A Taste Of Modern European Cuisine

If you take great pleasure in tasting and exploring new foods, Mesa at Lodhi offers a selection of elaborate tapas and an innovative a la carte menu, which will leave you with an unforgettable dining experience. Infusing classic European dishes with an array of ingredients and cooking techniques, and reinventing all-time favourites, take diners on a delicious culinary journey. Sandeep Namboodiry, Chef-Patron of Mesa, has meticulously crafted a menu that is designed to surprise, delight, and challenge the palate. Showmanship plays a major role in service; from tasting menus that showcase creativity to themed dining experiences, interaction with the chef, sharing your own experiences of tasting ingredients in countries of origin, and learning about trivia associated with the food on the plate.

They collectively form a gastronomical sensation for diners, based on creating a memorable, sensorial experience, aimed to redefine what it means to dine out.

The culinary wonder @Mesa

Mesa, Aerocity is a state-of-the-art trend-setting restaurant started in 2019, and a favourite hangout for wine enthusiasts and food lovers. Its success prompted the launch of its second branch, Mesa Lodhi, in January 2024. Located at the Lodhi Colony Market, the heart of Delhi’s most sought-after gourmet destinations, Mesa Lodhi has gained popularity for its innovative take on sophisticated European dishes that are suited for the Indian palate.

Authentic European cooking style, techniques, presentation, and the use of special ingredients like a variety of European cheeses, cured and fresh meat, like Belgian pork, lamb from New Zealand, and regional spices and herbs from across the globe, when combined with fresh local ingredients, come together to create an elevated dining experience in a relaxed setting, with a playlist as interesting and fun as the food on offer. The ambience is complimentary to the concept of the food offered. There is a subtle artistry that combines the presentation, style, and final plate.

Rising Trend of Healthy Eating

With more and more people opting for healthy diets, Mesa adapts to modern trends and customized meals keeping in mind healthy options like gluten- free, plant-based, sugar-free options, and uses air frying techniques based on customers’ preferences. The

restaurant prefers farm-fresh, organic, and wholesome, high-quality ingredients based on seasonality that are ethically sourced. The cooking method is innovative. Mesa explores the use of multiple techniques, layering ingredients, creating textures, and infusing flavours inspired by nature while creating food that is a work of art.

A Wine-based Cuisine

Countries like Italy and France are among the pioneers of wine and food pairing. Chef Sandeep and Anam Kalsia, the maître d’hôtel at Mesa Lodhi, believe that cuisine and wine go hand in hand. At Mesa Lodhi, pairing food with wine enhances, enriches, and highlights many tastes and flavours. Customers can select wines by the glass from an extensive selection of wines, which are then dispensed from a machine. As Anam explains, the wine-preserving machines employ advanced technology, utilising nitrogen to flush and seal open wine bottles. This process effectively safeguards the quality of the wine and prevents it from spoiling for an extended period of three to four weeks after opening a bottle. Serving wine dispensed directly from the bottle reduces the cost of ordering fine-quality wine by the glass over delectables.

Signature Wine and Tapas Tasting Menu

Influenced by European cuisine, tapas - an elegant yet fanciful cuisine inspired by art and ingredients and served in tasting proportions - is a major attraction of the restaurant. The experience is all about ordering multiple plates and sharing them with friends while savouring with wines that match the intensity and richness of the meal. Flavours of food are known to awaken certain notes and flavours in wines, which is where the art of pairing comes in.

For Anam and Chef Sandeep, it is not just about a dish on the plate, but a slice of the culture and history of the people, and the country’s food identity.

Duck Éclair

If you think the words ‘chocolate’ and ‘eclair’ belong exclusively in the same sentence, then Mesa Lodhi’s Duck Éclair will surprise you. The savoury eclair, with its umami flavour, filled with a mixture of spicy plum sauce and duck meat, is a riot. A must-try for those who love to duck in.

Farm to Table

A vegetarian delight put together in the form of a ratatouille. The dish comprises fresh organic vegetables with very few ingredients to enhance the taste and goodness of the vegetables, presented in the form of a plant.

Cured Salmon Salad

A delicious recipe of cured salmon that is elegant and fresh goes well with a glass of good sparkling wine. The salad plate is a perfect seafood starter that raises the bar of expectation for the main course.

Blue Cheese Baklava

An impeccable savoury dish, Blue Cheese Baklava elevates your culinary experience as the soft, creamy blue cheese complements the crunchy, flaky, and light baklava. The Middle Eastern sweet dish has been impeccably crafted into an appetiser that pairs perfectly with wine and other beverages.

Chef’s Tapas and Wine Tasting Menu

The best way to sample the Mesa experience. Eight signature tapas are paired with four glasses of premium wines. The experience is designed to allow guests to embark on a culinary voyage around the world, one bite at a time.

Disclaimer: The above is a contributor post, the views expressed are those of the contributor and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.