It takes a lot to impress the well travelled food connoisseurs of Delhi. It must begin from the entrance, to the food  and to good music. You will also be judged on the  decor, the presentation of the dishes, the cutlery, the music and the bathrooms, the chef behind the amazing dishes, the bartender and the DJ behind the console. Nothing less of the best will work. The fairly new La Roca fits the bill in all aspects especially if I have to entertain a hotelier and friend associated with super luxe jungle lodge.

Conceptualised by Dinesh Arora and located in the up and coming Worldmark Towers where many new hip brand have chosen to showcase their brands and outlets La Roca is Aarestaurant that offers multi-sensorial dining-out experience to New Age Indians - millennials who are global citizens anchored in the Indian ethos.

"I had always wanted to develop a product that reflected my extensive travels and experiences," says Dinesh Arora. "La Roca allows me to do so." A successful entrepreneur and Managing Director, Eastman Colour Restaurants, Arora is also the creator of the super-hit nightlife brand Unplugged Courtyard and the global vegetarian cuisine restaurant, Swad.

The 100 plus seater with its Spanish décor and an enviable bar (the cocktails match the variety of exotic bottles displayed on the bar shelf) and amazing display of 3D and led lights is the place to be seen in the capital. The vibe is warm with the wooded corners, bar with low arched ceilings that gives you the feel of taverns heightened with chandeliers that look abstract and contemporary, its a place where you can zone in to your comfort zone. At least that was the vibe I felt.

The menu doesn't disappoint you from octopus (quite rare to Delhi where only a few actually relish the real sea food, not counting the basa and the salmon grills)  to churros you can have it all. From very specific Japanese dishes, to Spanish to Italian to Indian to Thai you will find it all in the menu as interpreted by the young chef Arvind Bharti.

So we began with platters of good looking vegetarian and non vegetarian sushis, jumbo friend prawns and kebabs as starters followed by beetroot and kale salad with goad cheese that actually too pretty to meddle with let alone eat it. It was soon chased with delicious and very rare to find in Delhi, perfectly cooked pork ribs (I have only had one at Johnson Cafe in Manali recently that was so delicious that it left me wanting for more). My Phillipino hotelier friend too found it very tasty, there was chicken in red Thai curry with hot steaming rice, tres leches and mushroom rissotto as well. We finished it with the inevitable churros and some ice cream.

The portions are large and apart from the above mentioned dishes the ones to be tried here are the salmon with kasundi, biryani and calamari bhel. Also the restaurant makes it easy with options like small, large and sharing portions. The restaurant gives you lots to share to taste and take home the memories to cherish.

BY ARATI THAPA

Beetroot and Kale with goat cheese

Tres Leches

Dinesh Arora