Interiors
When Sid and I made our way to Hauz Khas Village last week to try another new restaurant, our hopes weren?t very high. The last couple of places we?d been to together were terrible (one in Hauz Khas itself) and we were beginning to believe we were jinxed. The two of us walked into Elf Caf? Lounge rather cautiously. A beautifully designed place, it was instantly clear how much detailed thought had gone into the planning of the interiors. Brown and bronze with rough stones, wirework, small lights, and variety of seating options ? every element not only had character, but our perceived provenance of the individual motifs and designs only added to the overall personality of Elf Cafe. We actually did think a fair bit of the design came from Middle Earth.
But, we were there for the food. A quick glance at the menu revealed food from a variety of cuisines; not usually a good sign. There were also some typos (why oh why can?t restaurants hire someone to grammar and spell-check their menu?) unclear item descriptions and clear misrepresentations; a Chili Burger isn?t a burger with chili sauce.
Leek and Potato Soup
We decided to start with two soups. Since it was a cold, rainy day, this seemed the right thing to do. We asked for the Leek and potato soup (210) and the Moroccan Harira soup (250). The leek and potato was white like snow- very subtle, creamy and comforting and at the same time understated and restrained; although it could be perked up a bit, if wanted, with a twist of the pepper good ?ol pepper mill. The Harira on the other hand had clear and present flavour. I could taste lemon, coconut and cinnamon, and it also had some noodles and chickpeas in it that added great texture and made it a wonderfully rustic soup. The warm bread rolls and herbed butter that came the soup was perfect for dunking into it. The first course was a success, barring of course, what?s par for the continental course in Delhi ? frozen pats of butter. Sid thought of voicing his appreciation, but a stern glance from me nixed any such intention; just in case it jinxed what was coming next.
Roast Chicken Salad
Next we tried a Roast chicken Parmesan salad (300), the manager-recommended Falafel wrap (310) and Pescado Marinado (410). The chicken salad had both green and purple lettuce (love!), lots of olives (which added a lovely saltiness) and large pieces of herbed chicken. A drizzle of EVOO really brought the dish together, although the sun-dried tomatoes used appeared to be the dark, dry black variety (instead of the moist ones soaked in oils) and they were just too salty. The falafel platter consisted of pita-wrapped falafels with a crunchy coleslaw-type filling inside. These were quite good dipped in the hummus and tahini that came with the platter. There were also some French fries on the plate (I don?t know why, but I?m not complaining). Move over, tomato sauce ? French fries dipped in hummus is my new favourite thing! The Pescado Marinado was small pieces of sole marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and parsley. The fish was tender and came with a mayo-chilli sauce. The mayo was not made in-house but it was creamy and so good smeared over the fish? making the second course quite alright too. Sid and I looked at each other, deciding to wait a little longer before declaring this out aloud.
?Move over, tomato sauce ? French fries dipped in hummus is my new favourite thing!
Samak-e-Hara
For our mains we decided on the Lamb stew (550) and Samak e Hara (575). The stew was a homely, no-fuss plate of succulent lamb pieces with potatoes in a rich gravy, served with a bell-pepper dotted fried rice. Sid squeezed some lemon over the stew and it really sprung to life. The Samak e Hara was a spicy tomato fish, which came with parsley-pepper rice and a side of chunky grilled veggies. There were three Basa fillets on the plate (quite a generous portion) covered in a chunky tomato-onion sauce, with black and green olives, peppers and some pine nuts, which lent a lovely crunch.
Rather pleased with what we had eaten so far, we decided to put Elf Cafe Lounge to the dessert test. We ordered the most unusual item on the dessert menu ? Chocolate mousse filled cannelloni (265). What arrived at our table was two super-sized cannellonis filled with a luscious mousse, and chocolate chip and butterscotch bits. The plate was drizzled with chocolate sauce and decorated with white chocolate curls. The cannellonis were very crisp ? I would have liked them a little less hard. The mousse was smooth and quite sweet. I?d recommend the dessert to anyone who likes to end his or her meal with an unapologetic sweet hit.
Chocolate Canneloni
The jinx was finally broken. We can now say with certainty that Elf Caf? Lounge is a lovely place to relax in over a bowl of delicious soup, a posh molecular drink or a generous main course. The ambience is great, the servers are friendly, and there?s a little balcony from where you can look down at the pretentious Hauz Khas Village types bustling by through puffs of cigarette smoke.
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