A calm, serene and beautifully Turkish
ambience greets you as you enter Baris. A delightful modern interpretation of
the turquoise and Mediterranean style arches, the interiors instantly put you
in a good mood. It’s a relaxing vibe, perfect for a much-needed break from the
bustling city life outside.
The rich rugs, wall art and especially the
lamps, add to the feel of the place.
The place also has a beautiful terrace,
which is bustling with people especially during the sultry Delhi summer evenings.
Arjun Toor who is one of the working partners took us through the concept and
the thought behind the place and the food. The best part is they have an expat
chef who is of Turkish origin.
We just relaxed and left everything on the chef,
and mind it we were not at all disappointed. The meal started with a sour and
tangy shot, a palate cleanser, which was just about ok for us. But the very
next creation just made us drool. The Shefin Salatsi was amazing, rocket leaves
rolled in cucumber drizzled with fig vinaigrette over thin and juicy sauteed
lamb slices topped with goat cheese.
Next was the Chilled Mezze Platter which
had lovely dips like the ever so common hummus ( as per me it was a no garlic
hummus which is rather unusual for us), Aeli Ezmi ( tomato, chillies and herbs
in oil) kind of a salsa. The yoghurt based dip Haydari was nice and just like
the Tzatziki. I loved the Beetroot Labneh which was sweet and yummy. Dont miss
the Yaprak Serma, wine leaves stuffed with rice, nuts and black currants.
Baris has a great selection of Hot Mezze too,
Chef served us a platter which consisted of a Hummus bin Dujaj (chicken crusted with spices like sumac,
cumin etc), Manti which a Buff Turkish dumpling served over a yoghurt dip. Lamb
Kibbeh a lamb mince and burgul kebab which was a bit dry for my palate. The
cigar Bourke which was like a spring roll #crispy from outside but soft and
cheesy inside was nice. Felafil was nice but not the best, which I have tried
many a times but the Spinach Fatayer was really good, it was a triangular
pastry stuffed with spinach, feta and pine nuts.
We also tried one or two kebabs like the
Istanbul Kebab, which was a lamb Seekh and was wonderfully made. Though we
missed on many of them as the selection is vast and can’t be tried all in one
visit.
A must have is the Turkish Pizza or Pide as
they call it. An oval shaped pizza with folded corners crusted with sesame and
topped with your choice of meat and other things. We had the Lamb pepperoni
one, it was amazing I must admit as the yummy flavours were just bursting in mouth,
the toasted sesame elevated this to a new level altogether.
In the mains, we tried the Kuzu Incik, the
lamb shank cooked with pomegranates and tomatoes and served on a bed of saffron
rice. Melt in the mouth, aromatic and delicious.
The piece de resistance, however…the
desserts. Baklava to dies for! Sweet sweet flaky pastry with pistachios,
walnuts, mangoes…just pure heaven. Yes, they are tad too sweet for the
conscious palate, but then that’s how baklava is done. Best to eat it the
traditional way. The fig tiramisu was another surprise that we quite loved.
On the whole, a meal that was infinitely
satisfying, very clean and light on us and something worth repeating.
BARIS
Building 3, Local Shopping Complex,
Mazjid Moth, Greater Kailash (GK) 3, New Delhi
Review By : Vickrham (vicky)
Co- Reviewer : Sonalini Chaudhary
Pics By : Vickrham (vicky)