Restaurant Review: Smoke House Deli, Khan Market

Ever heard the popular homily: Smile, it doesn't cost much? Well, the guys at Smoke House Deli (SHD) have clearly not only heard about it but have also decided to apply it. So, when on a April afternoon we enter the place we are greeted by the maître d' with a smile , seated with a smile and served with a smile. Get what I am trying to say?- that they pretty much know how to apply another adage: Well begun is half done.

Our table for two faces the glass windows spanning one full wall. From the first floor the view through the sparklingly clean glass windows is of tall trees full of fresh baby green April leaves.The wall on our left has lovely sepia tinted frames of Lord and Lady Mountbatten. Very near to these two is one of  JawaharLal Nehru ( but naturally). There is a nice one of Khuswant Singh too. The piece de resistance ,however, is a slim rectangular frame with beautifully calligraphed lines of  poetry.

We order a smoked carrot and ginger vichyssoise soup( 190/-), the SHD signature burger( 440/ ) and wild mushroom and artichoke crepes gratin( 480 /-). The server whisks away the menus and places before us a well arranged bread basket with a dish containing a pat of butter. The croissants look  fresh but the aunt and I stick to the soup sticks. The soup is just what a good soup should be- light, with a lingering taste of fresh herbs. The burger is huge - thankfully we were going half on it -and great on taste. The best for me ,however was the gratin. The crepes, stuffed with wild mushroom and artichokes, were  arranged on a shallow plate and covered with a cream cheese sauce.

After every course someone from the staff would come to the table to find out if everything was o.k, if we were liking the food etc . SHD definitely steps up the PR quotient for the other restaurants. We rounded up the meal with a ' baked yoghurt of the day'.  The dessert was comsi comsa- slighter sweeter than what one looks for in a baked yoghurt and with an indeterminate flavour.

Will I go back to SHD? definitely. For the lovely interiors, for the food and ofcourse, for the smiling exteriors!