We had a chance to try some of the restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Delhi and the on-site menus exceeded our expectations. Even if we decide to try another brand of hotel in Delhi, we would return to the Hyatt Regency Delhi just to eat. Here are a pair of experiences.
La Piazza Italian Restaurant
La Piazza is a beautiful Italian restaurant with an open-style kitchen and authentic tastes of Italy. Their menu offers a range of starters, pastas, wood fired pizzas and plenty of chef specialties. For our dinner, we were offered a menu tasting that was hand selected by the chef. As we were there almost three years ago, the menu has changed a little and you can see their current menu here.
The food was so amazing that it simply has to be shared.
The first dish was one of the most memorable; Warm goat cheese and dried pear starter served on a thin, crispy pastry dough and drizzled with honey and cracked pepper. This little sampling left me wanting more.
The next starter was a small, round bleu cheese ball served with pomegranate. The bleu cheese was too strong for my husband, but I rather enjoyed this as well.
A small salad with spring lettuce, goat cheese, walnuts, berries and dried fruit all drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.
The next course was a portion of mushroom risotto topped with a grilled prawn. The richness in the risotto with the char on the prawn gave this dish a lovely balance.
Our next dish was a seafood-filled ravioli in a creamy tomato sauce with small drizzles of pesto. It was tasty, but I’m still thinking about that pear and goat cheese starter.
Oh wait, there is another star of this meal. This tuna steak served over a hot wood coal, cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. The grilled onions gave this melt in your mouth tuna a little more texture and a wonderful contrast in flavor. It was hard to share because I wanted to eat the entire piece.
To end our tasting experience at La Piazza, we indulged in a small chocolate mousse and a traditional cheesecake topped with a warm berry sauce – both delicious. From start to finish the experience and the food was memorable. I would gladly dine at this restaurant again. And again. And again.
The China Kitchen
The China Kitchen offers a traditional Chinese dining experience from five different provinces of China. There are five chefs in-house at this restaurant, one from each region. The restaurant space is split into different sections including the open kitchen, private dining rooms, the main dining room and a wine/tea bar. For our dinner, we selected a few dishes we wanted to try and were offered a few that were selected by the chefs. You can see the full menu offered here.
We enjoyed the dark and private ambiance in this restaurant, though it did make it difficult to properly photograph the area and the food. Forgive our images please.
One of the first starters we tried was Sichuan style steamed dumplings. These were served in dried chili sauce and gave off a little bit of that Sichuan heat. Not pictured are the the steamed dim sum dishes that didn’t quite photograph as well as we’d hoped.
Next up was a poached chicken starter topped with a peanut sauce and bits of garlic.
One of our favorite dishes, a dry fried hot chicken. The crispy texture and dry heat make this dish so tasty.
There was nothing on the menu that could compare to what we had next… the full portion of Peking duck. This roasted duck was first brought out by the chef and sliced table side. The duck would be served to us four different ways using the entire portion.
The first way we enjoyed this dish was sliced and topped with different sauces and sugar.
Next up was another tableside show where bits of the duck meat were rolled for us into a small won-ton style paper with hoisin sauce.
Our miniature duck rolls looked like this:
After the rolls came the fried bones – one of my favorite parts. Due to full bellies, bad lighting and a tired toddler, we failed to capture a good photo of the bones. The elements of the duck that were attached to bone were fried in a pan and heavily seasoned, it was something akin to a dry-fried chicken wing course. The remaining bits and broth from non-servable bones were then delivered to us in this deliciously savory soup.
Overall the food we ate was incredible, portions big enough to share with the table and an experience that was unforgettable.
>Read More: Review: Hyatt Regency Delhi – Suite
Read More: Taking a Toddler to the Taj Mahal
Have you been to the Hyatt Regency Delhi? Have you ever had a hotel restaurant so good that you’d dine there even if you stayed somewhere else?
The problem with restaurants at “star hotels” (not picking on the Hyatt Regency here) is they are heinously overpriced compared to what you can get elsewhere. No matter how good the restaurant is, I just can’t accept paying American prices to eat in India, unless it’s either a very special occasion or a business trip where my employer is picking up the tab.
BTW, if you ever do end up doing another trip to India, there’s a Chinese place at both the Taj Krishna in Hyderabad and Taj Coromandel in Chennai called the Golden Dragon. Other Taj properties in India might also have one, but I’m not sure. Quite possibly the best Chinese food I’ve had anywhere. Back when I worked in Hyderabad, we’d often go there any time we had company “VIPs” in town.
The original GOlden Dragon is at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. Definitely a must visit hotel.
The next time you’re in Delhi you must head to the following 2 restaurants. They’re both icons of the Delhi food scene, and well worth the prices.
1. Bukhara at the ITC Maurya. Mind blowing north western frontier food, so lots of kebabs, and heavy usage of the tandoor. The dal Bukhara is to die for.
2. The Orient Express at the Taj Palace New Delhi. You actually dine inside a railway carriage
I’ve been to Bukhara. I concur that it is amazing and well worth a visit.