Legendary New York Times writer-editor RW Apple filed an article shortly before his death in October 2006 on the 10 restaurants abroad that he considered worth boarding a plane to visit. His pick of the Indian restaurants was Trishna Mumbai which, he said, he entered dubiously but liked so much that he went back 72 hours later. “It was not the décor, which is shabby, or the service, which can be surly, and certainly not the menu, which is very nearly useless. It’s the food, stupid, the seafood,” were his words.
Trishna Mumbai, of the plain-Jane looks but mouth-watering food, opened its doors in 1991. Trishna Delhi, which opened to the paying public in March 2012, boasts the same great seafood but, in keeping with a brand that’s looking to earn its stripes in a new city, offers a more enticing décor and much superior service. And an unmatchable location—in a haweli opposite the Qutub Minar. The impact of the restaurant is accentuated by the less-than-impressive entrance. You walk unexpectantly alongside a Ritu Kumar store and bang, you’re standing in a big courtyard of a restaurant with a frangipani tree, looking up at a gauze tented terrace and a glasshouse on the first level. Summer might be a killer—despite the misted fans that Delhi loves so much—but, for now, the rooftop is the place to be seated for dinner.
Don’t bother ordering anything to drink. The liquor licence isn’t in as yet; and you don’t want to fill your stomach with nimbu sodas. I would also recommend leaving vegetarians at home. Trishna is an expensive restaurant and paneer at any other price tastes the same. And this is a seafood restaurant, remember?
People come from across the world to eat butter pepper garlic (BPG) crab at Trishna—(Ask Jemima Goldsmith—on her famous trip to Mumbai in 1996 as Imran Khan’s bride, she dropped in twice to stuff her face)—and so do I. It’s grossly expensive at upward of `3,000 a crustacean but the taste that lingers in your mouth—and memory for days afterwards—is priceless.
Crab devoured, I turn to Chef Rajat Vashishth for recommendations. The chef doesn’t waste much time on conversation; he susses out his diners’ preferences, helps them order and then sits back to enjoy their enjoyment of his dishes. He does, however, explain that the authentic taste of the saltwater fish and prawn is due to the fact that they’re flown in from Mumbai each day; the crabs come from Sri Lanka.
On his advice, we try the fried Bombay duck (I love Swagath but have to admit that the Trishna version is better), a subtle pepper-encrusted Rawas Hyderabadi and giant, crunchy-munchy tandoori prawns. That done, I have to cease eating for lack of stuffing space. Even gluttony has its limits.
My dining companion manfully goes on to try the Chicken Trishna Spl (Rs 425) and Mutton Sukha (Rs 525). The mutton dishes are Vashishta’s additions to the Trishna menu, meat being an old Delhi favourite. And he’s done a commendable job, especially for someone born into a staunchly vegetarian family.
The most expensive items on the restaurant menu are the crab, lobster, pomfret and prawns: they cost between Rs 1,600 and Rs 4,000 per plate, available in BPG, chilly garlic/ hot black garlic, kalimiri / green masala and tandoori variants. The Indian salmon, aka Rawas, costs Rs 775. The squid is cheaper at Rs 425 a plate.
The desserts, if you must, include Malai Kulfi (Rs 145), Kesar Pista Kulfi (145), Gulab Jamun (Rs 175) and Rasgulla (Rs 175). Personally, I’d recommend saving a crab claw for the end. Address: Plot 4/1-14 Ward No 1, Opposite Qutub Minar, Mehrauli, Delhi. Phone: +91 85869 29001