Coast Cafe, Delhi 01-2015

Jet Airways decided to screw my flight. After changing the Udaipur to Delhi flight time, the connecting Delhi to Varanasi was going to be missed. Given there were no options available, I started looking for last minute Delhi accommodation and things to do. The first couple of days there were quite uninspiring and even though I really wanted to see Humayun's Tomb, it wasn't such a strong force to drag me back into the heart of New Delhi.

Reading around I had to decide to either to stay at one of the most luxurious hotels Dusit Devarana near the airport or explore a lesser trodden region Hauz Khas. The reviews of the area are mixed - apparently it used to be a lovely local neighbourhood but in the last few years the more affluent have tried to be bohemian and taken over the area to be seen. As a result a lot of the local restaurants have closed down due to council enforcement.

After arriving and wandering through the deer park, Hauz Khas Village was actually a relaxing area to walk through. There isn't much traffic, smells of cooking fill the air and there's some nice shopping too. Food options in the area included Bombay bhelpuriwala, Navedyam (cheap South Indian), Desiya (moderate pan Indian), Golconda Bowl (higher end Hyderabad). In the end Coast Cafe took the honours with the reputation for excellent Malabar food in a nice setting overlooking the park.

- Fresh Orange & Basil Burst - very fresh orange juice with some basil;
- Summer Fix Masala Butter Milk (with ginger, mint leaf, green chilli) - my first experience drinking buttermilk and not one I'll do again. Intensely strong like drinking sour thin liquid fat. I can't do it;
- Appam & Egg White Appam - really interesting bread alternative with a soft yeasty shell and slight sour tang. The warm egg white froth version didn't add anything special so I wouldn't go for that again;
- Coast Cafe Prawn Moilee (Kerala prawn moilee in coconut milk) - 5 prawns cooked to retain some crunch in a delicious coconut and prawn flavoured creamy sauce. This was excellent;
- Mum's Aubergine Cokum Curry (home-style spicy Kerala curry) - 5 pieces eggplant in a relatively mild tomato curry. Although advertised as the spiciest curry, it wasn't hot;
- Sukha Mutton Fry - dry spicy mutton (but very tolerable) with a good savoury flavour and did not have a strong mutton taste;
- Malabar Paratha - very flaky and great;
- Coast Cafe Masala Cappuccino (masala chai lover's cappuccino) - a mild blend of chai and coffee.

The prices here are higher than average which reflects the upmarket setting, the upmarket clientele (for lunch it was almost all young or middle-aged Indian women dressed well) and perhaps the gourmet trend. Having said that, the food was great and I would happily come back.

Next time I would order the Prawn Moilee to eat with lots of paratha. The appam is different to try but on a second visit I'd stick to what I like. There's some other fish and meat curries on the menu I'd have also to complete the meal. I don't think the meat fries or grilled fish is necessary.

Click to add a blog post for Coast Cafe on Zomato