Cafe Dalal Street
Connaught Place,
New Delhi
Meal for two: Rs.1000 approx
The patrons inside café Dalal Street look expectantly at a large screen, waiting to be apprised of the new situation of the alcohol stock market. The values of the liquors on display refresh, and the value of whiskey is bearish, while beer is bullish. This leaves a group, who were vying to have whiskey elated.
Café Dalal Street is Delhi’s first stock market themed establishment, which uses the market concepts of supply and demand to determine the prices of various liquors. “This system of pricing allows customers to feel involved, and adds to their sense of excitement.” Says Himanshu Gupta, who co-owns the restaurant.
Elaborating on the pricing mechanism, he continues “We have set both base prices and ceiling prices for each drink, the base price is about 20% below what you would get in CP’s cheapest bar, while the ceiling price is about the average of the drink in CP. The drinks which are ordered most frequently rise in value, while those which are not ordered as often lose in value”.
This pricing mechanism enjoins more experimentation, as drinks which are ordered less frequently become cheaper, while the more popular ones are priced the highest. The display boards also have the price trends of the drinks, so punters can make estimations for their future pricing.
The bar also has a wide variety of mocktails and shakes, for those who are not interested in harder drinks. The triple berry shake, which blends ice cream with raspberry, blueberry and strawberry, is especially well made.
With the stock market themed bar being the main attraction of the place, the food is meant to cater to those who would be drinking. The onus is on innovation, with most dishes being in the nature of hors d’oeuvres.
One dish which particularly excels at this innovation is the Shahi Paneer Gol Guppa. Mixing the traditional golgappa with shahi paneer, it manages to create a main course dish easily eatable. The golgappa shell is created using a moong dal and this is filled with a paneer dish, which replaces the traditional golgappa filling, while gravy replaces the golgappa paani.
Other dishes continue in this vein, with the keema pie also bringing together two disparate dishes. The keema pao is re-imagined as a pie, with the keema being placed in a pie covering. This manages to create a unique taste, different from what both of its forebears present.
For those not very inclined to experiment, the kitchen offer the usual selection of bar bites, with jalapeno and mushroom poppers standing out. The use of cheese is very judicious in both of these dishes, and the flavour does not override the taste of the underlying dishes.
The spacious low lit interiors create a conducive atmosphere for those who want to spend a evening in a bar, and the innovative bar pricing system, as well as well made appetizers make the entire experience very enjoyable.