A small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting defines a Bistro….in normal sense but not in real sense these days…………… Nowadays a Bistro is a very well designed and architecturally made piece of marvel…… this was proved we when visited Schengen – A Deli cum Bistro in the heart of New Delhi , Malcha Marg Market……..

Starting from the entrance upto the second floor , it is so well decorated with artifacts, royal furniture and mural drawings on the walls. That it feels as if we have been transported to another world….to be precise in the colonial era……with a modernist approach…….Handmade murals on the wall were the highlight of the interiors , drawings of people having fun and chat at a bar was painted beautifully by some artist by the name of "Art Adda". Walls were also embellished with display plates made of fine Bone China, which had paintings of people, monuments and from Italy, France and Schengen countries. A beautiful gramophone was also kept at a corner which enhanced the whole look of the place……Hand made models of bicycles, rickshaws and mobikes were also showcased on the wall canopies…….I loved the brass telephone from the olden days kept as a showpiece…….Everything was done in style …….They also have a nice sun kissed terrace which is good to sit in open for soaking the sun these days.......

Interiors

Schengen is also a very popular breakfast place in the area. It serves freshest breakfast breads and lovely egg preparations like scrambled eggs with bacon, sausages , cheeses, mushrooms and rostis. They have fresh juices and whole wheat bread with muesli etc. to keep you healthy. And yes of course the other Bistro style dishes too which we were there to try for……………..

Now the Food…….

We started with Salads….. Rocket , Apple and Walnut and the other was Smoked Salmon Salad. The latter one was very good and the former was liked by my friends.  The starters we had were Spanakopita- spinach, onions , ricotta cheese pie….I liked it..It was like a roll made with Phyllo pastry….Good. The Mezze platter had good dips but was just ok. Prawns and scallops with caramelised briouche with butter garlic sauce was avoidable as per my friends but I did not try it as I am allergic to prawns. The Fish fingers were very good. The pizza with bacon, pepperoni, chicken and much more was good but too thin as per our preference. The toppings and flavors were good though. The club sandwich  non veg was very well made with bacon and ham and cheese. The pan grilled salmon with lemon tobiko cream was good but a little dry to my palette but the spicy pork ribs were good , could have been more succulent but the flavors were very good. The lamb burger was very good, with a 200 gm patty of meat which was succulent and juicy with cheese and nice bun. Stuffed grilled chicken with side of mash potatoes was good. 

Smoked Salmon Salad, Saffron and Sumac Chicken & Spanakopita

 

Caesar Salad and Mushroom & Halloumi Skweres , Fish Fingers

The dish which I enjoyed a lot was Lamb Shanks, very well braised lamb shank with ratatouille and creamy mashed potatoes. I loved it thoroughly. The tenderloin steak we ordered was good but not prepared as per our choice, it was a bit raw as per my friend’s tastes, but I liked it as I enjoy steaks which are just medium cooked.

Lamb Shanks and Tenderloin Steak

Pork Ribs, Grilled Salmon and Prawn and Scallops

The Drinks at this place are really to die for. The Bar Man was an entertainer and  a real good and talented guy. The mixes and concoctions, which he presented us with ,were fabulous. I had Vodka based drinks which were too good. He had a good knowledge about his spirits and mixed them perfectly well.

Awesome Cocktails

Last but not the least, we had the Desserts , which were the highlight of the show. We loved them all. the Chocolate fondant cake with Ice cream, the Red Velvet Cake and the Cheese cake were too good. I can bet , these were one of the best desserts we tasted lately. 

Desserts - Choco Fondant, Blueberry Cheesecake & Red Velvet Cake

I can only say that Chef Piyush Jain who has joined recently has much to do. And the best part is, he knows it and is working on it day and night. He is curating the menu and creating many more dishes and improvising things as per the theme of the restaurant that’s a bistro. He is also working on the gastronomical aspect of the food, which is in trend nowadays. The Restaurant manager Gaurav Sharma is very hospitable and his staff is in tune to him very courteous.....I wish them all the very best and look forward to our many more visits to such lovely place again…….

Terrace

Cheers !!!

Ratings are from 1 to 5***** 1 being the Lowest and 5 the Highest

Ph. 011 33105778