Fresh Cocktails & Contemporary Designer Bar is another dimension to eating out — Parallel
Well, about Khan market, remains the fact that — eateries and other places need to be great and nothing else. In the middle of few of the most pompous like Town Hall and hot cakes from the likes of The Big Chill Cafe and SodabottleOpenerWala, comes a new entrant.
Parallel is keen and bright, the flight to the first floor single floor dining space me suggest otherwise but unlike most of the places it is a breathable, as the first impression is of an expansive, no nonsense diner, stripped down to the barest and liveliest ambience, it wants you to focus on what you have come in for, good food and cocktails!
From the very first impression, the place is extremely unassuming. With white walls and a maze like structure going around holding lights in place, the set up is bracingly new.
The menu presented on a simple board clearly lists out food and drinks with simple notes to familiarise and explain the items. It would have been just perfect if it also mentioned the allergens as well.
Abhiram, who owns this place, a production engineer, doubles up as the mixologists and also picks up the menu that has been a reflection of travels in and around Europe and States, not to miss, does also speak volumnously of what is the city trending on. Neither the pantry has put fresh produce on the foreground or neither it talks of any authenticated recipes however Parallel does put a display of clean tastes and heady cocktails that keep you in your seat for a considerable amount of time.
“The Brunch” a spritzer with right amount of lime and does not necessarily be only a summer drink, as thyme reminds us of the good onset of winter thanksgiving turkey. On the other hand the tibetan mule, more than a mule is a de-constructed, sour with candied ginger and bitters of orange. The flavours boasts of preserves, all homemade and extremely aromatic.
Two things that make the place a different delight apart from the repeated likings on the cocktails is one the simplicity of the flavors and second the personal take on the compotes and chutneys that go on almost everything.
The food is balanced and is kept so to compliment the drinks. To begin with, was the roast peppers, spinach and blue cheese salad. Well as you read the menu you think of it as a light, peppery and salty salad with bitters of spinach, however comes a super bowl of berry relish, candied walnuts(operative term being the candy) and sizeable portion of greens you would not expect.
Personally, when I hear of balsamic and honey in adressing you think of a light drizzle as both come as potently dominant flavors, there was a lot happening with the salad, I would have loved my peppers and spinach crunchy and would have just been happy with honey and balsamic, not missing much of the berry sauce.
The tacos on the other hand are winners, whether them being vegetarian ones or just good plain pulled pork, the man/woman behind those soft shelled delights have done a great job, the greens came crunchy, the murraba relish on point, and panch foran (indian whole spice mix) inspired pulled pork with curry leaves and boondi raita toppings was just good plain impressive. This was just as good of a mid day story as our experience so far as we tried the mains from the lamb shank, rested in 12 hours of Jamun juice and mash.
It was was one of the best lamb that is being eaten in Delhi in recent times with the original flavours intact, with herbs and chive flavored mash. Lamb shank at Parallel is the ultimate comfort food!
What worked the best was the baked chenna, yogurt style cottage cheese with indian curry spices with red wine sauce. This was another insight into how the menu is a designed to win hearts and impress the select few who like no flashy presentations but hearty food which is modern and appealing to a wider taste palate. The pillowy cheese bake is worth a second shot as well.
We closed out our meal with a sweetened old fashion with jaggery and clove bitters and a cold mulled wine, another brunch drink with star anise and other warm spices. ‘Cold Mulled Wine’ a citrus punch with red wine, do not expect it to be dense and full bodied like how mulled wine is to fizzy you up warm but more like a weather inspired prespiration drink.
Expected the Masala tea pudding to be a little more warmer and moist however it did miss a sweet spot of a good reminiscence for chai as we popularly know it and expect it to be, an easy slip and would not have second guesses to write it off.
However Parallel is not a disappointing one, rather a bright unassumingly cheerful place for cocktails and brunches! The mixed respones get accredited to the teething time of this refreshingly new place, Heena(the gracious host! ) and team is all set to set a new trend of bright places with intelligent food and some exciting cocktails, adding to the trend that we all want to follow. Parallel is the answer to all the calls that we wanted to have more options for the next generation bars in the town. Happy, gay and on repeat fresh.
