Food

Restaurant Review: Selva, Delhi

Mexican food in India gets a contemporary rethink at Selva in Delhi, moving beyond Tex-Mex clichés

Medha Dutta Yadav

Drawing on regional Mexican traditions alongside Nikkei-Peruvian influences shaped by migration, this restaurant is backed by a year of culinary research across South America and Asia.

Food: The menu brings together Mexican, Peruvian, and Japanese influences with varying degrees of success. The Tigre Tempura sushi was very good, while the Hamachi Ceviche lacked punch, with the lime dressing a tad too sour. The Avocado Cold Pizza tasted good, though its tortilla base softened with time. Chicken Karaage hit the spot, the Chipotle Chicken Robatayaki was succulent and perfectly cooked, and the Baby Pork Ribs, glazed in a sticky-sweet honey, soy, sake and mirin sauce, fell off the bone beautifully. The Basque cheesecake was, well, your usual Basque cheesecake. The cocktails are more adventurous, drawing on South American fruits, Amazonian botanicals, cacao, spices and Japanese techniques. Viper’s Venom is an elaborate concoction built from over 30 ingredients and multiple preparations, while Jaguar of Selva, a tonka-bean-led Manhattan riff, makes for an intriguing sip.

Decor: The restaurant and bar space is inadequately lit, while the music is played at a volume that makes conversation unnecessarily difficult, often requiring diners to raise their voices to be heard. Tables are packed too closely together, leaving little privacy.

Service: The service is warm and attentive overall, though the ushers could have been a little more welcoming and friendly.

Price: At Rs. 6,500 for two with drinks, it does justice to the price.

Address: Worldmark 4, Aerocity, New Delhi

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