Phone: +91 7290071277 / 00 1149031361
Address: Andaz Delhi, Gate 5, Asset 1, Aerocity, New Delhi India
Time: 11 am – 11 pm
Meals for two: Rs. 700
Cuisines: Cafe, Pizza
Facilities: Home Delivery, Indoor Seating
Soul Pantry: Andaz Delhi, Aerocity, New Delhi – Decor
Easily accessible from Gate No 5 of the hotel, this charming eatery does indeed look like a younger sibling of Annamaya, with tableware and cookware displayed on shelves and a fraction of the desserts too. The accent is on healthy food, served efficiently. The beauty of Soul Pantry is that you can use it as a workspace, a snack bar, a cafe, a regular restaurant or even a takeaway joint. To think that an arm of the mighty Hyatt empire has conceived this is unimaginable, for it takes a break from everything ‘five star’. However, Soul Pantry is the face of the future and more and more grand old hotels are going to go this route, mark my words. The menu here is small. It does not include main courses, for that would cannibalize its larger sibling on the other side of the hotel. And it cannot be passed off as a health food cafe because it uses ingredients like bacon and chorizo, so it fits into more than one compartment.
Soul Pantry: Andaz Delhi, Aerocity, New Delhi – Food
Choose your flatbread base from amaranth, whole wheat, finger millet, barley or buckwheat and pick your topping. I chose five cheese (₹ 550) and coconut prawn (₹ 600) because it is possible to have a half and half flatbread. The bread – I chose amaranth – was light and flaky, perhaps because it is mixed with regular flour, except in the case of buckwheat which is 100%. I was delighted with the prawn topping: the trademark flavor of a Mangalorean prawn curry with a hint of sweetness because of the coconut. The best part of my meal was the oven-roasted chicken (₹ 540). Crisp on the outside, succulent within, it was a masterpiece of perfection with some pickled vegetables and a spicy dip served alongside. The wellness bowls are a nifty idea. I chose the only one to feature desi ingredients: artisan rice bowl (₹ 400) with puffed rice, jhal muri, onions, tomatoes, lime. While the others consisted of fresh vegetables and feta or mozzarella, this one is quite reminiscent of the Kolkata street snack, and just as addictive.
Plus & Minus:
Every single ingredient has been chosen for being environmentally friendly. Even the paper of the menu card will grow into a plant, if thrown away on soil!