On a recent trip to New Delhi, I noticed a sea change on the demographic and gastronomic front. Till a few years back, 'expatriate' was a term used to denote the embassy / diplomatic mission crowd residing in Chanakyapuri and shopping at Khan Market. But today, a lot of foreigners working for multinational corporations, supranational entities like World Bank and UN are calling Delhi home. I saw them shopping comfortably in crowded Lajpat Nagar while being equally at ease in the sophisticated environs of India Habitat Centre. This demographic change, coupled with an increasingly better travelled Indian has resulted in plenty of specialty restaurants, quaint delis, all day breakfast diners and European style cafes sprouting in the capital. On a landscape already dotted with restaurants offering multiple cuisines, this international influx is more than welcome.
Friends invited me to lunch and suggested the newly opened Tres in Lodhi Colony market. I initially baulked at the suggestion going only by the address. Childhood memories flashed through my mind when Lodhi Colony market used to have ten or so structured shops selling optical wear etc. The nearby Meherchand market was the go-to market for buying school books, renting fancy dress outfits for school functions and was primarily central Delhi's 'wedding market' along with Bhogal where you could hire mattresses, music systems, and 'shamianas' (bright red and green colored tents used for hosting wedding and traditional functions). You get the picture. And my friends were inviting me to Lodhi Colony market for a nice lunch? I was confused and not too inclined but the friends insisted I should check out the new revamped area for a pleasant surprise. And boy, was I surprised! Meherchand market is the new Khan market with its glitzy shops, designer boutiques and some outright swish stores. I drove onto my destination in Lodhi Colony market and well, was happy to see the ten shops still there except that now one of them houses the uber chic European eatery, Tres.
Tres (meaning three in Spanish) is a 3 month old restaurant founded by 3 chefs / restaurateurs - Jatin, Julia and Fatima. Jatin previously worked at the popular Zest restaurant in Delhi and has had cooking stints in London and Mumbai. Once inside Tres, one feels they have been transported to a Parisian cafe. Contrary to its name, Tres does not offer Spanish food. The only thing Spanish about it are the portion sizes at lunch which can qualify as tapas. On any given day, one of the three affable owners are on premises exchanging notes with their patrons. I took an immediate liking to the ambience. The cosy 50 seater eatery has been done up in shades of brown and black with a bright ceiling. The sofas are a tad soft and you tend to sink into them. Not a comfortable place when you have to have an entire meal sitting on them. A well stocked bar stands at the corner end and where the last tables are placed, you are able to get a good look at the glass paneled kitchen.
We arrived for lunch and were informed the lunch menu changes daily. Fresh ingredients, season's produce and catch of the day is important to the owner chefs and hence the daily menu change. The menu is quite exhaustive and intelligently designed. Apart from being a light meal, lunches are often kitty party affairs in Delhi where big groups like to try multiple dishes. Hence you have the menu offering small and big portions of vegetarian (INR 319 / INR 399) and non-vegetarian dishes (INR 359 / INR 419).
We started off with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese bruschetta with caramelized onion and pickled artichokes which was simply excellent. Next to come were the garlic and parsley shrimps which were nicely done with beans on brioche in a creamy dill sauce. The chicken burgers were decent and the size is just right : 2 small burgers instead of one lumpy burger. I was a bit sceptical about seafood in landlocked Delhi but the duet of rainbow cod and sea bass fillet sounded good. And it was. One minor gripe was the fish being served with skin. I prefer it without the skin or with the skin cooked and placed as a sliver on the main fillet making it easy to peel away. We ordered thyme flavored grilled vegetables on the side (INR 99) which were strictly ok. The broccoli didn't taste fresh and in fact had a slight 'cold storage' aftertaste. The parsley roast potatoes made for a good side order though. As I mentioned above, the portion sizes are small in a good way. You can order more dishes from the expansive menu and thereby try different flavors and tastes.
For desserts, we ordered warm carrot cake which was quite nice. It had a generous smattering of dry fruits which is a rarity these days. My yardstick for measuring dessert quality is how well a place does warm chocolate brownies. I prefer my chocolate brownies to be gooey without any nuts in it. Tres' brownies had nuts in them but the taste is quite nice. The brownies come with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. The dessert selection is again quite extensive and at INR 320 is priced well.
Tres has a small but decent wine selection. They have steered clear of trying to do the balancing act between offering reasonably priced Indian wines and affordable European wines which are really cooking wines being sold in India. The wines are predominantly French / Italian and are priced in the range of INR 2500-4000.
