The brand Vivanta by Taj started in 2010 and  is marketed as an upper upscale Brand which is flanked at the top-end luxury department. The term Vivanta comes from the term 'bon vivant', which signifies sophistication and appreciation for the good things in life and also from the attributes of vividness and vivacity.

Vivanta Dwarka recently launched Indus Express, a signature restaurant that takes the guests on a culinary journey through pre independence Punjab, the land of five rivers. The restaurant was launched by Captain Amarinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala who also wore chef’s hat there and showed his culinary skills.  The restaurant is made very contemporary with nice interiors having option of both indoor and outdoor seating and has a pool side view to make your experience better.

                            Capt Amrinder Singh

This cuisine also known as North west frontier cuisine uses the simplistic style of preparation, where large chunks of meat, seafood and vegetables are marinated sparingly and cooked at high temperatures so that they remain tender and succulent. The spices and flavors are judiciously used so as not to overpower the preparations and to be acceptable to every palate. The rusticness of the cuisine and the focus on preserving the flavors and ingredients is another USP of this cuisine.

I was invited there for a review being representative of Gurgaon Foodie and I had a nice experience. I generally prefer sit down dinners for reviews since buffets don’t give you true essence of food. However, while snacks were being served on tables, the dinner was in a buffet setting.

For starters, I tried Ajwaini Jheenga (Rs 1245) which was really good since they had kept it crispy unlike lot of places where they overcook it. Charga Murg (Rs 695) was soft and spicy, true to its name.

Post this I headed for dinner which was a huge spread of dishes in waiting. I started with Raan e Khyber (Rs 1495) which was very well cooked. The meat was succulent with well marinated flavors coming through and I really enjoyed it. They were also serving another version with some tomato gravy on top which is avoidable.

                                Raan e Khyber

Then came Daal Makhani (Rs 495) and Rawalpindi Chhole (Rs 595).  Daal was good and felt like genuinely cooked for long period a day before, as the texture and flavor was coming out well. However, chhole were nice but regular like any other restaurant.

                   Daal Makhani                                  Rawalpindi Chhole

 Next in line was pista khumani kofta (Rs 595), balti meat (Rs 795) and Sialkot Kadhai Jhinga (Rs 1245). I loved kofta with nice flavors of dry fruit cooked in thick gravy . Balti Daal Meat was meat cooked in urad daal and yoghurt which was okay.

            Pista Khumani Kofta                                         Balti Meat

Jhinga was cooked just right again with a crisp texture with regular onion and tomato gravy with some sialkoti spices which tasted like regular spices only, however the dish was good.  All this I had with chicken biryani (Rs 795) which tasted well though not the best I have had. It was on lines of Awadhi Biryani, high on aroma but not much flavor.

            Sialkoti Kadhai Jheenga                                 Chicken Biryani

For desserts I had Badshahi Tukda (Rs 395) which was fried bread soaked in milk and topped with thickened milk and pistachio, this was well done with good garnishing and perfect sweetness. I also tried Badam halwa which was nice.

              Badshahi Tukda                                      Badam Halwa

Overall a  satisfying meal. This place has a lot of promise, however I must mention that overall tastes have been muted to accommodate foreigners.

Please note: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant to taste their food, and no bill was presented to the author. While the author assures you of objectivity, the review may be influenced by the personalized attention the author got.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.5  | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 3.5 | Value: 3.5 | Overall: 3.5

Meal for two: Rs.3000 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address: Sector 21, Dwarka, Metro Station Complex, New Delhi, Delhi 110075