I have been a big fan of Chef Veena Arora’s menus at The Spice Route at The Imperial and this winter was not going to be any different. The Spice Route is one of the indomitable restaurants in the Delhi food scene and was recently awarded as one of the top 10 in the Conde Nast India’s 50 Best restaurants in India. As Chef Arora releases a new menu every 6 months, I have been looking forward to the winter menu for quite a few years now. Although it used to be based quite a bit on seafood, this time she has religiously stuck to prawns. We tried quite a few of these prawn dishes out and so should you.

What all can Prawn lovers expect?

We try out the Pla Kung from the starters and it’s an incredible kick to the taste buds. With all the flavours of South East Asian herbs, this salad is one spicy hit that you must try out. Also on the menu are Yera Elli Piranthi (a Kerala styled Batter fried jumbo prawns) and Kung Hom Pha (prawns rolled in clear sheets and deep fried). There’s also a prawn soup to try out, the Kaeng Cherd Kung Sup which incorporates minced prawns in a clear soup with subtle hints of garlic. In winters, this literally warms you up from the inside.

We move onto the main courses as conversations steer onto our trip to Turkey and how the lack of salt in their food had Snigdha jumping on her toes. Chef Arora brings out her special; tiger prawns cooked with mustard leaves and some Thai soya bean paste. The zing of the mustard combines pretty well with the prawns and the slightly salty soya bean paste. Staying true to her style this time, she also cooks her Rendang with prawns this time. The velvety feel of the coconut curry lovingly embraces the prawns and the spices of the curry. There’s also a Kerala styled Biryani on offer along with Malu Curry that I try along with some Appams. The Malu Curry has sole cooked in a luscious Sri Lankan curry which combines like heaven with the Appams.

We end off our meal with my favourite Tofu Ice Cream. I have been having the coconut flavour of this silken ice cream since the first time I ate here and I still can’t let go of the flavours. This menu is on until 31st January 2018.