If you are in Delhi and want to embark on an Indian culinary sojourn, you needn’t look farther than Cafe Lota. Housed on the premises of National Crafts Museum, this outdoor cafe has a no-fuss, welcoming ambience, which makes you feel comfortable the moment you step in. Run by four partners, Ashish Arora, Iona Sinha, Rajesh Ojha and Rahul Dua (chef-partner), this eatery focusses on regional and seasonal Indian food that is served on a rotatory basis.
If you are feeling hot and want to order a chilled aerated beverage be warned that you are in for some disappointment; they do not serve packaged drinks as a policy. They’d give you a seasonal option: nimbu pani, chaas, mango panna et al. There is a thought process behind the menu as chef-partner Dua explains, “Indian restaurants are moving beyond serving only Indian food and we wanted to change that. Our aim is to showcase the regional cuisines of India in a better light and our menu tells it all. We are not representing one state but are celebrating the diversity of Indian regional cuisine through our menu.” The menu represents the hills through Kumaoni Raita, Maharashtra through Kanda Batata Poha at breakfast, mini rava idlis from the South, Bihar through Sattu Parantha and Baingan Bharta, Amritsar through the Amritsari Amaranth Machli and the list goes on.
They use five kinds of oils in the food: coconut, mustard, olive, vegetable and sesame. “A Bengali dish, for example, would be incomplete without mustard oil. Instead of looking to the West to search for inspiration, we searched for inspiration within. Even our tea and coffee menu is an ode to India. The coffee that we serve is from different estates in the South and we keep changing what we serve. The teas are sourced from a third generation grower. We also believe in making the ingredient the star of the plate. We do not believe in masking the ingredients with too many spices as that takes away the real flavour of the dish,” says Dua.
The chef is a self-taught man. He believes in learning the basics of a particular cuisine and then plays around it to give it his personal touch. He isn’t shy of learning from anyone and he showcases that in the Cafe Lota kitchen as well. “The chairperson of the museum is Bengali and has taught us the basics of Bengali cuisine. Once we knew that, we did our own experiments and came up with dishes of known flavours. A Konkan cook who was between jobs and was known to our staff taught us how to make great Konkan fare and helped us in perfecting our appams. There are no secret recipes. Once a table of customers asked us for the sabudana popcorn recipe and we penned it down for them. Since then, there have been a couple of requests for the recipe which we shared happily. Some guests even tell us how the same dish is made at their hometown. So we get to learn something new as well, and if we like it, we incorporate it in the menu,” explains Dua.
Cafe Lota has a different take on the presentation style and overall treatment to the dishes served. They’ve renamed Sabudana Vadas (sago) as Sabudana Popcorns (due to the small round shape) and serve them up in a conical sheet popcorn-style with Marathi green chilli Thecha on the side. The philosophy behind that is simple too. “We follow the basics and understand the rules but we are not scared to move away from them. We had more fun with sabudana and it provided a novel experience to diners. It is a much-loved dish on our menu. When there are kids on the table we get repeat orders. It is easier for us to make four vadas than the 15 balls but we love working hard.”
Much thought has gone into the pricing too. “We have small plates and large plates. The prices of all the small plates are deliberately kept same. We have balanced the portion size with the cost of ingredients. It gives them a greater freedom of choice. The menu is also clutter-free and it becomes easier to order,” feels Dua. A rather refreshing take.