NEW DELHI: Padmanabham on Janpath is the kind of restaurant you will return to whenever you fancy catching up with friends over conversation-starting food or even if you are just by yourself.
Everything about Padmanabham is warm, the sweet but subtle service, the Mandala artwork depicting a spiritual journey inspired by Madurai’s Meenakshi temple, majestic Balaji statue, Chettinad pillars and the whole paraphernalia with stimulus from Padmanabha Swamy temple in Trivandrum, you have entered a winner!
Although it’s an expansive space, there are enough alcoves and seating options to house many comfortable conversations.
Then the menu itself, courtesy of Celebrity Chef Consultant Bakshish Dean is write-home-worthy! Dean comes with 27 years of experience and is the man behind bringing Modern Indian food to India when it was not quite in vogue at Fire at The Park Hotel, Dean stirred his ladle for regional contemporary cooking etiquette. As a Corporate Chef, with Lite Bite Foods Dean established the famed ‘Zambar’!
Anyway coming back to Padmanabham, I am curious to know all bout its being!
“It all started with one of my trips down south to Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram. The experience of eating a Sadhya meal on a banana leaf, the flavours were something I had never experienced before. That was something definitely amiss in Delhi. On the same trip, I had the fortune to go to lord Padmanabhaswamy temple. The grandeur of the temple, its austerity left me spellbound,” says partner, Padmanabham, Vidur Kandodia.
He goes on to add, “The temple had such a profound effect on me that while on the temple premises, I wanted to dedicate my South Indian food venture to the Lord and decided to call it Padmanabham. Once the name was done, the interiors had to do justice to it. The abode of the Lord, Padmanabham has an interior inspired by the South Indian temples what with colourful Meenakshi Amman temple mandalas adorning the ceilings, the Chettinad pillars, kalamkari art on the walls depicting the dashavtar of Vishnu, the lotus lights, the teal colour. The ambiance gives you a surreal feel topped with the variety of food and the impeccable service, with competitive prices being the icing on the cake – you feel like going there repeatedly. Once is just not enough to savour it all.”
A highlight here is a rotating menu of vegetarian meals as a sensational ‘Bhojanam’ (unlimited thali) from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerela, and Karnataka; that comes atop a large, green banana leaf.
Each section is headed by a chef from that particular state and delivers an extraordinary and adept meal along with a number of ever-changing dishes in tow. The Bhojanam is an excellent way to see how capable the restaurant is at just about everything.
In the A La carte section, I discovered a whole new world of vegetarian delights like ‘Idiappam-Kadala curry’ aka steamed rice noodles with a flavourful spicy black gram curry, ‘Ghee Podi idli’ followed by a flavour-packed ‘Milagai Bhajji’ and ‘Rasa Vadai’ which was as could fit on the table. The range of Dosas are a particular draw. This is absolutely a place that vegetarian diners looking for a more decadent experience and old-style beverages of the likes of Madura’s ‘Jil Jil Jigarthanda’ which is essentially made with almond gum, nannari syrup and reduced caramel milk, etc. should seek out. Dishes are modest, well-flavoured and dependably well cooked. An additional bonus is that while portions are big, prices are notably small.
FAST FACTS:
WHERE: 52 Janpath, New Delhi 110001
TEL: +91 8882300300
TIMINGS: Mon to Fri 11 am till 11 pm
Sat & Sun 7 am till 11 pm
