Dining at the #1 restaurant in India-Alle Abroad

Raise your hand if you like indian food!

*raises both hands high to the sky

Whether you LOVE indian food like me or you’ve never tried it before in your life, there’s one place that can turn even the toughest critic into an indian food fanatic. That place is Indian Accent New Delhi. The restaurant has been named the top restaurant in India 4 times by Tripadvisor and ranked number one restaurant by various other publications including Conde Nast Traveller. They have locations in London and New York too.

Funny enough the restaurant did a pop up at Parker Palm Springs a few years ago which my mom and I attended. The food was BEYOND incredible, so we knew we needed to visit their restaurant in India when we were there next.

Let me tell you… It did not disappoint. The restaurant focuses on innovative indian cuisine while taking a global spin on the creation process. Chef Manish Mehrotra is the man behind the magic and has been called the most exciting modern indian chef in the world today. And it’s not hard to see why. His dishes look like artwork but taste like soul food.

The restaurant is minimalistic with touches of opulence. The bar is one of the focal points of the restaurant with glistening gold accents and sleek granite surfaces. But the coolest part of the whole place is this glass walkway with pools of water on either side. Lighting the path are little balls of fire, all leading you to another dining area of the restaurant. We sat in the main dining area and a quick look around gives you an idea of just how popular the restaurant is. Not a single open table.

After perusing the delightful menu, and not being able to make a decision, we opted for the tasting menu.

Pro tip: if you ever can’t decide and would love to try a bunch of dishes in smaller portions, the tasting menu is ALWAYS a great option.

You have the choice of selecting vegetarian or nonvegetarian, as many indians don’t eat meat. I went for the veg and mom got non-veg so we could try a little of both. Here’s a look at the line up of vegetarian dishes:

We started with blue cheese naan. It was two tiny little bites of bread and the perfect start to an incredible meal. Honestly, I could have eaten 30 of these lol. But I had to keep my belly open for what was to come.

Course 1: puchkas, five waters

This is a common street food in India and it’s totally different than anything I’ve ever had before. The best way to describe it is a wet chip. Lol sounds not so good but it totally is. The thing on top is a fried chip and in the glasses are various flavored waters. You pour the water in the chip and eat it all in one bite. It’s super fun to eat and makes you feel like you’re playing with your food.

Course 2: baked beet, peanut butter, goat curd

Okay...I’ll be honest, I was kinda like ‘huh??’ When I looked at this dish on the menu. Beets and peanut butter? But seriously it was such a delicious combo. I loved this dish. It was savory and sweet and the perfect start to a wonderful meal.

Course 3: ‘matar paneer’ indian accent

Matar paneer is a traditional north indian dish consisting of peas and paneer (cheese). This was the restaurant's spin on this dish. I lovedddd it. It was the perfect size and it came in a ball bursting with flavor.

Course 4: summer corn, chutney butter, makai kebab

This dish was so beautifully presented with the star of the show in the middle, surrounded by various dipping sauces. The veggies were crunchy and fresh and full of flavor.

Course 5: fresh falsa and churan kulfi sorbet

This acted like the palate cleanser of the meal that you enjoy before the main course. And let me just say it was delicious and it was perfectly presented. Churan is a mix of various indian spices and kulfi is a popular frozen dessert, kind of like ice cream. This dish was made into a popsicle and it was a fun way to break up the meal before the main course.

Course 6: wild mushroom kofta, green chilli, safed makhani

Okay...if there’s mushrooms in it, I’m ordering it. I’m a huge mushroom fan so when I saw this was on the tasting menu I was SOLD. The mushroom kofta was served in this fried ball surrounded by this savory and rich sauce that I could easily bathe in lol. Favorite dish by far.

We were celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday so the restaurant pulled out all the stops with a variety of their most AMAZING desserts. It was hard to choose a favorite but the two that took our breath away were the Daulat ki chaat, roast almond, rose petal chikki and the 'old monk' rum ball, 70% valrhona chocolate. You might be wondering what the heck both of those things are, don’t worry I’ll tell you.

Daulat ki chaat, roast almond, rose petal chikki

Daulat ki chaat is this fluffy, airy, creamy dish that’s served with almonds and this rose petal brittle. The thing that makes it so fun is it’s served over dry ice and has fake money sticking out of the dish. The money is there to represent prosperity and this dessert is a mainstay at all the Indian Accent restaurants.

'Old monk' rum ball, 70% valrhona chocolate

The rum ball is such a perfect example of a decadent chocolate dessert. And it makes it even more fun when they lite the rum on fire and pour it over the dessert.

All in all this meal was truthfully one of my most favorite meals EVER. It was full of flavor, completely original and one of the most memorable meals of the trip. If you ever find yourself in Delhi, which I hope you do, this restaurant needs to be at the top of your list. But if not, you can always check out their locations in New York City and London.