HONK is a one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve seen in a while. Located on the Lower Ground Floor of the chic Pullman Hotel in Aerocity, New Delhi, this restaurant is all about good vibes and an even better Pan-Asian culinary experience. Well, that is exactly what we got, a Spectacular dining experience full of amazing food, wonderful cocktails and excellent desserts, all partly inspired by the culinary treasures of the diverse Asian street food.
The welcome drink was the very first master stroke by the Head Bartender, Mr. Topesh. HONK Sour was a lovely concoction of Egg whites, Gin and Kaffir Lime and it indeed simulated our appetite for the edible treasures to come. It was served in an earthen cup, which made it to retain its cool temperature.
For Sushi, we were served the Shrimp Tempura with cured mango and Tobanjan Aioli. Absolutely loved this one, especially with the wonderful crunch of the tempura and the super fine quality wasabi. The kick was amazing in this one.
The Prawn Har Gow dimsum was my another favorite at HONK. These were topped with fish roe, adding a delicious crunch to the dimsum which was filled yummy and fresh prawn meat.
Some skewers of chicken breast brushed with miso garlic sauce were also served. This was indeed something that felt to be directly imported from the street food hawkers of Hong Kong. Loved the tangy flavors brushed on the delicious grilled chicken.
There was a flood of dishes on our table, as soon as it was time for the main-course. The variety of dishes served at HONK is huge in both number and diversity. We got the privilege of trying out most of these dishes.
From Kung Pao Chicken to Kimchi Fried Rice, HONK will bring out the best of Pan-Asian Cuisine onto your platter.
I personally loved the two mentioned dishes, each bowl of Kimchi Fried Rice was also supposed to have Chorizo, however that was skipped because of a friend’s apprehension. Nevertheless, the sausage would’ve added a lot more flavor to this already delicious bowl of rice. It was filled with Edamame beans and fried onions.
The crunch of cashews was perhaps the best part about the Kung Pao chicken, with of course, the glaze, the schezwan pepper corns and the heavenly facing chillies making it a burst of oriental flavors. Paired this one with fresh steamed jasmine rice and went ga-ga over the flavors.
Hainanese Chicken Rice was another delightful rice dish, especially created for the chicken lovers.
Cultivated Mushroom– a dish prepared with garlic chives, Oyester sauce and chillies was one of the highlights of the menu. Even without the use of meat, such outstanding flavors were served to us in the for of this one.
Thai Basil Singapore Chilli Shrimps– Mildly spicy shrimps cooked in a wonderful concoction of Singaporean spices and chillies. These shrimps were served with out of the box, fluffy and slightly sweet fried bread taco shells. The combination was wonderful, making this dish a ride of flavors ranging for sweet to spicy.
I didn’t quite like the idea of ginger in a cake and ice cream. Not a great fan of the flavor itself. However, if you’re a fan of this condiment, and would like something really innovative then do try the Ginger cake with Ginger ice cream. Do remember it is an overload of ginger.
Now this one raised the bar up high for all the desserts in town. Candied Cumquats, Milk Chocolate Dome with Milk Sauce, caramel chocolate and peanut parfait. This dessert is the reason we use the word ‘Heavenly’ and probably someone who coined it for food, he must have tried this precious and delicious dessert. The slowly melting chocolate dome is captured in the following video.
To go with the desserts, Mr. Topesh suggested that we drank another signature cocktail called the Spiced Bourbon. The fragrant flavors of star anise and poached apple puree indeed went well and complemented the taste of the lovely dessert.
A meal at HONK is nothing short of an experience. You must try this one to get a taste of the select, innovative and delicious Pan-Asian food under one roof.
