Tiramisu Served With A Wine-Soaked Twist? Rumour Has It

Delhi’s speakeasies are currently in their prime. With a new one cropping up every other day, it seems like the city is commanding to book a seat at, at least one of them. And when Delhi commands, you have no option but to follow. And, I am no different. I was not guided by Google maps but cryptic directions that arrived on text. I looked for a sign but was met with none. And then, somewhere above an unremarkable staircase in Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar, you find Rumour. 

And only as you visit is when you realise why it would rather be passed between friends than announced to the world.

Delhi has no dearth of places that are driven by optics and superficially respond to concepts and trends. However, only some commit to it like Rumour does. It is not just dim lights and an entrance hidden behind a curtain, but a bar that hides wine behind the gleam of tequila shots and beer bottles.

A Drinks Menu Built Around Wine

Rumour’s bar program understands something many bars do not: people do not always want a chemistry experiment at play, in their glasses. They want something familiar, just done better.

The wine list is where you should centre your attention. It is shaped by founder, Rhea Parekh Jain’s own journey of discovering vineyards in Champagne and building a wine community in Delhi. 

There is a crisp Riesling from Germany’s Rems Valley, a floral Gewürztraminer from Pfalz, and a Soave Classico that Parekh speaks about, with particular affection. Even the more recognisable names come with a twist. The Fattori Pinot Grigio grown on volcanic soil near Terrossa tastes far more layered than the usual versions available elsewhere. 

What stood out for me was the way wine is evolving. From a spirit that was once restricted to “sophisticated” settings and gatherings, it has been plucked and planted into cocktails served at a speakeasy. The cocktails at Rumour (half of them built around wine) follow a philosophy that quietly rejects the one that dominates most other cocktail bars. None of them overwhelm the palate or the person with their techniques and/or ingredients.

The Vineyard Picante makes for a bright and balanced start. The drink, which is familiar enough also stands different enough in a city full of Picante. ‘Caught Red Handed’ is a beetroot-forward twist on the picante and even had the founder confused. “I thought it sounded like a salad,” she said. She was left surprised with how good it was and so would you. 

Finally , the Winemaker’s Espresso is deeper, darker, and less sweet than the usual, but worth a shot if you like the combination of wine and coffee.

A Simple Star Dish

What was impressive is how the food at Rumour knew exactly what it is meant to do. Not trying to steal the spotlight from the wine but help it taste better is the assigned job profile and it delivers like a star employee.

I took off with the hot honey brie crisp and that went on to become the star of the table. It arrives looking deceptively simple, but cuts into something far more indulgent: molten brie layered with ricotta, a drizzle of truffle oil, and just enough chilli jam to keep things from getting too comfortable. Sweet, sharp, creamy, crisp. The dish hits every note without overplaying any of them. Meant to be a sharing plate but don’t you dare think you will share. You probably (and most probably) won’t! 

A Food Menu That Complements The Wine

Then arrived the mushroom arancini. Crisp edges and a flavourful filling comes together to create a dish you would want to reorder. The bang bang salmon is softer, silkier, and features just enough heat to keep it interesting. The fried chicken leans into familiarity but sharpens it just enough to stand out.

And then, just when you think the menu has said everything it needs to, there’s the tiramisu. Familiar, yes, but not quite. Here, it swaps the usual rum or brandy for rosé wine, a small shift that changes the mood of the dessert in more ways than one. It is lighter, more fragrant, and unexpectedly well-suited to a place where wine leads every front. 

Nothing on the menu feels randomly placed. Mediterranean, European and Asian flavours appear not as a theme, but as a strategy. If you order pasta, there is an Italian wine waiting to be paired with it. Rumour does not ask what you want to drink with your food. It flips the question. What do you want to go with your wine? 

And by the end of it, it all makes sense.

The Space

Designed by Suzanne Khan as a New York wine bar that you tumble upon and can’t stop raving about, Rumour is where the city seems to lower its volume. The room features low lighting, deep sofas, dark wood, bookshelves, and corners that seem built for lingering longer than you planned.

There is a faux fireplace that should not work but it absolutely does. The amber lighting is ridiculously flattering: one drink in and everyone at the table starts looking like the protagonist of their own film.

The details are where the room really reveals itself. Four different wine glasses for reds. Three for whites. A dual-temperature wine chiller because when talking wine, the devil is in the details.  

It would have been easy to make Rumour look like a wine bar. But it resembles the living room of a wine enthusiast who has invited you for good wine and food that will make it better. Consider yourself lucky, you’re invited! 

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