When passionate people come together, magic happens. When I visited The Piano Man Jazz Club few days back, it felt like I’m inside a classic Hollywood movie set. The wooden interiors, laid back atmosphere, dim lighting, musical instruments, everything seems perfectly soothing and you feel like enjoying a glass of wine along with some live jazz music. The owner Arjun Sagar Gupta is himself is a passionate musician and makes sure your evening is well spent with brilliant live music performed by renowned musicians from all around the world. The place is small and this just makes the whole experience more intimate. Just within a few days of opening, this place caught people’s fancy and in the evening, just before the performance starts, you can see the place completely packed, including the stairs that lead you to the mezzanine floor.
When I got to know they are coming up with a casual diner I knew it would be something well thought of and worthy enough to be able to live up to the expectations that Piano Man has created. The entire menu is curated by the passionate, well known chef and writer Ruchira Hoon Philip who takes her food very seriously. She makes sure that a meal prepared by her is hearty, enjoyable and everyone goes back with a smile.
The newly opened Dirty Apron has an indoor dining area at the 2nd floor and a terrace at the 3rd floor. The interiors are simple but give you a warm and cozy feeling. We started our meal with Grilled Chicken Linguine Salad and Warm Asian Potato Salad. Salad is generally associated with healthy food. If we start counting calories then non-veg one was definitely healthier, with juliennes of chicken, bell peppers and purple cabbage, combined with bean sprouts and linguine pasta, topped with perfect sweet n spicy Asian dressing. The potato dish though not technically a salad but was surely a winner when it comes to taste. It consisted of oven roasted potato wedges tossed in tangy Asian sauce combined with sesame seeds and chilies.
The other dishes that we tried were Korean Nacho, Grilled Jerk Chicken, Bulgogi Burgers, Chicken Laksa Risotto and Thai Curry with Pumpkin Gorgonzola Ravioli. All the dishes were a fusion of the European and Asian flavours and everything was made to perfection. My favorites in these east-meets-west creations were Chicken Laksa Risotto and Thai Curry Ravioli. I prepare my own Ravioli at home but such a novel idea never crossed my mind. Sheer genius!
The menu has lot of flavours to be explored and I won’t reveal much as you should go figure out yourself. This place is highly recommended for a nice winter lunch or when you feel like having a hearty meal after enjoying the music at the Jazz Club downstairs. The bar is doing a great job too and the two cocktails that I tried were brilliant.
Where: B6-7/22, 2nd Floor,
Opposite Deer Park,
Safdarjung Enclave Market,
Safdarjung, New Delhi
Phone – 011 4131 5181
Meal for two – INR 2000(Approx)
You can find them on facebook here
You can check their website here .
