DINING OUT: Fashionably Late, But Cavalli Caffe Gets Its New Menu Right

This review first appeared in Mail Today, Delhi/NCR, on 10/11/2013.
Copyright: Mail Today Newspapers.

To see the epaper version, go to http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=1112013

and click on Page 23.

By Sourish Bhattacharyya

DINING OUT

WHAT: Cavalli Caffe

WHERE: Ground Floor Atrium, DLF Emporio, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj

WHEN: 11 A.M. TO 11 A.M. (last order)

DIAL: 011-46950000; +919582645245

AVG MEAL FOR TWO (SANS ALCOHOL): Rs 2,000+++

WHEN Cavalli Caffe (the 'ff' is deliberate!) opened last year, next to the flamboyant silver-haired Italian designer's boutique at DLF Emporio, people joked that it got as many diners in a day as would fit into the monogrammed stretch limo that had ferried Roberto Cavalli to the launch party in the glittering presence of Bollywood's young celebs led by the towering Sonam Kapoor.

Split into two sections--one in the luxury mall's atrium and the other inter-connected with the store, with crystal lamps, floor-to-roof mirrors, zebra-print sofas and chairs, and framed black-and-white photographs of Cavalli schmoozing with international stars, the Caffe was at once perceived to be overpriced and too snobby for regular diners.

Its misfortune was compounded by its location next to Cha Shi, whose wholesome South-East Asian street food, sensible pricing and accessible style made it an instant hit. The Caffe's indifferent menu and Cavalli prices did it in -- in our picky city, the only way you can make a restaurant successful is by serving good food. People pay for taste and not for an international celebrity's licence fee.

The new menu has the power to bring life back 
to Cavalli Caffe, whose bright and fashionable 
decor hadn't been getting people to come in 
and dine. Image: Shekhar Yadav/Mail Today

The restaurant's owner and promoter of a number of luxe brands, Manav Gangwani, was quick to read the writing on the wall and at once drafted Vidur Parashar, formerly famous for Circa 1193, the restaurant that met with a premature end even though it served honest-to-goodness Pan Asian cuisine with an international twist. Parashar took up the challenge, though he knew he would have to work hard to convince Roberto Cavalli's chefs that tweaking their menu was important to get the crowds that the Caffe needed to post decent-enough financial results. In this monumental effort, Parashar was aided by Jatin Mallick of Tres, who, in his capacity as independent expert, convinced the Italians that the menu was badly in need of an overhaul.

The Caffe's new menu is not only miles ahead of its predecessor, but also gentle on the pocket, with most dishes priced between Rs 200 and Rs 500, the notable exceptions being the Sweet Lobster Linguine (Rs 1,000) and the Lasagna Tradizionale/Tagliatelle Amatriciana (Rs 700 each). It has more items in the 'Cavalli International Specials', including melt-in-the-mouth chicken shawarma that'll make you ask for a repeat and a soul-satisfying, soupy tom kha, which has been renamed Oriental Meal in a Bowl keeping in mind the restaurant's global credentials. It took the burrata, or mozzarella with cream inside, with nothing more flashy than cherry tomatoes and a hint of balsamico to give it company, that convinced me the menu had indeed been turned around. And the burrata, oozing cream like a god dropping manna from heaven, had been sourced from saddi Dilli's Flanders Dairy at Brijwasan.

I was eating in the company of Atul Sikand, whose Facebook recipe-sharing group, Sikandalous Cuisine, has become a phenomenon with 10,000 members (and counting). It's very difficult to make him happy, but Atul was as pleased as punch, especially after we spooned up the last drop of the Crema di Pomodoro, a hearty tomato soup served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread -- old-fashioned but wholesome. Next on the agenda was the Beetroot Vinaigrette with feta and arugula (rocket), a much-abused salad that could have stayed that way, but it was actually a delight for the senses. The portion of Cavalli Burger (our choice was chicken) came in as two delicious sliders, with the juicy chicken patty encased in a slightly crunchy breaded batter. And the thin-but-not-paper-crust Margherita Pizza that arrived thereafter blew us away with its sauce, which finely balanced sweet and tangy -- it is apparently not taken out readymade from a bottle, but made in the kitchen with Italian canned pelati (peeled) tomatoes that you'll find in plenty at INA Market.

