Delhi-NCR may be landlocked by geography and its people may have been locked down due to providence aka Covid-19 of late, but the new year has brought with it a spate of vaccines and a decline in the number of cases. We overcame the odds and, in that spirit, Cafe Delhi Heights is holding the Fish Trap festival. Delhi’s distance from the sea be damned.
Given our country’s vast coastlines and its bounty of fish and seafood, the Fish Trap menu is correspondingly large and varied, with a selection of both Indian and international preparations of fish ranging from salmon, mackerel to betki (Asian Sea Bass) and chonak (Giant Sea Perch), and more. Given the glum weather, we decide to perk up our appetite with the Tom Yum Soup, which brightens us up from the moment we first glimpse its silken red chatoyance.
From start to finish the soup is a warm embrace of Thai flavours fortified by morsels of myriad fish. Up next is the cured Salmon Tartare, served with Wasabi Mayo, on a bed of couscous and side of grilled vegetables, all making for some mighty good eating. Having paid our respects to foreign fish, we next dip into the Rawa Fry Betki, which comprises a crisp covering that gives way to tender fillets, spiked up with a sprightly ginger chutney, with a welcome zing.
It wouldn’t be Indian without some classic tandoor and the Mahi Tikka, lovingly marinated yet swimmingly fresh, ticks off that box nicely. We stick to the par for the main course, settling with a Pan Grilled Whole Mackerel, and a South Indian signature: the Allepey Chonak Curry. The mackerel comes enmeshed with a thick chunky piquant sauce, the delicate fish falling off the bone and melting in the mouth forthwith.
But the piece de resistance is definitely the Allepey Curry, velveteen and filled with the flavours of the southern Malabar coast. The only way to finish such a meal is their Banoffee Pie, one of our favourite in the city, and that’s just what we did, dear reader. Verdict: It may be premature to travel down to the coasts yet, but you should definitely head to a CDH near you.
MEAL FOR TWO: Rs 1,500 (including taxes)
AT: Cafe Delhi Heights outlets
TILL: February 12