Tres is busier in the evenings. Lunch is not a big affair in Delhi which is not a surprise given that the city's businesses are up and running only around 12 noon! However, this is a double edged sword and for foodies out there who like a good meal in a quality ambience, making it to Tres for lunch might just be the best idea. Service is strictly ok and offers immense scope for improvement. I hope Tres is able to smoothen out these small rough ends sooner rather than later. In the fiercely competitive gourmet world, you don't often get a second chance. Tres is off to a flying start and I look forward to being back here.
Friends invited me to lunch and suggested the newly opened Tres in Lodhi Colony market. I initially baulked at the suggestion going only by the address. Childhood memories flashed through my mind when Lodhi Colony market used to have ten or so structured shops selling optical wear etc. The nearby Meherchand market was the go-to market for buying school books, renting fancy dress outfits for school functions and was primarily central Delhi's 'wedding market' along with Bhogal where you could hire mattresses, music systems, and 'shamianas' (bright red and green colored tents used for hosting wedding and traditional functions). You get the picture. And my friends were inviting me to Lodhi Colony market for a nice lunch? I was confused and not too inclined but the friends insisted I should check out the new revamped area for a pleasant surprise. And boy, was I surprised! Meherchand market is the new Khan market with its glitzy shops, designer boutiques and some outright swish stores. I drove onto my destination in Lodhi Colony market and well, was happy to see the ten shops still there except that now one of them houses the uber chic European eatery, Tres.
Tres (meaning three in Spanish) is a 3 month old restaurant founded by 3 chefs / restaurateurs - Jatin, Julia and Fatima. Jatin previously worked at the popular Zest restaurant in Delhi and has had cooking stints in London and Mumbai. Once inside Tres, one feels they have been transported to a Parisian cafe. Contrary to its name, Tres does not offer Spanish food. The only thing Spanish about it are the portion sizes at lunch which can qualify as tapas. On any given day, one of the three affable owners are on premises exchanging notes with their patrons. I took an immediate liking to the ambience. The cosy 50 seater eatery has been done up in shades of brown and black with a bright ceiling. The sofas are a tad soft and you tend to sink into them. Not a comfortable place when you have to have an entire meal sitting on them. A well stocked bar stands at the corner end and where the last tables are placed, you are able to get a good look at the glass paneled kitchen.
We arrived for lunch and were informed the lunch menu changes daily. Fresh ingredients, season's produce and catch of the day is important to the owner chefs and hence the daily menu change. The menu is quite exhaustive and intelligently designed. Apart from being a light meal, lunches are often kitty party affairs in Delhi where big groups like to try multiple dishes. Hence you have the menu offering small and big portions of vegetarian (INR 319 / INR 399) and non-vegetarian dishes (INR 359 / INR 419).
We started off with sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese bruschetta with caramelized onion and pickled artichokes which was simply excellent. Next to come were the garlic and parsley shrimps which were nicely done with beans on brioche in a creamy dill sauce. The chicken burgers were decent and the size is just right : 2 small burgers instead of one lumpy burger. I was a bit sceptical about seafood in landlocked Delhi but the duet of rainbow cod and sea bass fillet sounded good. And it was. One minor gripe was the fish being served with skin. I prefer it without the skin or with the skin cooked and placed as a sliver on the main fillet making it easy to peel away. We ordered thyme flavored grilled vegetables on the side (INR 99) which were strictly ok. The broccoli didn't taste fresh and in fact had a slight 'cold storage' aftertaste. The parsley roast potatoes made for a good side order though. As I mentioned above, the portion sizes are small in a good way. You can order more dishes from the expansive menu and thereby try different flavors and tastes.
For desserts, we ordered warm carrot cake which was quite nice. It had a generous smattering of dry fruits which is a rarity these days. My yardstick for measuring dessert quality is how well a place does warm chocolate brownies. I prefer my chocolate brownies to be gooey without any nuts in it. Tres' brownies had nuts in them but the taste is quite nice. The brownies come with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. The dessert selection is again quite extensive and at INR 320 is priced well.
Tres has a small but decent wine selection. They have steered clear of trying to do the balancing act between offering reasonably priced Indian wines and affordable European wines which are really cooking wines being sold in India. The wines are predominantly French / Italian and are priced in the range of INR 2500-4000.
Tres is busier in the evenings. Lunch is not a big affair in Delhi which is not a surprise given that the city's businesses are up and running only around 12 noon! However, this is a double edged sword and for foodies out there who like a good meal in a quality ambience, making it to Tres for lunch might just be the best idea. Service is strictly ok and offers immense scope for improvement. I hope Tres is able to smoothen out these small rough ends sooner rather than later. In the fiercely competitive gourmet world, you don't often get a second chance. Tres is off to a flying start and I look forward to being back here.
I like this impartialy presented review. For the prices charged, I think they are managing to be par for the course,going by what you have described. Vir Sanghvi gave a glowing opinion of this place,I hope your next meal here has bigger highlights
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