Behind Dark Glasses

Touted as Delhi’s first "shades and steak" restaurant, this is the kind of trendy joint, located at Delhi’s most exclusive shopping destination, where "cool" people like to meet for lunch, perhaps after some retail therapy at the nearby shop run by Blanco’s owners—Dayal Opticals, with its dazzling array of designer shades. Spread over a couple of floors, Blanco tries hard to look chic—white Rexine sofas, white wrought iron chairs, circular mirrors with neon backdrops. Blinded (and in need of shades!), we escape to the small but cosy balcony and study the menu which has a Far East bias, with a smattering of Italian dishes, grills and sandwiches. The banana leaf-wrapped Malaysian fish, where each herb makes a mark, is excellent; the Devil’s Platter has some fried chicken that would put KFC to shame, while the pepper-encrusted sole is tasty. From here on, it’s downhill all the way. The asparagus and wasabi cheese wraps lack even a suspicion of wasabi. The lemon is missing from the spaghetti with lemon and rocket, while the Singapore Devil Curry is terrible—leathery pork drowned in spices. The Miss Saigon salad is best described as kimchi on a bed of crispy noodles. Blanco tries hard to be everything for everyone—but flops as miserably as its "house specialty" Philly Lemon Cheesecake. The good folk at Dayal Opticals should forget the steaks and stick to shades.