Piali: The Curry Bistro
Address: K-41, Level 1, Opp. PVR Plaza, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Meal for two: Rs.1500
Serves alcohol
Best way to find Piali bistro is to first find PVR Plaza. Then you can cross the street and you’ll find a narrow but clean and well-lit staircase leading you up to the restaurant. The name Piali immediately makes you anticipate an Indian restaurant. And you would not be wrong if you did as the interior and the setting of this place is very Indian. The wooden flooring, dim lighting and mellow music is very comforting. The tables are laid impeccably as you walk through the gallery to reach the bar. Moving on to the menu, a little lengthy, but has something that a lot of restaurants are missing out on theses day, a fair number of vegetarian choices. And as you read the names of the vegetarian dishes, it doesn’t seem like the chef and the owner just put them there to be politically correct. The dishes are properly planned and very well executed to please vegetarian diners, as was later confirmed.
The restaurant, as the name goes, serves its fragrant fusion curries in big pialis (bowls) with either roties or rice to go along with. The manager explained, “The food is from all-over the world, we have chosen curries from different countries and prepare them retaining their authentic spices and flavours, which can be hard as some spices are really hard to find here but we do our best to serve authentic food from which ever county it is.”
He was not kidding; the Burmese Khao Suey will hit you like nothing ever has. The smoky, pinkish coconut vegetable curry is so foreign yet so exquisite it will make you want to travel to Burma (now called Myanmar). Try the Thai curries too, they are just as great. For the Indian who would rather have a taste of home, there are all the native paneer curries and dals, only much well done than at other places. We also recommend Butta methi malai, a thick, soft and rich curry which goes well with rice or roties, but try to eat this with missi roti or green chilli paratha rather than a naan. The contrast will bring out the flavours better.
For lovers of sea food, this place can give you a taste of prawns that will transport you to Sri Lanka. The Jaffna black pepper and curry leave prawns are an explosive delight. The spices work so well it makes every fleshy bite feel like an exploration. Other recommendations are scrumptious Nihari gosht, and another Burmese curry with chicken prepared in fish-infused sauce served with intoxicating jasmine rice.
The restaurant doesn’t have much choice when it comes to desserts; you can either choose the Piali special pineapple halwa, or Rum fumble gulab jamun with vanilla ice-cream. On second thoughts, what else do you need when you have gulab jamun with vanilla ice-cream?