OLIVE BAR AND KITCHEN

For the good life and watching people who live it

 

Somebody gift me this chandelier. Please?

  

When I was in first grade I lived in Hyderabad which threatens never to become much of a metropolitan. Apart from a smattering of self appointed “five star” hotels there were few stand alone restaurants that had evolved beyond serving biryani and/or chow mein. The one my parents chose most often was an Udipi place called Shanbag. We would turn up on Sunday evenings and watch the waiters scramble like the place was on fire. The only way to get a seat was to find an acquaintance and relieve them of their table when they were done.
 

I don’t really remember the menu but I think I ordered the Masala Dosa each time. In about 45 minutes we would be fed and shipped out. I don’t recall any options for dessert. It didn’t seem that kind of place.
 

It sure as hell didn’t have anything that could be considered décor. Utilitarian tables and chairs were squeezed in to accommodate as many people as possible without totally jamming the place up. There were 2 sections. Air conditioned. And not. These were identical except for a temperature difference of about 2 degrees. The walls were a pallid blue and I can’t remember a singular decorative object there.
 

We moved to Delhi eventually and things started getting fancier. As a pre-teen I was completely enamored with the KFCs, Mc Donalds’ and Nirulas’ where my friends were having their birthday parties. Dominoes had started delivering pizzas. Coke was coming in family packs. It was a wild time.
 

When I walk into Olive I realize how much has changed since I was 12. In about a dozen years we have become capable of flamboyance few had imagined, our food horizons have exploded and the diversity of options we have today border on ludicrous.
 

Even the most sheltered and conservative palates are eating out all the time, blowing cash on different cuisines and cooking eclectic, global food at home. Of course this argument is limited by a lot of factors, yes only a few are eating all this while the rest are where they were, if not worse. Yes, Indian food has molded and left an imprint on every food that has tried to make inroads into our great country's palate and every menu is filled with bastards like tandoori pizza and aloo tikki burger. But still. Look how far we’ve come.
 

Olive was not the harbinger of all this or for that matter in any way responsible for this seismic shift in Indian eating but it is a pretty good representative of this gastronomical roller coaster we’re all on.

 

 

LOOKS LIKE

I know I’ve gushed about how beautiful Cheri is. While Cheri’s décor is marked by a classic, elegant, neutral luxe palette Olive a lot younger, more fashion forward and on trend. The pops of bright colour, the modern, innovative furniture, the crazy retro fabrics and patterns set against a spacious building and its beautiful green courtyard. This is a gorgeous restaurant.

Melon with Pate and Apple Caviar

TASTES LIKE

I went for the Sunday Brunch and the quantity and quality of food they’re offering is really just nuts. There are counters for grilled vegetables, meat, seafood, pasta, wood oven fired pizza, Lebanese, salads and Churros. Don’t miss the Churros they’re epic. There’s also a large collection of exotic small bites – salmon with apple caviar, anyone? And of course, breads, cheeses, desserts and so on and so forth.  

 

I ate too much of too many things to be able to offer comments on each. The Olive’s adopted a shock and awe approach to their menu and there’s too much going on to quibble. I do appreciate the chef’s menu choices – alternating familiar, filling foods with things you wouldn’t expect. There’s a lot of jazz and glitter and over-finessing but a good quantity of solid, simple, unadorned dishes to actually fill you up. Also, this is one of the few Sunday Brunches with healthy, low cal options for people trying to stick to a diet or just eat better.
 

The other thing I loved and I’m saving the best for last, was the consistency in the quality of dishes. In that smorgasbord of choice, not everything blew my mind but there was a standard that Olive didn’t let itself fall below. This might be their greatest accomplishment considering how few competing establishments manage this.

 

 

fEELS LIKE

You’re going to be surrounded by the city’s prettiest people so prepare yourself for some Delhi’s young (not so young) and restless. They fill tables quite quickly so you might want to reserve one for yourself in advance. You may not have their branded bags or expensive cars but if you have the good sense to get Brown Paper Bag’s Coup Card (which I have been going on and on about) you will have the small consolation that your bill is going to be 15% less than theirs.
  

The waiters are perfectly polite but often overwhelmed. Orders got confused, wrongly delivered and there was one pizza that just got forgotten. A silly thing to have to point out.

 

 

Should you go: Yes! But it’s expensive.

Vegetarian Options: Yes

Liquor License: Yes

Smoking Area: Yes

Address: One Style Mile, Haveli 6, Kalka Das Marg, Mehrauli

Phone: +91 9810235472, 011 29574444