Esquire India September Hotlist: New Restaurants And Bars Across India | Raga, Rost, Selva And More

I was at a work event the other day, when a fellow journalist took me to a new outpost of one of the most famous Bandra cafes out there. In fact, the other option she suggested was also another second branch. Turns out, having a second, larger branch of your very successful eaterie in town is all the rage now.

All of which made way into our September hotlist. But that's not even the biggest news this month. Chef Gaggan Anand's homecoming with Raga has all of us obsessed with it, and for all the right reasons. What else happened this month in the world of cafes, bars and fine dining destinations? Read on below.

Delhi NCR

Starting this list with the one entry that has the entire country's eyes on it: Gaggan Anand's RAGA. Should you go out of your way for that reservation? Absolutely. Why? Our managing editor Sonal Nerurkar makes her case below.

Delhi institution, The Embassy Restaurant, has opened a new, more intimate outpost at Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj, extending a legacy that dates back to 1948. The 45-seat indoor restaurant also has an outdoor terrace. Start with the Embassy Chana Bhatura or Giant Samosa, then move on to Colonial Chicken Masala, Dal Meat or the Embassy Pudding. Newer dishes added to this outlet include the Slow Cooked Raan, Black Cod Malai Tikka and Salmon Tikka.

Selva has opened at World St., Worldmark Aerocity, bringing contemporary Mexican cuisine to Delhi with a strong Japanese Nikkei influence. The concept emerged from more than a year of culinary research across Mexico and Asia, resulting in a menu that goes well beyond your usual tacos and tequila. Look for Tlayuda, Oaxaca’s crisp open-faced speciality, Nori Tacos, ceviches and tiraditos. Not to forget the robata-fired seafood.

Dodicci is a new Delhi restaurant imagined as a contemporary European home, with its name (Italian fcor twelve) reflected in a cocktail menu of twelve drinks, each inspired by a fictional resident. Chef Gurdev leads the kitchen with Italian and French specialties, dishes such as crispy artichoke and avocado salad, parmesan tapioca sticks, summer vegetable lasagna and pistachio-crusted fish.

Jimbu Thakali has opened its first Indian outpost at M3M 65th Avenue in Gurugram, bringing food from Nepal’s Mustang region to the city. With four restaurants in Kathmandu, the chain focuses on the cooking of Nepal’s Thakali community, which uses ingredients such as jimbu (the Himalayan herb used to season dals and curries) and timmur (a citrusy, mildly numbing pepper). The Thakali Thali is the obvious place to start, with rice, jimbu dal, gundruk, pickles and your choice of chicken, mutton, fish or vegetables. Also order the Mutton Momo, Chicken Choila Wings or Sukuti Sadheko.

Courtyard by Marriott Ghaziabad opened this August, along with L3 Kitchen, its all-day dining restaurant and the hotel’s café and bar, Yard & Brew. The menu moves has Indian, Italian and Oriental cuisines, with highlights including the Hindon Bowl, Noor-e-Kebab and Courtyard Signature Dal, followed by pizzas, pastas, dim sum, wok-fried noodles and Thai curries. Over at Yard & Brew, the cocktail highlight is the Beetroot G&T, a gin and tonic with beetroot, and Gingermelon Lemon Drop, which combines ginger and watermelon.

Mumbai

Elsewhere in Mumbai, much has been discussed about this orange little cafe in the bylanes of Bandra, where MasterChef India finalist Karishma Sakhrani has created a menu to cover all your sandwich and french toast needs. There’s Bandra Benedict for those who like the classics, Butter Chicken French Toast if you want something Indian, and Ube Coconut French Toast if you have a sweet tooth.

Your favourite Bandra spots have been opening shop in town lately, and Border Bean Barbecue is the latest to join the trend. Chef Shantanu Jagtap has expanded Border Bean Barbecue into a 60-seater at Kamala Mills. Like the original, the new outlet takes American barbecue and adds influences from Mexico, Korea, West Africa and India. The 12-hour Smoked Water Buffalo Brisket and Smoked Buff Cheeks are the highlight, along with Smoked Lamb Birria Tacos, Chicken Jollof Rice and Kimchi Paneer Tacos. The bar gets you drinks like the Kokum Picante, Charred Pineapple Tequila and Bacon Bourbon.

Chef Christopher Fernandes leads this 25-seater all-day diner, all with the goodness of fresh breads made in-house. What to try? Go for the fried chicken doughnut and pain suisse smash, or the rigatoni with roasted red pepper emulsion and cheese curds and the stracciatella-filled Caprese sando. Save room for the banana foster toast.

