ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: +911149058941, +911149058146
Address: 4, Khan Market, New Delhi India
Time: 12:30 PM – 12:30 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 2,500
Cuisines: European, American
Facilities: Full Bar Available, Free Wifi, Smoking Area, Gluten Free Options, Serves Cocktails, Table booking recommended, Desserts and Bakes
Sly Granny, Khan Market, New Delhi: Decor
Made in the standard Khan Market mould: a first and second floor restaurant, this one appears more plush and well-appointed than the other eateries in the neighborhood with their shabby chic look. This granny’s older country cousin, Mamagoto is nearly ten years old and was designed with fewer bells and whistles. Most of the food has either an American or European provenance, sometimes with tweaks for a Sly Granny style. On each of my visits, I have noticed the variety of diners. They range from the hip and trendy to lawyers from the High Court and from a daughter treating her diffident parents to an evening out to a romancing couple. It is remarkable that a restaurant serving non-Indian food makes such a spectrum of diners of all ages and profiles feel so comfortable. Also, unless you are very lucky or arrive early, there’s a wait for a table.
Sly Granny, Khan Market, New Delhi: Food
One reason why Sly Granny is always bustling is that the menu is studded with gems that you’ll find nowhere else. It is a panoply of gems that will challenge your taste-buds as well as standard offerings with the Granny twist. Grilled peaches and brie (Rs. 349) are served on crusty slices of French bread and dusted with black pepper. I always feel that the peaches are too sweet to be served with Brie and would benefit from a sharp cheddar, but it is an unusual pairing anyway you look at it. Barcelona shrimp (Rs. 449) on the other, is hard to beat. The size of the shrimps are small and it is easy enough to cook them optimally so that they are perfectly crunchy, soused as they are with good olive oil and a smidgeon of fresh red chilli. My favorite is the chicken liver pate with tomato chutney and melba toast (Rs. 299). Black pepper salmon (Rs. 999) is the main course that appeals to me the most. The steak of salmon is satisfyingly thick, it is cooked perfectly, so that each bite is succulent and the near astringent pepper contrasts with the salmon.
Plus & Minus:
I’m not the only person who has difficulty reading the menu in the available light! But for great food at down to earth prices, this granny is hard to beat.
Review [2]
The most hapless bunch of people in the country today must be restaurant owners. Barely do they hire the best interior designers in town and open their eatery with a flourish, then COVID-19 raises its ugly head, and makes them shut shop indefinitely, thus throwing very junior level employees and their families into panic. Sly Granny, a small eatery, has a staff strength of 22, of which four are executive / managerial level and the rest are junior-level and/or helpers. When you consider an industry figure of 16,000 restaurants in NCR, the total number of junior employees defies imagination.
Food:
Now that we are being allowed to order in from restaurants, but not to visit them, a remarkable transformation has taken place. Whereas formerly, the most ordered dishes were those whose presentations were the most eye-catching, now it is all those whose bursts of flavor can be relied on to provide a punch to the palate are doing well. Barley salad (₹ 289) that has the tang of orange juice reduction and the crunch of peanuts (that do not become soggy on their journey to you) with the creaminess of yogurt does very well, outshining my personal favourite, citrus chicken salad (₹ 425) which is just the right mix of being tangy, substantial and containing enough greens to look healthy! Tamarind chicken (₹ 389) with peanut butter and green chilli sauce (₹ 389) is a genius dish where the creaminess of the peanut butter, the sharp sourness of the tamarind and the hot bite of the green chilli blend in a glorious composition. Sly Granny does have a preponderance of chicken preparations: crispy chicken and fries (₹ 389) is for indulgent days, though there’s never a drop of excess oil when I’ve ordered it in the restaurant. No lockdown or pandemic can knock Barcelona shrimps (₹ 619) off its perch. With just enough chilli to make it interesting but not overtly spicy, just enough garlic to give it a kick and enough good olive oil to soak up the bread that is served along with this dish, it is perfection itself.
Plus & Minus:
The menu is full of gems that you can keep on ordering yet never get tired of. Menu engineering here has resulted in a preponderance of chicken preparations, a few interesting vegetarian selections, a tiny section of pork and just two fish dishes!
