By Purabi Shridhar 

Fio Cookhouse&Bar not only makes a perfect picture but comes packed with mood play ambience and delectable menu 

There’s something magical about stepping into Fio Cookhouse & Bar at the busy Epicuria Mall, Nehru Place, Delhi.  In an instant the city buzz evaporates and one is whisked away to a spacious, sophisticated but subtle, suave yet with a hint of homey world. The alfresco dining area with its pebbled patio and frangipanis, leads to the interiors that spells creativity with individuality. 

The two sections –the restaurant and the lounge-bar share an instant eye-catching wall-to-wall library that morphs into a liquor cabinetry, a culinary library and a food cabinetry. The enormous glass windows bringing in the outdoors, the indoor ambience that moves from day cheer to evening soulful add up to a unique experience. It’s gives overall a sense and experience of discreet luxury that emanates from inherent, impeccable taste. The feeling is one of, to-the- manor-born, simply luxurious and classy.  

Fio Cookhouse&Bar has two menus – a compact lunch and an elaborate dinner menus. The cuisine is modern European, with a tilt towards Italian, and contemporary Indian. If the bar list is impressive, so is the mocktail menu. We pick Apple Jack, apple and ginger, and Hot Wire with berries, Limca and crushed ice. Like the play of ambience moods the first is subtle and soothing and the latter perky and zingy. We begin with the Cookhouse salad- goat cheese, cherry tomato quenellas, snow peas, corn, green apple, baby greens, fig and herb dressing – wholesome and appetizing. From the small plates it’s Phylo Tazza (artichokes, mushroom, caramelized onions and goat cheese in crispy Phylo cups) and Spit Fired Grilled Chicken with stone ground sundried tomato pesto and peri peri sauce served with salad. If the Phylo Tazza was a melting creamy medley, the Spit Fired Grilled Chicken was finger licking dynamite!

From the mains it was Garganelli- handmade rolled tubes, cured cheese, roasted tomatoes and white onions (incidentally all pasta are made in house), Olive Crusted Rawas and Roasted Hunter Chicken. If the Garganelli proved the virtuosity of traditional Italian cuisine with the perfect treatment, the Olive Crusted Rawas with the grilled Indian Salmon, couscous salad, baked aubergine and salsa verde was a subtle delight. The Roasted Hunter Chicken with baked creamy layered potato, thyme and orange jus was robust and redolent with flavours and texture.  It was curtains down with Banoffee Jar, toffee cream and caramel bananas served in a jar. A typical and very welcome twist again!

Address: Epicuria Mall, Nehru Place, New Delhi, India- 110019

Contact: +911126281026 +919899228666

Hours of operation: 11 am – 1am