Whether it's afternoon or evening, the Qutub Minar sparkles and with it comes alive the slew of restaurants in the vicinity. Now, we all have favourites in the area, but let’s admit it, select few are making their mark when it comes to food and authenticity. Because of its strategic location, Swan is one of the first restaurants to grab your attention, with its sprawling terraces offering a breathtaking view of Qutub. The elegant aesthetic, décor, mood lighting and music, makes it hard to look elsewhere, but it is truly their food that makes you want to come back over and over. While there is no dearth of fusion or multi-cuisine restaurants in the capital, we have personally never heard of restaurants offering an immersive dining experience with an Italian and Japanese menu. That’s right, one-half of the menu is Japanese and one-half Italian, and that’s not all, the expansive cocktail menu ensures you are in for a wholesome affair.
From the Italian menu, we tried the Sundried Tomato and Pimentos Ravioli, the handmade pasta is for all the truffle lovers out there. Definitely the highlight of our day. The stuffed red pepper ragout comes tossed in porcini mushroom cream sauce with truffle essence and wins you over with its mellow, buttery goodness. Next, we tried the grilled Norwegian salmon, where the perfectly grilled salmon was served on the spinach quinoa sauce vierge, offering the right crunch to the soft flesh of the fish.
(L)Sundried Tomato and Pimentos Ravioli, (Middle) grilled Norwegian salmon (R)Tuna pizza
Coming to the Japanese menu, where the spicy tuna roll impressed with its umami flavours, jalapenos and spicy mayonnaise are a nice touch. If regular pizzas are passe for you, then try the tuna pizza, where thinly sliced tuna served on crispy tortilla, drizzled with yuzu mayo and truffle oil makes for a crackling appetizer. The chicken and chives gyoza also hits home for its juicy fillings and perfect casing of the dumpling-not too thick, not too thin.
