You MUST try The G.T. Road's pocket-friendly buffet this weekend!
Where: M-39, Outer Circle, Connaught Place
Cuisine: North Indian, Mughlai
Cost: 1200 for two
There are not many options in Delhi for satisfactory buffet meals. There are only a couple of names that pop into my mind when I think buffet and frankly, I feel they are a bit overpriced. So if you're someone who would enjoy a lavish spread at pocket-friendly prices, read on.
The latest addition to the bustling outer circle of CP is The G.T. Road, where GT, as you may have guessed, stands for Grand Trunk. The menu covers the speciality traditional dishes of all the cities {Indian and otherwise} that the mighty GT road passes through. The very first thing you'll notice on entering is the very classy, vintage decor with earthy Indian elements like clay pots and lanterns all around, not to forget the majestic vintage car that greets you at the front. It's got two spacious floors who're exactly the same, the first floor was however, non-operational.
I was met with a refreshing glass of Aam Panna, the customary welcome drink of the summers and it made for a lovely start. The tandoori vegetarian starters came on skewers that could be grilled live at your own table so you don't have to worry about them going cold. I particularly liked that they served a variety of chutneys {ike tomato-garlic, mint, coconut etc.} to go along the appetisers. There were six of them in all: Achaari Paneer Tikka, Pudina Paneer Tikka, Mushroom Tikka, Tandoori Aloo, Jimikand Kebab, and spicy Pineapple chunks. Each one of them were prepared really well but the former three were my favourites. Next up, you can get your favourite chaat made from the live chaat counter. I of course went for Palak Patta {it's an addiction and I plan to do nothing about it} and it was so crispy, and so tangy- couldn't get enough of it.
I finally went to the buffet section only to be blown by the variety of salads and other pre-cursors to the meal like soups, papads, fryems, sprouts, raitas etc. The salad veggies were so fresh and nicely doused in spices and lemon juice. For mains, there was a good mix of dry and curry preparations. My favourites included the creamy Matar Mushroom, Palak Paneer, Bhindi Masala and a Bengali version of our beloved kadhi. I really enjoyed their Yellow Daal with Pulao, their Dal Makhni however, failed to make an impact. You can ask your server to get you piping hot breads of your choice, I went for Garlic Naan and was pretty happy with it.
Coming to my favourite bit, there were more than fifteen yummy desserts to choose from. While I would have loved to try them all, there was hardly any room left in my tummy after the main course. From the ones that I did try, I would recommend the kalakand, sondesh, ras malai, rasgulla and gulab jamun. To give your meal a memorable ending, go for the frosty Afghani Barf which is frozen milk foam flavoured with rose and cardamom. You can add tea, coffee, mocktails and other drinks at an additional cost. They didn't have their liquor license when I visited but I was told that their bar would be up and running by next month.
Overall, I loved the whole look and feel of the place. They've really worked on the decor to create an earthy yet sophisticated, very Indian-looking ambience {made even better with their sufi playlist}. But the real winner is the food, which I bet you will keep going back to The G.T. Road for.
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