Disclaimer: The ride is perfectly capable of taking you on a culinary journey in 80 minutes, but the longer you stay, the stronger the affair.
Public Affair has a new menu, and as soon as this news hit the DSSC radar, we peddled off to get a taste of the capital’s latest culinary outing. This Khan Market gem has poured more tipples than we can count and is a constant for ‘em raging hooch nights. However, this once we took a detour from their pours, and picked up the silverware to bring to you a slice of their revamped food explorations.
The new menu is a milieu of cuisines from across the world, from Thai to Peruvian, from Italian to Japanese, you name it and they have a dish from that corner of the world. Taking the experimentation a notch higher, Corporate Chef Augusto and his accomplices Executive Chef Bhasker and Executive Sous Chef Himani have also blended the diverse cuisines together, bringing to the table some ace fusion fare. As Chef Augusto shares, “My team has a very strong influences from Italian, Mediterranean, and Oriental cuisine & culture. So, we keep on researching on flavours from across the globe to make our food better.”
Hoisin Chili Chicken Wings
Waiting no further to set sail upon this bold menu, we greeted the Spicy Salmon Ceviche as our opening act of the evening. Salmon and sweet potato cubes, corn, onion, chia seeds, and herbs arrived sitting in a pool of coconut-flavoured reduced milk, serving up a Peruvian dish with a Thai twist. The salmon was fresh and succulent, of course great when eaten on its own, but dip it in the milk and pop it in along with all the toppings and you’ll see (taste) the fish like never before. The ingredients on this plate come together for the perfect balance of sweet & sea, and soft with the perfect crunch. Although ready for an encore, we chose to bookmark it for our next visit, and save space for more dishes for the night. With that thought we welcomed the Crab Wonton Salad with Lychee, set in a crispy wonton basket, the crab meat and lychee come paired with shallots, coriander, herbs, and spicy mayo. While the crab and lychee duo take you to a worldly palate, the cracker of a basket and spicy mayo bring you closer home, once again showcasing their blend game.
Up next were the Hoisin Chili Chicken Wings. Sitting in front of us on a sieve with charcoal keeping them warm from under, the humble chicken wings had gone through a makeover. With the charcoal adding a subtle dimension of smokiness to the succulent meat, these wings achieved the rare feat of flavour going beyond the top layer glazing. Excited to find our new go-to place for chicken wings, the Cha Soba Vegetables was the next dish that bowl-ed us away. With bell peppers, chicken, sprouts, and cha soba noodles, the hero of this dish was the the cha soba – buckwheat noodles infused with green tea. If you’re looking at an indulgent healthy fix, this recommendation ranks high on the scribbles.
Tamarind Spare Ribs
The grand finale to our excursion culinaire were the Tamarind Spare Ribs. Pork that falls off the bone at the slightest probe, tamarind sauce adding the desired sweet hints to the meat, with sautéed vegetables on the side to boot, the kitchen had found fans in us. As we couldn’t help but rave about the quality of the meats we tried, Chef Augusto chipped in that they focus on empowering each ingredient they use, which means that the quality is always top notch – be it the pork from Belgium, Salmon from Scotland, or Lamb Chops from New Zealand. With that we were ready to tuck into dessert, the Peanut Butter & Oreo Tart. Although the dessert options don’t necessarily heed to the same experimental nature of the main course menu, the options promise to bring you comfort.
DSSC Top Tip: While our entourage didn’t try it, the Salmon and Truffle Ceviche & Quinoa Salad were quite the hot cakes (aka must try) on a bunch of tables around us.
Head over to Public Affair, 67-68, Middle Lane, Khan Market New Delhi and lose wallet weight equivalent to Rs. 3,500 for two (approx.).
