The Spice Route Restaurant in the Imperial Hotel ~ New Delhi, India ~ July 2014

This was my second visit to The Spice Route restaurant which is located inside the stunning Imperial Hotel in New Delhi, India.  The first time I was there a small group  of us went for dinner.  The restaurant was packed and it seemed like the service was a little slow.  On this occasion (July 2014), I went with one other friend for lunch and there were only two other people dining at the same time we were.  We decided to walk around the hotel before having lunch.  It was nice being there in the day time hours versus at night since we were able to see the pool area too.  I also saw more detail in the restaurant since it was fairly dark when we were there for dinner.   The dining area is divided into nine sections corresponding to the nine aspects of life.  

The following description is in the inside of the menu:  

The Spice Route is heralded as one of the top ten restaurants in the world by Conde Nast Traveler.  

The Spice Route has been designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam.  

Designed along the principles of Feng Shui, the restaurant has been segregated into nine different sections, portraying the various stages from 'the journey of life'.  The Knowledge section, The Fate & Fortune section or The Relationship section, every section has been thoughtfully depicted in a series of murals, laboriously hand painted by artisans over months.  These murals have always been a defining feature of The Spice Route.  

The staff told us these columns at the entrance of the restaurant are 400 years old

We were seated at this very lovely table

Nice!

Marakkala  Kukulmas

I chose this delicious Sri Lankan chicken flavored with fresh yoghurt, curry powder, cilantro simmered in coconut oil.  

My friend had the duck and we shared this bowl of rice

THE IMPERIAL HOTEL

Built in 1931 and known as New Delhi's first luxurious grand hotel.  Located in Janpath, it has the largest collection of colonial and post-colonial art and artifacts in Delhi, a museum and art gallery.  The hotel is a mix of Victorian and colonial architecture.