The haveli concept of fine dining is new to Delhi though it has been quite prevalent in the outskirts of our capital and royalty associated places. Going to a magnificent haveli, soaking in the ethnic and vintage interiors and the fine dining is a truly luxury experience and Haveli Dharampura provides all of that. Located in a very narrow nook of Gali Guliyan near Jama Masjid, it can be a bit difficult to find. But enter this place and you are blown away by the old world Indian charm.
The staff is dressed in ethnic attire and their hospitality is amazing. They will suggest you dishes to try and they know their dishes well. Here are a few of them that I recently tried :
Palak Patta Chaat : Spinach leaves dolled up in chick pea flour and deep fried is definitely a rage these days. Here they were topped with sweet yoghurt, sonth – tamarind chutney, pomegranate seeds and senv – potato bhujiya. The fried spinach leaves were crispy and had not gone soft because of so many overlying dips. The tanginess and sweetness of yoghurt and sonth, the crispiness and bitterness of spinach, the crunchy sev and the sweet pomegranate are all combined in a single dish and well presented to you.
Spinach Kofta in dual gravy : Another innovative dish well presented. The moist spinach leaves wrapping minced cottage cheese and presented in two gravies : white and red. The red one is tomato based and is sweet and very subtly sour. The white one is cashew based and is very fine. Both the gravies have a fine consistency – not too runny and not too thick. The burst of flavours is exceptional here.
Paneer cannelloni : Italian dish well made. The soft slices of cottage cheese enclosing finely minced spinach and smothered in a tomato curry. The cottage cheese is fresh and the spinach has a prominent pungent taste of garlic as well. The gravy is rich, creamy, smooth and subtle. The addition of very fine caramelised onions gives a sweet burnt flavour to this smooth gravy.
