We pin a scallop on the fork and dip it into a pool of what looks like a French hollandaise sauce. It's made of rice, and spiced with a coarse podi powder that performs south Indian finish. Most of the dishes at Rooh, which has found itself a home in the capital, result in raised brows and nostalgic memories in a fun format of plating that is rare to Indian food. Kreme donuts hold a vinegar-laden pork vindaloo and aloo paratha is elevated with fermentation and a side serving of tomato pickle and goat's milk yogurt.

After three years of serving what he terms as international Indian cuisine in the US, maverick Sujan Sarkar - known to have transformed the face of Olive menus and partnering on Ek Bar during his three-year-old stint in 2013 - has brought San Francisco's Rooh to a purani haveli in Mehrauli with a stunning, uninterrupted view of the Qutub Minar.