Eat Me, Said the Garden

Eat Me, Said the Garden Smoke House Deli X BBC Earth

It was a crisp summer noon with the sun at no slant. Nor was there the birdsong or wonder or that romantic air about walking into Burnett’s Secret Garden. This was a Smoke House. Deli. Delhi. But when the doors opened, there was nature’s music and a glorious green of another kind.

Eat Me, Said the Garden

KERI, SAFEDA AND CRISPY QUINOA SALAD

Smoke House Deli’s new summer menu, created in collaboration with Sony BBC Earth, is a celebration of the freshest gifts of summer that this part of the planet can offer. Name a leaf, name a fruit, name a vegetable, seed, herb, root…or name a diet – keto – for instance, and your platter comes alive with the lightness and brightness of being. We took a cosy corner at the Vasant Kunj Deli where a row of books, clothed in Victorian white and valiant inside with stately quotes and thoughts, stood guard on our side. The mellow creams and soft sounds, not to mention a thankfully thin crowd for the working day, did perfect to set the tone for what was to follow. We chose the White Wave, a white wine sangria infused with tender coconut and pineapple juice. It was a song in performance, composed delicately with chunks of ripe coconut floating in a mist of nectar that blended effortlessly with the white of the books – we almost heard them raise a toast to each other.

Eat Me, Said the Garden

KETO CHICKEN LASAGNA

Next on the table was a salad of Kefir Soaked Chicken, toasted nuts, puffed amaranth, apricot and chilli – it was a delight, smiling in reds, greens, yellows, and bursting into a play of diverse flavours. The grilled chermoula rubbed chicken skewers, chunky and succulent, did well to add some spice.

Eat Me, Said the Garden

GRILLED STEAK WITH ZUCCHINI AND PARMESAN POUTINE

Our mains were the smoked tomato and mascarpone risotto, refreshing in the meeting of tang and creamy cheese - and aptly balanced for 44 degree Celsius outside. The bacon wrapped chicken with broccoli and cauliflower made a strong entrée - the bacon, crisp and juicy, stayed taut enough to hold the chicken in a tight embrace till the very last bite. We also liked the inclusion of a keto power breakfast and the keto lasagna that we did not try, but it sounded like a fabulous experiment that you must put yourself through, if not the light DIY pastas on the list.

Eat Me, Said the Garden

GRAPEFRUIT AND STEWED ORANGE SALAD

If Alice could whip up gourmet from her strange garden, or Burnett’s kid characters were grown up to taste this stuff, they’d smile in fulfilling nostalgia. Fresh, fun, timeless – like every good summer is imagined to be.

 

Text Soumya Mukerji