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I can’t help but be honest with myself as I drive into The Ashok Hotel in Delhi, possibly for the first time since I was a child, brought for a ‘proper’ family dinner – I haven’t thought about the place in years. The iconic, post-independence building, created by Nehru to host a UNESCO conference over sixty years ago, has now officially achieved relic status, and its dilapidated walls still draw a crowd more from history and nostalgia than relevance. There’s been no real reason for it to be on a millennial’s radar for several years – until Ophelia.
Prepare to be frustrated for the first ten minutes – the hotel staff, true to form of loyal government crew, is unaware of the new restaurant’s existence and pointed me in 11 directions until I finally found the place – offsite. While the restaurant might be in the confines of the Ashok’s property walls, it isn’t in the main hotel – it’s a short walk away from the building in a lively corner of its own.
GQ Reviews Ophelia restaurant in Delhi -
The space itself, however, more than makes up for the messy experience of getting there. The outdoors are alight with tall sigris, their flames flickering an orange that lends the green, open area its romantic, candescent glow. A line of white cloth-swathed cabanas sit to the left, leaving ample room for a larger collective of friends to settle in for the evening with the right amount of privacy.
The indoor has a less glamping and more opulent, retro vibe – think high ceilings that drip with crystal chandeliers, gilded frames with Elizabethan era portraits, carmine walls and Prussian blue tub chairs. The indoor will probably have more full seats in the summer, while the outdoors will draw a winter brunch and dinner crowd for their intelligent use of the open area – which few get right in the city, save for veterans like Olive.
Brought onto the fore by Akshay Anand (of Toy Room, Aerocity) and his wife Devina Anand, the restaurant is aimed as a “throwback, a nod to yesteryear with a Shakespearean touch to it in the decor,” Anand tells. The homage is evident in little touches, like their jasmine gin cocktail The Hamlet (which arrives in a flask, buried between a leatherbound copy of its namesake book) or in their cloakroom waiting area, its walls and ceiling suffused with varicoloured roses. It’s all just that little bit too much, but in a good way.
The cocktails, with their Tudoresque titles, often come surrounded by plumes of smoke that lends them a carbon-cured aftertaste. Apart from the aforementioned Hamlet, Frank’s Love (Elderflower infused vodka with blueberry and lime) and King Leonard (Fig infused whiskey with red wine and lime) are the biggest take-home.
The menu, which flips over from European on one side to Turkish on the other, has a few particularly interesting things you’ll return for. The duck pâté, the best I’ve eaten in some time, is a good place to start, followed by their lavish, hexa-dip mezze if you’ve brought an astronomical appetite with you. If you’re in the market for something lighter, the Butter Poached Prawns with Vanilla Beurre Blanc will fit the bill.
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While their pizza is definitely worth an order or two, their risotto really makes the decadent, buttery-mascarpone indulgence worth it. I order the Prawn (with bisque, Rosemary Oil and Spinach Crisp) on instinct, but Anand [Devina] recommends the beetroot rendition so heavily that my carnivorous resilience breaks. I then have to reluctantly admit that it’s the best main I’ve eaten that evening, and makes forgoing the meat worth it even for a voracious meat-eater.
My meal ends with a baklava sundae (with fresh, housemade baklava served in puff pastry sconce). “I first tried one at Opa, Dubai, and wanted to recreate and give it our own spin for the restaurant,” Anand [Devina] smiles. “It took several tries but we finally got it exactly as I’d imagined!” It gets points for originality, as it’s a concept I’ve yet to see in the city, and it comes together nicely – albeit heavily.
The crisp, winter breeze that blows through the open cabanas offsets the heaviness of the meal perfectly. It’s the kind of key atmosphere you’d look for in an intimate evening out. Between its easy outdoors, solid cocktails and small (but on-point) menu, it’s a place that promises to give Delhi diners the kind of relaxed – but relevant – experience they’re after.
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