The Good Life

By SAUMYAA VOHRA

LOYA | DELHI

It's rare for an Indian cuisine restaurant to merit attention. Even more so when it's a restaurant serving North Indian fare, a breed of which there is truly no dearth of in the capital. And yet, despite the cuisine being one of the most popular, we can count the ones that warrant repeat visits on one hand-two, if we're being generous. Loya, the new Indian concept restaurant at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, promises to make that shortlist. To the discerning diner, there's always a sense of expectation when a restaurant opens up at a beloved hotel-because some of the city's culinary stalwarts find homes in them. The North Indian Loya spans the regions of the north from the Himalayas to Punjab, Kashmir, and beyond, curating a menu that comes as close to authentic as it can while remaining polished. Time-honoured cooking techniques will find their way into the preparation of your meals, like dungaar (smoking), slow cooking, baghar (tempering spices in hot oil), and sigdi (cooking over an open fire), with masalas pounded with a mortar and pestle, just like in your grandmother's kitchen. Worth a bookmark for your next family evening out.

AWAY SPA | VAGATOR, GOA