What is your idea of the perfect lunch or dinner? If you want good food combined with relaxing music, delicious cocktails and a fine dining setting where you can unwind with friends and family, then visit the newly-launched restaurant, Loya, at Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi. The restaurant serves some of the best Indian dishes with a twist. Loya is an elegant fine dining space with a stunning bar in the centre. The menu of the restaurant was chosen after extensive research. The menu is a rediscovery of the cuisine of North India - from Kashmir to Himachal and to Punjab. it aims to move away from the standard Butter Chicken to bring a wider gamut of local flavours to the fore. From Palak Meeethdi, kathal baingan to gucchhi kala moti pulao, and a huge range of appetisers - everything was put up on the menu keeping in mind the demographic and food lovers' taste buds.
IHCL is known for excelling in global and regional cuisines and concepts. With Loya, the group is building a strong bond with its loyal patrons. They source their ingredients from different parts of the country to give their guests the exact same taste and experience as they would have if they were dining at local/regional places.
Our meal at Loya started with appetisers - Loya kachori chaat, Timbri jhinga, gosht chilli murgh and chapli paratha. Both chaat and prawns (jhinga) were quite scrumptious and the right way to begin a food expedition. Murgh pieces marinated in curd with spices just rejuvenated our taste buds. Chapli paratha was an interesting addition - if you love trying regional bread, we would say go ahead and try this.
For the main course, we chose some of the classics like dal jhakia (jhalia is wild mustard temper), Kangra khodiya gosht, palak meethdi (palak and dates), kathal baingan bharta, gucchhi kama moti pulao (black chana), Ori raita, Amritsari wadi kulcha (charred walnut shell ink) and gola paratha. All these dishes are perfect for those who love typical North Indian dishes. Out of all these main course dishes, kathal baingan bharta, gucchhi kama moti pulao and gola paratha stood out and were the stellar dishes.
If you visit Loya, there's no way you can skip their desserts. Their dessert menu included mouth-watering phirni, kulfis and classics like falooda and gulab jamun et al. we chose falooda and Loya khel. And it was worth a try as the creamy falooda was absolutely delightful. From the drinks menu, we suggest that you try the Indus G&T, Masala Whisky and Mulethi.
Where: Taj Palace, New Delhi