Lapis, The Oberoi’s all-day dining space, got a makeover last year, and we dropped by a few times to enjoy its new avatar. Moving the lunch and dinner buffets out of circulation, Lapis now offers a curated à la carte menu that spans European-Mediterranean, Punjabi, and Coastal South Indian regions, bringing flavours and plates that you can enjoy without the pressures of a buffet. Our first time around, Chef Kushagra hosted us for dinner. We were warned early on by the chef that it would be a culinary journey, and thank god for that little warning, because the plates just kept coming. At one point, we wondered if the chef forgot that it was just the two of us.
We started with the Our Ode To Ottolenghi, a dish that had our heads turning when we heard the words pumpkin hummus. But it was such good hummus, and when paired with chunks of roasted lamb, we probably think Ottolenghi would nod his head in approval, because we were. Next on the table was The Flamingo, a Spanish prawn pil pil that packed quite a punch with its smoked bhut jolokia-infused pil pil. We mopped up all that sauce with some fresh bread in no time. The Lapis Salad Pizza and Ravioli Alla Caprese came next, with the chef adding a bit of seafood to our ravioli. The pizza features avocado with cheese shavings, and honestly, it’s such a good combo with the balsamic vinegar drizzle bringing everything together.
We knew the chef had shifted regions when the Lawrence Road Butter Fish, Not Just A Bhel, and Karare Shakarkhandi Aur Khubani Kebab (yes, it’s a mouthful to say) arrived together on the table. The kebabs were the standout dish for something so vegetable-forward, given that we are very meat-forward. We were stuffed by the time we mopped all that clean, so we politely declined the chef’s request to try some Alleppey Houseboat Special.
Desserts arrived in the form of the beautifully plated A Walk In The Gardens Of The Oberoi, which featured cheesecake pebbles, cracker crumbles, and yum vanilla ice cream, and the Southern Tres Leches, which had baked coconut cake — easily the standout dessert (and this is not because we are Malayali).
If going through the expansive à la carte menu on a weekday work lunch is tough, you are in luck because there’s a curated three-course set menu that features some of the best dishes from the region. We did that during one of our meetings here at Lapis. It costs just INR 2,100 for a non-vegetarian meal.
