SWAD: Desh Videsh Ka, Nehru Place, New Delhi

Restaurant Name: SWAD: Desh Videsh Ka
Phone: 011 30806384
Address: 43, Ground Floor, Chiranjivi Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi, India
Time: 12 Noon – 12 Midnight
Meals for two: Rs. 750
Cuisines: North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Continental, Momos
Facilities: –

SWAD: Desh Videsh Ka, Nehru Place, New Delhi: Decor

On the ground floor of a building that is situated on the periphery of Nehru Place and hence does not require to get deep into the bowels of the daunting office complex, Swad is a cheerful eatery done up in dark blue and yellow. Being new, it is spotlessly clean and offers cheerfully unpretentious food in comfortable surroundings. It is probably crammed to capacity at lunch time during the week: I visited on a Sunday afternoon and was amazed to see how crowded it was, but then, in our city, value for money is what draws the crowds. That, and tasty, unpretentious food. A word about the service: it is the best of any restaurant I have visited in recent times. Eager to please without bending over backwards, and every table gets equal attention. Ask for recommendations and you’ll get unselfconscious ones.

SWAD: Desh Videsh Ka, Nehru Place, New Delhi: Food

In hindsight, I should have tried some Southeast Asian dishes to complete my experience. All I ordered was desi fare. The chaat platter (Rs. 299) was a filling meal for one person, containing as it did four gol gappas, four Ram laddoos, a dahi bhalla and an aloo tikka. The dahi bhalla was the nearest approximation to what you’d get at a chaat walla’s stall and the Ram ladoos were a dismal failure, but taken as a whole, the platter had every texture and taste that you could want from chaat at a price that would hardly break the bank. I asked my excellent server, Mr Bisht, what he would recommend from the basmati khazana section; without hesitation he answered moong dal khichdi (Rs. 269) which I ordered. It was served in the most adorable red faux pressure cooker with pickle and curd. As far as taste went, it was homely with a delicious hint of pure ghee which imparted an immediate appeal. However, I was given a plate in which to eat it and the khichdi was too runny to be served without a bowl. Also, I would have thought that runny khichdi was suitable for the sick-room more than a restaurant.

SWAD: Desh Videsh Ka, Nehru Place, New Delhi: Plus & Minus

Amritsari chhole kulche was hardly up to the exalted standard of the holy city of Amritsar, though in Delhi, I suppose it would pass muster.