Written by Gayatri Singh

The most striking visual aspects of Mister Chai include the antique beveled mirrors, strategically placed in areas to help expand one’s visual field, as well as the little plants displayed in floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves. While our eyes were constantly drawn to the gorgeous plants on display, other elegant features include the brass balustrade, which encloses the entire space, as well as the timber Tibetan prayer wheels with gold-leaf detailing. Every where you look, you will find little pieces that reiterate the coziness one associates with a warm cup of chai. For our tasting, we were seated at a comfortable blue couch, in full view of the dessert counter, which is really a work of art. The pastries are displayed in large gold and brass jewelry boxes, further enhancing the luxurious ambience one expects from the Shangri-La.

The concept behind Mister Chai is simple, yet very effective- regional comfort food with an elevated, modern twist. The menu is much more comprehensive than I expected, also boasting American diner food, delicious coffee blends, which is where the “Tea Restaurant” idea became very apparent. The Executive Chef at Mister Chai is Neeraj Tyagi. I have tasted his creations at Sevilla at the Claridges and it remains one of my favorite restaurants in Delhi. If we were at a blind-taste test at Mister Chai, I would have guessed the Executive Chef’s forte would be Indian food, specifically Maharashtrian cuisine. Chef Neeraj explained that while he is formally trained in the art of Mediterranean cooking, his fondness and familiarity with Mumbai cuisine helped him conceptualize the menu at Mister Chai, where he has skillfully managed to equate chaat food with fine dining.

We started with “Cutting Chai”, which was brought to us in a beautiful wooden cabinet. The little turquoise glasses are modeled after the typical glasses one gets on ordering chai at the roadside, but here, of course, the wire mesh holder is replaced with an elegant wooden tray. The chai is prepared fresh, and the masala – cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, are all freshly ground within your range of sight. I consider myself a masala chai and black coffee connoisseur, and declare that the chai was flawless! Served with crunchiest homemade rusk, the chai was served at the ideal temperature, and was literally an olfactory feast.

We moved onto the “Namkeen ka Dabba”, where our “Channa Jor Garam”, “Curry Patta Peanuts” and “Chakli aur Chutney” came to us in an actual three-tiered dabba. The Channa Jor Garam was delicious, although a little high on the heat scale for me. The Peanuts and Chakli were perfectly seasoned and crunchy, and the tomato chutney accompanying the Chakli was addictive. Next we enjoyed some delicious “Corn Bhel”, which hit every note. While corn bhel is traditionally fresh and tangy, in Chef Neeraj’s version, the corn is cleverly charred which gives the dish a very rich, creamy flavor.

We moved on to the samosas, trying all three, namely the “Punjabi Original”, “Chilly Cheesy”, and “Butter Chicken”. The samosas are served in mini wooden shovels, and are served with syringes of delicious green chutney that one is meant to inject into the samosa before digging in. The first was a traditional samosa with the potato and pea mixture while the cheese samosa played with the classic combination of crunchy dough with the creamy cheese. We were surprised that the samosa dough stayed crunchy even with the injection of the green chutney.

The Butter Chicken Samosa, too, was surprisingly good! The butter chicken filling is decadent in its own right, but encased in an airy, crunchy dough, it is even more enjoyable. We were conflicted about whether the green chutney would take away from the butter chicken flavor, but it really is the perfect marriage.

At this point we ordered “The Twisted Apple Cinammon Iced Tea” and an “Orange Ginger Punch”. The iced tea is sweetened with honey and is extremely refreshing. While I tend to prefer drinks that are very mild in sweetness, I did not find this cloyingly sweet and enjoyed the kick of cinnamon—I would have liked even more! The punch has a really fresh flavor without the ginger being too overpowering. A perfect mid-meal palate cleanser!

While we were full long before the Butter Chicken Samosa, we knew that there was a lot more on the menu that ought to have been tasted. We went with two vada paos, namely the “Goan Chorizo Pao, Pork Sausage” and the “Vada Pao, Spiced Potato.” These, too, come with green chutney injections and the Goan Chorizo Pao was one of the standout dishes of the meal. While the pao itself is perfect, the mixture of caramelized onions with the Goan chorizo made our tastebuds dance. I still salivate at the mere thought of this!

While the Goan Chorizo Pao was a tough act to follow, the “SPDP” or semolina puff dahi papdi, which are delectable little pani puris, a delicious diversion from the unctuous pao. We also tried the “Kale Pakora Chaat”, a dish so well presented, it hurt to dig in! The kale was batter-fried at the perfect temperature, leaving no oiliness at all.

The highlight of the meal, however, was the “Colaba Fish Fry Sandwich”. Sandwiched between the softest bread, is a perfectly-fried piece of fish, accompanied with a lovely lemon aioli. This is one of those dishes where writing about it won’t do it any justice. Trust us, if you are going to order only one thing at Mister Chai, it should be this.

We still can’t believe it but we somehow found room for dessert. We tried the “Chocolate Toast”, which is toasted brioche with melted Cadbury Silk chocolate. Even after all the food we managed to tuck away, this tasted every bit as sinful as we wished; interestingly, the Cadbury chocolate tasted just like Nutella- very hazelnutty. Up next, we tried 4 flavors of macarons from the pastry counter, which were raspberry lemon, pistachio, mango, and Belgian chocolate. While the macarons were pretty as a picture, the raspberry lemon macaron won us over. The raspberry and lemon lent a lovely tartness to the macaron, and I usually avoid macarons since I find them very underwhelming flavor-wise, but understand that they require a great deal of skill to make. I will definitely be eating this particular flavor in the future.

We finished with an assortment of beautiful chocolate truffles. I have always loved the truffles at the Shangri-La, and the ones I ate at Tamra last year left an impression on me, as well. Naturally, these are absolutely scrumptious, too. We tried paantastic, hazelnut, raspberry, aampapad, orange, and coffee-almond. The truffles are made in-house from the finest tempered chocolate, which is a treat to bite into, since it quickly gives way to a silky, flavoured center. The flavored truffles have little specks of color, which makes them look like miniature watercolor paintings. An assorted box of truffles would make a really gorgeous gift.

Overall, Mister Chai was one of the more spectacular tastings we have done over the past year. All aspects of the experience were exceptional, but the icing on the cake, of course, was our interaction with Executive Chef Neeraj Tyagi. He took us behind the scenes to witness the final touches to Sorrento and Grappa. I am not at liberty to say much, but I can vouch for the fact that Shangri-La Eros is on track to become a culinary destination!

Quick Notes-
Mister Chai
Shangri La
19, Ashoka Road
Janpath
Connaught Place
New Delhi 110001