Dine With Twelve Residents At Their European House In Delhi

Am I serious? Not entirely!

But Dodicci, an Italian restaurant at the age-old Ashok Hotel in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri, feels like a home away from home. Read on to know more about the family that occupies it.

First impression: from the moment you enter Dodicci till you exit, you will find yourself separated from its location. You are likely to forget that you entered The ancient Ashok lobby and passed through one of its longest corridors (don’t forget to spot Hussain’s painting on the left wall) before entering a dimly-lit yet beautifully designed Dodicci. From blue-and-white stripes and a bouquet of lemons in a vase to Vermeer’s ‘Girl With A Pearl Earring’ and porcelain and ceramic plates lining the walls, the interiors impress you while setting the tone right, before the menu (designed by Chef Gurdev Ahluwalia)  arrives.

The meal begins with welcome shots and a bread basket with house-made butter. Both are good gestures and delicious while you wait for your ordered meal to arrive.

Skip salads and go straight to the soups. Delhi is nowhere close to winter, but I believe that to feel warmth, you need no season or reason. You could well consider this my excuse to slurp on Dodicci’s Minestrone. A classic prepared with cannellini beans and Orzo pasta, paired with airy, fresh Focaccia, I would highly recommend you begin with the soups. From there, move neatly into the small plates, divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The confit tomato bruschetta and mozzarella-stuffed Arancini (a Sicilian staple) are safe picks. If you wish to go all out and challenge your taste buds, opt for the Rustiche Sweet Potatoes, topped with lemon labneh, parsley sauce, charcoal tuile, and plum ginger gel. Too many elements but none take over the other, allowing you to savour every flavour and texture with equal attention.

Now to my favourite section of the menu: the pasta. First up was the Pan-Seared Potato Gnocchi. I usually judge an Italian restaurant by its gnocchi. It is not a safe dish, given most people’s reservations about potatoes as pasta, but if a restaurant can call you back for their gnocchi, then they are proving their mettle. While I mostly enjoy my gnocchi in pesto, this one was pan-seared in a Romesco. The gnocchi was paired with charred zucchini and dollops of parsley velouté, which added the right amount of smokiness to the dish. It was well done, but I would still swap the sauce for my trusted pesto, and Dodicci’s kitchen allows you to do that. Choose your sauce, and they will prepare your gnocchi the way you like it.

Next up, I couldn’t help but try their ravioli. I believe that, unlike gnocchi, ravioli is a crowd-pleaser. And Instagram videos that have pitched the process of preparing pasta as meditative play a huge role in people’s liking. I went in with the spinach ricotta variant. At first, the preparation arrived with a salty sauce, but when flagged, the chef rectified it and brought back a plate of the not-so-impressive dish. The rosa sauce and the ricotta spinach filling felt like separate entities on the palate. The filling was creamy enough, while the sauce did very little for the dish. You can pass; more if you are a ravioli enthusiast, because you might be left slightly disappointed.

For pizza and calzone, I usually opt for a half-and-half when available. The burrata and Mushroom All The Way were my picks from Dodicci’s menu. The burrata was like any other, while the latter was surprisingly not greasy and oozing with truffle, but relied on a topping of different varieties of mushrooms. But what truly worked for me were the garlic chips on top. Garlic has it in itself to shine wherever it is placed. Mushrooms, despite the various varieties have a similar texture and paired with cheese, one runs the risk of making it monotonous for the palate. These garlic chips added the right texture and flavour to every bite. It was hands down my most favourite pick from the food menu. The large plates have some burgers and steaks that you can order if your belly allows. Mine didn’t so I straight went to the last page: the dessert corner.

I stopped not at one but two. Their Baked Alaska which featured two large scoops of their in-house gelato was served with its fair share of theatrics from the live flambé. It was delicious. But not more than Nonna’s Chocolate Tart which is Chef Ahluwalia’s grandmother’s recipe (thus the name). The chocolate torte is paired with a dark chocolate ganache and fresh vanilla custard. Honestly, nothing you can go wrong with. So, go for it.

Now to the drinks menu, where restaurant’s concept comes to life. The twelve residents of the house inspire the twelve cocktails that find a place on the menu. Each drink inspired by the individual’s personality and so as you sip, you are also introducing yourself to the members of the Dodicci household.

Let’s talk drinks. I went in with three of the twelve and the experience came with its fair share of hits and misses. Madame Faux was my first order and thankfully so. Based on hibiscus vodka, the drink paired berry puree, lime juice, and absinthe. But the best part was a peanut and vanilla foam which was the showstopper. My order was one dish short because a part of my belly was full from the foam. It comes along with a small wooden spoon which means you are supposed to eat it. So don’t worry and dig in. For the drink, it does a lot too. The sip is sweet, fruity, and tart in equal parts but there is also bitterness to it which is diluted by the foam’s sweetness and nuttiness. Pure indulgence in a glass.

Next up was Mia Sol which came second and also impressed a little lesser than Madame Faux. The chamomile-infused gin with citrus and mandarin made for a clean sip but the claim of it being refreshing didn’t make it through for me. Lastly, I risked into whisky and tried Mr. Mercer who is mentioned as a man of great taste and has an affinity towards aged and roasted things. This drink paired whisky with chocolate and reaffirmed my identity as a non-whisky person. But if you like deeper notes, bitterness, and nuttiness in your cocktails, this drink is for you. For me, it didn’t work.