ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Q’BA, Connaught Place, New Delhi: About
In this day and age when the longevity of a restaurant keeps becoming shorter and shorter, it is like a trip down memory lane to step into Q’BA, exactly above Jainsons in the E Block. Once you have located the slightly obscure entrance on the radial road, taken the lift to the first floor and looked around at the sea of tables, mostly all full of merry-makers, you have already stepped back in time – 2004 to be precise – when Connaught Place was the centre of the city and one either went out to dine on north Indian food or multi-cuisine (Indian, Chinese, Continental). That is precisely what you will find here: great taste, gone retro. Supremely unpretentious, huge fun and impossible to visit without bumping into an acquaintance or three. Unlike all Connaught Place restaurants of a certain vintage, (Q’BA is the youngest old eatery in the area) tea time here is just an extension of lunch.
Food
Do take a look at the page on the menu marked Old Favourites. Most of the gems are here, from the most succulent roast chicken with parsley potatoes (₹795) to grilled sea prawns with zucchini risotto (₹1,195) are served in staggering portions. My fish Orly (₹655) was a recreation of an old Calcutta standby, straight out of the British Raj. The batter was as lightas a feather, free from oil and slightly crisp, exactly as it is supposed to be. Even the colour – pale cream – was just the real thing. Remarkable that my palak patta ki chaat (₹355) was large enough for 2 or 3 persons and was a more hearty version of the flimsy pakodas you would be served on the street, though the masala was spot on. It is the single highest-selling vegetarian preparation on the menu. Our lone north Indian preparation was mutton korma (₹875) prepared in the north Indian style rather than thespeciality Lucknow manner. Best of all, there is a tea and coffee menu that lists five distinct types of cold coffee and seven iced teas. The Vietnamese iced latte and the classic cold coffee (both ₹245 each) are unmissable.
