 9,999, and comes topped with Canadian lobster, thyme-scented Mascapone and 28 gms of Iranian Beluga Caviar and Frozen Blue Gosse Vodka Chaser.
But I wanted to eat what the hordes -- and I do not use the word as a sweeping dramatisation but literally as twice I saw large, really large groups resembling the ones that are frequently found queuing outside Sarvana Bhavan trooping out twice -- have been eating and loving.
A pop survey revealed, unsurprisingly, that Mushroom Quesadillas are preferred over The Qube Salmon -- which the Bengali in me cannot forgo no matter what the popular opinion is and which lives up to my fancy fish eating expectations -- and Foie Gras Cake. And yet, I know why with mushrooms (my new pet peeve after capsicums) that taste like mushrooms, jack cheese which does not taste like Amul and avocado and guacamole, people love these despite the complete absence of meat.u00a0u00a0u00a0
In the spirit of vegetarianism, and good mushrooms, I ordered the Wild Mushroom Risotto, which proved to be just another case in point of how well-sourced ingredients make all the difference in fine dining. Even if it is for Indian food, which, unsurprisingly again, is rather popular here. Am limiting my recommendation to The Gosht Ki Nihari because of the promise I made to the wife about dedicating a significant amount of space to the desserts.
The Qube Signature, araguani chocolate and ginaduja, yuzu curd, espresso anglaise, sesame lace -- yes, I also promised listing all of these -- is the best dessert I have eaten since I landed in Delhi three years ago. Even if you do not have a sweet tooth and skip desserts, you must try this because only then will you learn that fine desserts are not just about sweet nothings.
There is a selection of Haagen Dazs ice-creams, which I was only too glad to find and gorged on. The wife, predictably, chose the homemade selection and ordered a second helping of the White Chocolate Macadamia. A feat which at 11.30 p.m. only the most delectable dessert can achieve.
