It was somewhere in February 2020, when we made our first visit to Dadel to interview chef Kelvin Cheung. Kiko Ba, the modern Asian kitchen situated a floor above was still under construction. We were told that that the restaurant would also be operational soon after a few final touches. Little did we know then that a global pandemic would stall our visit to this fantastic place by a whole year. Kiko Ba, is a chic Asian place situated in Delhi's beloved Basant Lok Market. It opened doors to city's gourmands in the last week of February and is making all the right noises for its contemporary take on traditional Asian delicacies.
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Ambience:
Muted tones of beige, sliding glass doors and large plants lend this place an understated yet appealing charm. The philosophy behind the food was not very different either. Chef Vaibhav Bhargava told us that do not intend to overwhelm diners with spices. "There is so much to Asian food than just that. We want our star ingredients to shine. Elevate and enhance them in all manner possible, and not present something that comes across as confused", he added.
Food:
We started out with refreshing spinach gomai salad. Blanched spinach leaves in a nutty, sesame sauce with sour undertone is a definitely one of a kind.
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We quickly proceed to what was one of the key highlights of the menu for us- The Japanese Style Tuna Pizza. This unique pizza uses a crisp tortilla base and comes topped with best quality tuna, jalepenos, truffle mayo, micro cress and edible flowers. The unique pizza looks like dream, and tastes even better. Another super impressive dish in the menu is the butter garlic chilli prawns. King sized prawns, served in chilli oil, topped with burnt garlic, spring onions and tempura crisps, wins you over with its lovely texture and genuinely brilliant flavours. Not overtly spicy, perfectly tantalizing.
Among dimsums, we suggest you definitely try the truffle mushroom dumplings. Steamed dumplings stuffed with chopped mushrooms flavoured with buttery truffle oil and ponzu sauce- a must try. Chicken lovers can try the chicken and water chestnut dumpling which is also fairly well-done.
From their unique robata grill, we tried the grilled avocado. While all the presentation of all the dishes are top-notch, the grilled avocado is particularly remarkable. It is essentially one half of a grilled avocado, which also comes with the goodness of edamame hummus, truffle yuzu dressing and microgreens. Truly satiating!
The chicken satay with its subtle, and almost nutty flavour is another treat you can try from their Robatta grill.
Among mains we opted for the chicken wheat Udon noodles. The stir-fried noodles with spicy chicken mince is one of the delicious classics you can order, if you are not into experimenting a lot. If you are looking for something soothing and 'Thai-like', you should try the prawn curry with chilli oil, garlic and served with sweet mantao buns.
Where: Kiko-Ba, Basant Lok Market, New Delhi
Cost for two: INR 3000