Address: 1st Floor, TDI Paragon Mall
Rajouri Garden
New Delhi
(0.5 km from Rajouri Garden Metro Station)
Timings: 12 noon to 12 midnight
Cuisine: Indian, Continental, Italian, European
Seating: Bar seating and fine dining
Cost: Rs 1200 (approx) for two, without drinks
Payment Methods: Cash and Credit/Debit Cards
Wi Fi internet available
English Tadka is a month old restaurant opened in Rajouri Garden and after a lot of skepticism we decided to give it a try. Rajouri Garden has a host of restaurants, but a serious lack of good ones. Most restaurants in the area are flashy, over priced, pretentious and serve very mediocre food. English Tadka may set to change that. English Tadka serves Indian and “Continental” (a word which had been bastardized in the Indian context) food and that was one of the reasons I was unsure of eating there because “Continental” food in Rajouri Garden eventually ends up with being more Punjabi and less Continental.
The ambience of the restaurant is rather pleasant and soothing and thankfully there was no loud music. The place has been interestingly done up with framed, black and white pictures of recent Bollywood films and even some Hollywoood ones on the walls. The staff is polite and is willing to help with and suggest dishes on their menu. The restaurant has a bar top where one can enjoy a relaxed drink in the evening.
We have been to English Tadka twice and the first time we visited we decided to try a little bit of the Indian and European menu both. The moment you are seated you are served complimentary Bruschetta, which is a medley of finely chopped tomatoes and onions served on a small piece of crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil. For starters, we ordered their Nalli Shorba, which is a thin soup made with lamb shanks, served with a baby garlic naan. The soup is just hot enough, ensuring you can sip it without scalding your mouth and the naan is just the right size, ensuring it doesn’t fill you up before the main course. Their Bouillabaisse soup, which is essentially a seafood stew soup, has an interesting and well rounded flavour, which is refreshing because most seafood soups end up with a very intense flavour which completely ruins the experience. For both soups I’ll give them an 8 on 10.
Since we’d had a good experience with their European soup, we decided to try their European menu over the Indian one. Being a lover of seafood, for the main course I decided to have their Parmesan and Parsley Crusted Fish, which was a fish fillet seasoned with a light Italian dressing. The fish was well done, not overcooked, which is essential to maintain the flaky texture of fish and was perfectly crusty on the top and soft from the inside. The fish was served on a bed of mashed potatoes which were well seasoned and with a side of grilled veggies, including peppers and zucchini. High on flavour and presentation, tender and juicy, I’ll give them an 8 on 10 for this dish.
Next we tried the Mustard Stuffed Chicken, which were grilled breasts of chicken stuffed with cheese and mustard and served with white sauce on top. The chicken was great on texture, but low on seasoning and a little more flavour would have added a greater punch to the dish. For this I’ll give them a 6 on 10.
I was keen to try their Blackened Prawns, which they serve on a bed of mashed potatoes and char grilled veggies, but it was not available, which was disappointing and they lost me for a bit there. Instead, I then ordered their Roast Lamb, drizzled with Rosemary gravy and served with grilled veggies like peppers, zucchini and jacket baby potatoes. One bite of the lamb and I was left wondering if it was indeed lamb or just mutton, because even though the meat was tender, it was not as soft as lamb should be. The flavour of the dish was average and given my doubt on the meat used, I’ll give them a 5 on 10 for this.
We also tried their fish and chips, which were served with peas and balsamic vinegar on the side, which was refreshing because this is the traditional British way of eating fish and chips. The pieces of fish were coated with a very thick batter and they almost looked like fish pakoras, but one bite was enough to impress us with the flavour. Instead of chips they served the fish with wedges, which was a bit disappointing, since wedges are thick and soft and we missed the crunch of traditional chips. All in all I’d give them a 6 on 10 for this.
Since we were too full by the end of our meal we decided to skip desert, though I did spot some interesting options like Crème Brulee and Chocolate Fudge Cake. At the end of your meal, you are served with a minty-milky concoction in a tiny shot glass, which you’re supposed to gulp down in one go, just like a shot and which serves an a mouth fresher. Quite interesting!
English Tadka also has a Kid’s Menu which is quite interesting and has options like chicken nuggets and fish fingers for the little ones, in smaller portion sizes, something not seen in many restaurants. They currently also have an offer of 20% off if you have two movie tickets of Wave Cinemas which is in the same mall.
A few suggestions would be to open up their seating a bit; it can become a little tight when visiting in a large group and there is severe lack of elbow space, which makes using a knife and fork cumbersome. Also, they could do with speedier service and less forgetful waiters who forget to serve side orders.
Why Go? English Tadka is a nice place to relax on a lazy evening or weekend, before or after a film and is even a good option for a Sunday brunch with the girls or a business lunch.
For related information visit :
Top Five South Indian Restaurants in Delhi
English Tadka Restaurant Review
