There were 10 Chicken Rice Flower Dumplings when we began our chat about L’adresse Kitchen and Bar, a newly launched dining space in Rajouri Garden, by Mohit Ahuja. In less than an hour, the bamboo steamer basket with dexterously designed interlocking trays that held the aromatic bites were all finished. Ahuja has found a favourite in them, and gets his share of these little white stuffed parcels every week. They’re the best at his restaurant, and our judgment is the same, but there’s more to talk about at L’adresse, a restaurant that takes notes from the sophisticated French dining finesse. “Tastefully done, our resto-cafe draws heavily from the French world of admirable dining sensibilities. From interiors to cutlery—all reflect a culture of fineness,” says the restaurateur.
Ahuja thought a lot about the cuisine he wanted to work with before the restaurant was put on to the floor. Keeping in mind the acceptance of multi-cuisine in West Delhi, he preferred to add different options to the choice of meals. While the effort is visible in the choice of French canapés, it’s surprising to see the dubious absence of classic French culinary arrangements that are synonymous with the cuisine. Classics like crêpes (savoury or sweet thin pancake), French onion soup, Pot-au-feu (French beef stew, also a much-celebrated dish), brie or camembert cheese, mille-feuilles (a popular French pastry) and macarons (another classic dessert), were missing from the otherwise replete menu that gives a lot of emphasis to non-French flavours. You’ll find a bit of everything—Mediterranean Greek Salad, Indian Soya Labadar Dry, American Buffalo Chicken Wings, Middle-eastern Shish Taouk, Mexican burritos, Oriental Thai Red Curry and much more. The one French element that’s been kept intact on the menu is wine.
Having completed his masters in International Business from Western International University in the US, Ahuja’s interest in the family’s automobile business was slipping away. While soul-searching around that time, the thought of investing into the food business came up. Within a few months, L’adresse was rolled out. “I hope I made the right decision. Anyway, for me, there’s no looking back from here,” he says.