Amaranta

Amaranta is one of those fantasic restaurants in the city no one actively talks about, but we all know it's waiting for us with a menu full of scrumptious offerings, prepared with care, love and obsession - the three attributes one has come to expect (and appreciate) of The Oberoi Group of Hotels. We went there for lunch on Sunday, and were greeted with a warm, COVID Protocol compliant welcome. All the servers were wearing face shields, masks and gloves. We were handed envelopes to store our masks safely - a gesture I absolutely love. We were short on time so ordered the main course only - their version of Butter Chicken, which is four types of chicken served with the gravy on the side, and a Lamb Biryani, which was prepared South Indian (but not Hyderabadi) style. Before our order was served, we were treated with a bread basket featuring Amaranta's take on a Focaccia, Soft Bun and Pasty Puff, served with Gunpowder, Curry Leaf Powder and Olive Oil. The breads were truly impressive - fresh and flavourful. An excellent start to the afternoon. The Butter Chicken (or Dilli as they call it here) served at Amaranta is one of my absolute favourite foods. It's always on point, the smoked Chicken, the Chicken Kofta, the popcorn chicken and the chicken strips come together with their fresh, rich gravy to offer, what I believe, is amongst the best standalone Indian dishes in the country. I say that after obsessing over Butter Chicken across my travels across India for about a decade. This is a must order, every time. The Lamb Briyani featured a lovely medly of flavours, with well cooked lamb and was served with a lovely mixed raita. Standalone, the Biryani was packed with flavours which will take you to a Chef's table somewhere between Chennai and Cochin, that's how my limited palette decoded it at least. When I mentioned obsession previously, I wasn't only referring to the what goes on in the kitchen. I absolutely loved how the server took their time to serve my Beer on the table. Most servers across establishments pour as much beer as they can into the glass, and walk away. Not here. The server pour the beer slowly, reducing the flow from the bottle to the glass basis the height of the froth, till the pint was empty. It's a very small detail but a good showcase of the obsession towards a great experience. While I am yet to savour their seafood delicacies and a bunch of other bits from the menu in this lifetime, I can safely conclude saying that Amaranta is one of the best dining experiences in and around the capital. A must visit!

A wonderful place for a date night or a dinner with your family. From the bread basket to papadum to the amuse bouche before and during the meal, you are going to love the flavors and inventiveness of the dishes. Try any of the seafood dishes, and the andhra dal with apams. The service is absolutely amazing, with the staff happy to go the extra mile.

First off they kindly let us do the tasting menu during breakfast. The food was a huge surprise! It really blew past expectations and left us reeling. Amazing mix of Mexican spices used to elevate each dish to damn near perfection.

The visit was so great. Food is expensive but is very delicious and the drinks are so good but there is not variety of drinks without alcohol. The place is so beautiful!