#NewRestaurantAlert: A Revelry Of Central Asian Flavours At Orza

Ansal Plaza is slowly emerging as a hub for new and exciting food and hangout places in South Delhi. The complex may just become a haunt for young people looking for casual dining options or for foodies looking to experience something unique and exciting. In December, a new restaurant called Orza joined Ansal Plaza's growing class of exciting food joints. A brainchild of restaurateur Pawan Kochhar, Orza serves up what they call the 'influenced Indian cuisine' which incorporates flavours from the central Asian belt - of Turkey till Awadh/Lucknawi touching Persia, Kandhar, Kabul, Kashmir and finishing at Awadh.

Orza has an easy and casual café-like style of décor, with the walls done up in a dull blue, interspersed with panels of wood brown. The menu of the restaurant indicates that Orza is a place that has something unique for both kinds of people - those looking for comfort food and a happy belly as well as those looking for a little excitement for their palates. The meal starts with a complimentary bread which looks like a miniature vegetable pizza served with three kinds of dips.Also Read: 5 Amazing Restaurants in Ansal Plaza You Must Try

The soups and salads menu is limited with three options in each category. The watermelon and feta cheese salad has fresh salad greens with ginger balsamic vinaigrette dressing, mint and roasted pine nuts and is just refreshingly perfect for the summers. Moving on to the starters, there is whole range of interesting options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

If you like Persian food, the zeytoon parvardeh with pomegranate seeds, chopped walnuts and green olives flavoured with mint leaves and served with crisp lavash, is a great pick. Among the non-vegetarian starters, the jejuh kebabs which consist of marinated chicken thighs grilled in the oven and served with a curd dip and a side of salad is the best option. Other lip-smacking options include the mutton chapli kebabs, the tabak maas, pomegranate chicken, murgh zaffran kebabs, etc.
 

Moving on to the mains, there is no dearth of exciting curries, breads and pulao to choose from and both vegetarians and non-vegetarians are bound to be spoilt for choice. Vegetarians may wager a chance at the apple curry which is made from grilled apple pieces, cooked in Kashmiri spices and served with tamiri roti, or go for the Khoresht Gharch, which consists of three types of mushrooms in a mild and creamy yogurt gravy, served with pulao.
 

For non-vegetarians, the absolute best choice is the Kandhari mutton, which is sure to keep you coming back to Orza. The dish comprises a juicy baby mutton shank in a rich tomato gravy, flavoured with garam masala and served with tamiri roti. The mutton is tender and flavourful and the rotis are light and soft, indicating the presence of curd in the dough.

Desserts

Orza also has show-stopping desserts, which include the middle-eastern sweet delight Bakhlava and the Persian-date dessert Ranginak. Both the desserts are toothsome in their own right, but if there were a competition, the Bakhlava would definitely win.
 

The Bakhlava is bigger in size, than what you would usually get and has an unusual filling made from candied strawberries and other nuts. The Ranginak was a crumbly sweet delight served with vanilla ice-cream and is great for someone wanting to try out something new. 

The Drinks Menu

The restaurant's alcohol menu is limited but all the classic cocktails including cosmopolitan, daiquiris, mojitos are available. The restaurant also serves some IMFL drinks and also has a small but dependable mocktail menu.
 

Final Word

The food  at Orza is above average and is definitely worth a try, especially for non-vegetarians. The dishes are reasonably priced and won't leave a huge dent on your pocket. However, the portions aren't exactly huge, given the single-serving concept of each dish, which means that one dish will be filling for just one person. Overall, Orza is a great addition to Delhi's food scene.