Tucked inside Gong in Bandra West, The Powder Room is a cosy restaurant that takes an intentionally loose approach to Asian and Mediterranean flavours. Chef Sahil Singh, who previously worked at Indian Accent and Tresind, puts the combinations together with dishes such as sesame prawn croissant with Calabrian chilli and Japanese smoked tonkatsu, harissa miso chicken skewers with togarashi muhammara, and Valrhona chocolate fondant with miso ice cream.

After more than a decade in Bandra, Pali Bhavan has moved to Eros Studio in Churchgate, bringing its familiar Indian cooking and old-world warmth to one of South Mumbai’s most recognisable addresses. Its South Mumbai setting draws on the Art Deco character of the Eros precinct, while the menu continues to centre classic Indian flavours and the dishes that made the original a local favourite.

Located, as you guessed it, on Linking Road, Linking House is a new all-day social dining space founded by Riya Goon and Vivek Chandaliya, with Chef Satish Rawat and Chef Venkatesh Swamy leading the kitchen. Stop by for coffee and breakfast in the mornings, while the rest of the day provides staples with Eastern, Mediterranean and Latin influences. Try the Cottage Cheese Tonkatsu Sando, Crispy Cafreal Chicken Sando or Mojo Fish Skewers, then move to Curry Leaf Cottage Cheese, BBQ Prawns or Lamb Rendang.

The Yum Yum Tree Group's Tablespoon, better known as tbsp., has made its Mumbai debut at Phoenix Palladium, Lower Parel. The Mumbai outpost is centered arounds its Pizzeria & Pastaria, and you can watch the dough being hand-stretched and fired in the open kitchen, and have their handmade pasta made to order.

BBRWN, founded by Drishti Gundecha, is your specialty café built around coffee, ceremonial matcha and all that comes with it. The twist is that it focusses on clean, healthy eating as well. Try out their almond flour cookies, but check this out: there is also a secret menu of signature creations, a small element of discovery for those willing to look beyond the regular menu.

Bangalore

Above Chef Rahul Sharma’s Nila in Cambridge Layout, MoonJar is a new 28-seat bar themed around the relationship between the Moon and the Ocean. Led by Rahul and Head of Bar Sibasish Palai, the drinks programme focuses on low-ABV bases including soju, vermouth and wine, with a menu that represents the eight lunar phases and the sun. Try their Norwegian scallops under tahini foam, prawn wontons with peanut butter and cream cheese, and charred-leek hummus with garbanzo beans.

Kiran Vijayakumar and Prajwal Venugopal's Kura is a new 3,000 sq ft specialty coffee and all-day dining destination in Indiranagar. Its coffee programme draws from coffee plantations across the country, including the Northeast, Himalayan foothills, Koraput, Araku and the Western Ghats. Don't forget to try their in-house bakery and weekly coffee omakase experience.

We have artisanal chocolate and coffee already. So why not more artisanal ice cream? That's the idea behind Scoop Room: Bengaluru's new premium vegetarian and eggless ice cream brand founded by hospitality entrepreneur Pallavii Gupta. Highlights from the menuy include the Cookie Dough Hour, Paan-tastic, Pick Me Avo and Nutty Basil.

The Biere Club has expanded to Bellandur with its third Bengaluru outlet at RMZ EcoWorld. The 250-seat space pairs fresh brews and cocktails with a contemporary menu that sports Indian and Asian cuisines. Order Podi Nachos, Thai Corn Curry Fritters, Grilled Thecha Prawns or Hara Lamb Tandoori Seekh, with Mutton Keema Maska Pav and Lamb Dumplings with Biang Biang Sauce.

Serious Slice has opened its third Bengaluru pizzeria on 12th Main, Indiranagar, following its RR Nagar and Cunningham Road locations. The 1,600 sq ft restaurant introduces an open pizza kitchen, balcony seating and the brand’s first wine programme, alongside its signature 72-hour fermented dough and wood-fired pizzas.

Hyderabad

After its success in Goa and Gurugram, Hosa has opened its newest outpost at The Loft, RMZ Nexity, Hyderabad. Led by Chef Harish Rao, the 86-seat restaurant covers dishes from all five southern states. Look for Jackfruit Igguru, Paper Fish Curry with Pulusu, Rayalaseema Brain Fry and Kari Dosa with Bone Marrow Hollandaise. There's also the Hosa Filter Coffee Club, serving filter kaapi and nostalgic South Indian bites from 3:30pm to 6:30pm daily.

Chandigarh

The Back Room from Saanya and Akshay Verma has opened at The Toy Hotel in Sector 34A, Chandigarh, as India’s first pour-only cocktail bar. Beverage Director Tanka Gurung’s programme is built around cocktails that are batched, bottled and poured at the table, with three-digit codes replacing conventional drink names. French architect Jean-Louis Deniot has designed the space, which includes a central racetrack-shaped bar, garden room and an outdoor terrace.