It may look like a sleepy residential neighbourhood with overlarge vehicles, yet the main market in M Block, Greater Kailash 2, is quite the mover and shaker in Delhi’s restaurant scene.
Among the latest arrivals here is Med Quarters, serving a cuisine whose popularity is growing by the minute in Delhi. It is, however, a venture far more ambitious than other new entrants; we haven’t seen any other standalone restaurant open with five floors of hospitality space. Sports lounge (Stadia), restaurant, party zone (Ibeezza), private parlour and terrace (Sky Beach) – those are the five levels at Med Quarters. Set on separate floors, they all feel private enough, yet all have advantage of being served from the main restaurant menu. The décor is cool whitewashed walls, intimate lighting, large silk cushions in jewel colours and, in the restaurant and the lounge, one ornate mirror that instantly adds glamour.
What Med Quarters promises is Mediterranean food “with a twist here and there” – from the names on the menu, it may appear predominantly Greek, but true Med cuisine encompasses a much greater region, and has a fair representation here, as a little inspection reveals. The baked feta cheese salad with walnuts, mixed veggies and a lemon garlic dressing was extremely appetising. The barbequed pumpkin wedges on spinach salad could have done with some more of the delicious pumpkin and a little less spinach, but it would go down well with lovers of leafy greens. We did, of course, have the pita-hummus platter that’s practically a ritual at a Med meal. It was good enough for us to ask for a second helping. The restaurant has several mezze platters, including the MQ Grand Sampler (Rs 1,500) that we suspect could serve as dinner for two.
One of the items with a ‘twist’ was the Mediterranean devilled eggs. This popular European party snack is not often served in India, and hardly ever found on a restaurant menu in this country. (There is a Kolkata street food version of the ‘egg devil’, in which the whole egg is sliced open, filled, then rolled in crumbs and deep fried – one sampling of this is guaranteed to kill one’s appetite for anything else.) At Med Quarters, the fillings in the devilled eggs were flavoured with olive and capers, whereas a ‘classic’ recipe might have mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
For the main course, we chose the lemon pepper fish, thick fillets served with sides of vegetables. The light whiff of lemon pepper enhanced the taste of the fish rather than overpower it. It would be nice accompanied by some white wine, though I had chosen a rum-based cocktail.
We’re happy to report that the servings at Med Quarters were generous – so much so that we, two small eaters, had to skip dessert. It was a nice discovery after many expensive meals where the prices did not match the portions. When it’s less cold, we’re heading for the terrace.
Address: Med Quarters, M 51, Main Market, Greater Kailash Part 2, New Delhi, Tel: 011-4556 7777, 8447872228
Cost for two: Rs 1,500 without alcohol