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Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Janpath, New Delhi

If you cross the Windsor roundabout on the busy Ashoka Road in India's capital and move towards the Janpath road, right next to Hotel Le Meridian you see a small building almost covered with big huge trees. On the ground floor of this building is situated one of Delhi's finest eating places - Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, the only Jiggs Kalra branded restaurant in the region.


On a hot Sunday afternoon, I set out to discover this place and to understand and experience its food. For those who don't about Jiggs Kalra, well he is an iconic chef, one of the most well-known culinary experts in the country. His son runs the popular food brand Farzi Cafe and Masala Library besides other food outlets. Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra first opened in Mumbai in October 2013. Since then the brand has undergone various transformations and innovations.


The basic idea the team here has adopted is to look for basic Indian food and flavors and adapt them with postmodern and post molecular techniques. What you get is truly experimental and unique dishes which are so innovative, you might not even have heard or imagined them like this. Like the open-ended samosa or the slight Madhur vada, each dish is well-crafted and thoughtfully designed and presented.


The best way to experience the culinary treat here is by going for the Chef's special tasting menu. It is a 19 course, extensive menu with inbuilt options for dishes (the initial snacks are fixed). It becomes all the better if you pair it with recommended wines for an additional cost. The wine collection is extensive and the sommelier picks up 6 fine wines to go with the food and compliments its flavors.

The Ala carte menu is an extension of the items on the tasting menu and can be tried by those in rush. For the 19-course tasting menu can only be relished, if you are ready to unwind, relax and leave the food and beverage decisions to the experts at ML. 

The menu started off with snacks like madhur vada, street papadums, airy ram ladoo and farmer's staple (basically a millet roti with caramelized onions and white butter).

These were followed by mushroom chai, galouti kebab sheermar and curry leaf prawns. Among the other items I relished were the Naga Pork, celery and chicken thupka, Telangana pepper lamb and gunpowder mash.

My love for sweet dishes was fully satiated with jalebi caviar, ashen kulfi and bhappa doi. What I did not realize was that they had a surprise up on their sleeves with a contraption to use magnetic forces and present Belgian Chocolate Truffle in the most tempting way ever.

Take some time off, leave all your worries at the door, sit back and spend good quality time at Masala Library. This one is not to be rushed or missed.
Masala Library Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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