A regular mortal would have stopped here, but as Atul and I were on a serious tasting mission, we ordered the burrata ravioli with burnt butter and sage -- the description on the menu said it was "divinity on plate" and we had to agree with it wholeheartedly, despite the patent immodesty of the declaration. The burnt butter just did it! The sweet lobster linguine was yet another temptress and it justified its price with the chunks of lobster in it. Our final dish was the Oriental Meal in a Bowl -- the creamy, soupy tom kha with chunky shrimps was just what we needed to prepare ourselves for the grand finale: airy hot chocolate foam sitting atop a rum granita.

The hot-and-cold sensation was just what we needed to be convinced that the new Cavalli Caffe menu not only has depth, but also quality. With it coming back to life (I hope it gets the numbers), the DLF Emporio atrium is now a complete dining experience.

Circa 1193 Co-Promoter Vidur Parashar Gives Cavalli Caffe Menu New Edge & Easier Pricing

The robust Crema di Pomodoro soup served
in a cavernous loaf of bread made me fall in
love with Cavalli Caffe's new menu instantly

By Sourish Bhattacharyya

REMEMBER Olive Bar & Kitchen’s promoter AD Singh telling me that he celebrated his wife’s birthday at Circa 1193, the restaurant next to his in the shadow of the Qutab Minar in Mehrauli,I  because he knew the food matched the stunning ambience.

It’s a pity that the restaurant that served Pan Asian cuisine with modern European flair and made Achal Aggarwal a star — the chef thereafter was in the opening team of Megu at The Leela Palace and is now going up the corporate ladder at Hyatt International — had to shut shop. I got to know the man behind the show, Vidur Parashar, who left a comfortable family business to pursue his passion for food, and I felt bad for him, and also realised that good intentions don’t always translate into success.
Vidur and his business partners sold the sprawling Circa 1193 plot to Gaurav Goenka, managing director of the Mirah Group, who has made big investments in the restaurant sector. Goenka, in turn, is said to have sold the plot to a third party.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I met Vidur outside DLF Emporio at Vasant Kunj a couple of weeks back with Manav Gangwani, fashion designer and promoter of international luxe brands. Vidur said to me he was overhauling the menu of Cavalli Caffe, the international restaurant venture of the famed fashion mogul, Roberto Cavalli, which did not take off at the DLF Emporio lobby despite its lineage. People complained it was too expensive and that the food was regular. I thought it was quite a challenge because I had never seen any soul at Cavalli Caffe, whose plight was made worse by the neighbouring Cha Shi, whose basic but unfailingly good South-East Asian fare ensured a full house day after day.

A photomontage by Atul Sikand, the man
behind the Facebook recipes group,
Sikandalous Cuisine, of the food
served at Cavalli Caffe

I had my second big surprise yesterday when Vidur invited me to sample the new menu he has put together with his executive chef, Kapil Sethi, for Cavalli Caffe. Starting from you-can’t-stop-eating-it Burrata and a robust Crema di Pomodoro soup served in a cavernous loaf of bread to the Burrata Ravioli with burnt butter and sage and an unforgettable Sweet Lobster Linguine, the menu is sizzling with must-have dishes. Add the thin-crust pizza with artichokes, spinach, zucchini and onions on a real tomato base, the seductive Chicken Shawarma, the full-bodied Tom Kha with plump prawns and the unmissable Hot Chocolate Foam with Rum Granita, and you have a symphony for the senses. The beauty of it is all is that the prices (minus taxes and 10 per cent service charge) range from Rs 300 to Rs 600 (with the Sweet Lobster Linguine being the only exception at Rs 1,000).

Vidur clearly has steered the restaurant in the right direction, with Manav providing him able support, besides giving the Tom Khan and Hot Chocolate Foam the respect they deserve. The new and improved Cavalli Caffe is back in the reckoning. Give it this week to roll out its new menu and you’ll have a good reason to visit it over and over again.