Restaurant Review: Pluto's Platinum Lounge, Delhi

Located in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, the restaurant, which opened last year and which is part of a 42-room hotel of the same name, is a favourite spot not just among the locals but also among tourists coming from abroad.

"The concept of Pluto's Platinum lounge is to provide quality food and comfort to our customers. It a one-stop destination where you can have dinner with your family or enjoy a drink at our lounge," restaurant owner Mrinal Khatri told IANS.

Why Vasant Kunj to open the restaurant?

"Earlier we had Sahara Kitchen in the same area but due to space issues we could not expand our restaurant. So we built up Platinum Lounge that can accommodate around 200 people at a time. Also. the land where the restaurant has been built belongs to us. We could comfortably utilise the area for our restaurant," added Khatri who also drew up the menu.

The restaurant serves Indian, Mughlai, Continental, Lebanese and Chinese cuisine prepared under the guidance of eight well-trained chefs.

The two-storeyed restaurant offers a simple yet elegant look, with comfortable sofas in the lounge section and fine dining seating in the restaurant section.

The interiors have been designed by Khatri himself.

As I placed myself comfortably on a large sofa in the lounge section, I was served the signature welcome drink: Sangria - red wine blended with apple flavour and diced apple to beat the soaring weather.

Baffled by what to choose from the diverse menu, I decided to settle for the signature dishes as suggested by Khatri, who added that the menu would be customised from next month.

I started off with dahi ke sholay - crisp, fried bread pieces stuffed with curd, onion and tomatoes.

Then came assorted non-veg starters. The mutton galouti kebabs were so soft and tender that they melted instantly the moment I had them. Nizami fish tikka was another superb offering, marinated with some finger-licking masalas. The murg tikka was delicate mouth-watering pieces of kebab coated with a thick layer of butter and cream.

Taking care of veggie lovers, the menu has starters like cheese corn fries, palak makai kebab and tandoori aloo kebab stuffed with cottage cheese, peanuts and raisins and garnished with sesame seeds and coriander leaves.

Once the starters were over, I was served with a selection of the signature main course: mutton rogan josh, paneer lababedar, chicken butter masala and Pluto's speciality, daal sar with naan and lachha parantha.

While the rogan josh had a slight tangy taste that enhanced the mix of tomato puree, ginger and coriander with juicy meat pieces, the paneer lababedar was a bit sweet in taste, cooked with loads of butter and cream.

However, chicken butter masala and daal sar stood out from the rest.

The taste of butter chicken hinted that the delicate chicken pieces were cooked in cashew paste and butter with utmost detail.

I finished the main course with daal sar - very different from common dal tadka. The strong taste of garlic and fennel seeds made it evident why the dish is an extremely popular one.

In the end, the dessert - coconut rolls served with vanilla ice-cream - was a refreshing choice.

Overall, an unforgettable experience I must say.

For cricket lovers, the restaurant will have special offers during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season and a fruit cocktail festival next month.

FAQs:

Cost for two: Rs.2,000 (including alcohol)

Location: Vasant Kunj, B Block, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg.

Nearest Metro station: Chhattarpur

Timings: Open 24X7