Birthday dinners are a family tradition in my house and on my birthday, we always wind up in a Japanese restaurant. Fortunately for me, my parents are quite experimental with food and once I introduced them to sushi, they too loved it. As a person who has explored most Japanese restaurants in Delhi, I was looking for a new place to go to and fortunately, 'Guppy by ai' had been making news for all the right reasons it seemed (also because I loved their logo). We decided to check it out for ourselves.
The restaurant is in the main market of Lodhi Colony. Among the few white washed shops in that market, Guppy manages to grab one's attention with its simple red window that gives a peep into a magical world.
Since we had landed there without prior reservation, we were led to the lounge area that had very interesting decor...pretty heart cut outs on the wall, manga comic prints on the sofas and origami shades on harsh lights to soften the mood. The decor was cheap but tastefully put together. If bizarre and class married, guppy was their baby.
The staff was not only pleasant but friendly and accommodating as well. We were told that all tables were occupied and it was not certain when it would be free, however, they would be happy to serve us our drinks and snacks till a table was free. Once we settled in the tiny space they called the 'Lounge', we pretty much decided to continue sitting there.
We started our evening with their mocktail (no liquor license there yet!) 'Sip Sensation.' The drink was nothing sensational but the sushis, 'Spicy salmon special roll' and 'California roll' were excellent. That set our hopes high.
The mains we had were:
1. Ai signature pork belly: beautifully flavored but very small helping for something priced at INR 900!
2. Garlic fried rice with bacon: mildly flavored and decent dish but no great shakes.
3. Karashi chicken and bacon: a type of stew in mustard sauce (the waitress informed us that Karashi means mustard in Japanese). The chicken pieces were minuscule and the stew was lightly flavored with no overwhelming flavor from mustard. I think this would have tasted better with plain rice.
4. Tiger prawn tempura udon: think of this as a Japanese thukpa. Light, flavorful broth containing very slippery noodles and fried prawns and vegetables served separately. This dish did not inspire me in any way.
We skipped dessert (for cake at home! Yay!).
The conclusion for the evening was that the food is worth a try but are quite pricy for the serving. The mocktail section could be made more interesting with a wider selection at least until they have a liquor license.
Avg. cost per person: Rs. 2000 (no alcohol)
Rating: 3.5/5
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