On our second visit to Bo Tai, the restaurant has only been
open for five days, yet even on a Monday evening it is buzzing with happy
diners. Zorawar and Dildeep Kalra have proven their mettle as successful restaurateurs
time and again. This time they have added a Modern Thai restaurant
and bar to the Capital’s gourmet dining scene. Bo Tai is thus a playful pun on
‘Bow Tie’, and ‘Tai’ is also a colloquial pronunciation of ‘Thai’. With two
terraces overlooking the lush Mehrauli greenery surrounding the iconic Qutub
Minar, we can safely say that Bo Tai offers the best ambience in this
neighborhood.
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| Top: Massaman Curry. Bottom L-R: Scallop Carpaccio; Butterfly Prawns. |
The fare on offer is an array of Thai dishes that
reflect the experience and creativity of Chef Sahil Singh, whose motto is to
ensure that “at least ninety percent of the guests should go home happy”. While
he has stuck to the traditional curries, there are many dishes that celebrate
Thai flavours albeit with refreshing new twists: Singh prefers to grill the
crab cakes instead of deep frying them; along with curried Ching Mai pork
sausages, the menu also features duck sausages; and, an entire section is
dedicated to European style grills, (again, with Thai ingredients). Each
portion of the grills includes a protein, starch and some crunch. The grilled
fresh water prawns, for instance, are served with a mildly sweet kafir lime
biscotti. Vegetarians will enjoy grilled Portobello mushrooms that are stuffed
with a chickpea mash. There is also a hearty Thai style vegetarian gumbo. All
the curries – red, green, Massaman, Penang and yellow – have the option of
vegetables, chicken, lamb, prawn and duck.
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| The very cool cocktails. |
Enough thought has also been given to the presentation.
Not only is the plating Instagrammable, but also practical in keeping with the
cuisine on offer and the Delhi weather. The scallop carpaccio and seabass
ceviche are served on semi-frozen platters to ensure that the right temperature
of the raw seafood is maintained optimally. For our next visit, we already have
our eyes on the king oysters with mignonette sauce.
The cocktails are as fab as the food. London-based
DARE Hospitality consultants, have lent their signature style for a stellar bar
menu and cocktails. Some are even inspired by ancient folklore of Thailand. We tried
the Full Moon Festival, an ode to Loi Krathong, a festival celebrated under the
full moon of the 12th month, when village folk flock to the rivers with
colourful, handmade baskets filled with herbs and flowers and set them afloat with
a candle light. In keeping with the name, this gin-based cocktail is served in
a glass sphere filled with bright-coloured flowers. The aromatic drink opens a
plethora of flavours with strawberry and rose syrup, housemade spiced vermouth,
grapefruit, spiced orange syrup, lime and pandan tincture. Of course, there are
many more to choose from, including the Pom-tam Cola made with Indian
pomegranate and tamarind and a sophisticated and complex Bo Tonic using Seedlip
Garden from the UK (a new zero alcohol distillate imported to Delhi especially
for Bo Tai).
Chef Shail sums up the ‘concept’ of Bo Tai in a nutshell:
“great Thai food and fantastic cocktails”. While we agree whole-heartedly, we’d
also add ‘fabulous music and a fun vibe’ for a perfect night out.
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| Top: Crab cakes Bottom: Duck Sausages. |
Three Must-Have Dishes:
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Crab cakes with sago wafers. They balance the sweet
meat of blue crab with lemon grass, kafir lime and Thai chilli. But instead of
the usual deep fried version, this one is grilled.
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Torched lamb chops smeared with a finger-licking
sauce made with jaggery and tamarind.
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Duck sausages with silken butternut squash and a
rich potato dauphinoise.
Details:
Bo Tai, 6/4, Kalka Das Marg, Mehrauli Road, Near Qutub
Minar, New Delhi-110030.
Phone: 011-20860051/2, +91 9870587770/1.
A version of this article
first appeared in Eat Stay Love Magazine, July 2018 issue.
