Casual chic in CP

A new eatery in the heart of Delhi offers respite from the crowded vibe of Connaught Circus. Cibamor indeed gives the feel of a quiet retreat for some relaxed dining experience as the interiors are pleasing, complete with comfortable seating, huge glass windows, wooden walls that render warmth and plenty of natural light during the day. Interestingly, the ambience changes dramatically in the evening, converting the space into a more trendy hot spot for drinks and dinner.

The focus of the culinary team is bang on fresh, flavourful meals prepared with authentic ingredients, and varied textures, as an attempt to move away from the regular. And that has proved to get them brownie points.
One sunny afternoon, I chose to start my lunch with ‘Mezzeh Cibamor’ as it is one of the signature dishes in the menu. It had a perky twist as crispy beetroot falafel came with sweet potato hummus that tasted really good. The freshness of tabbouleh added to the mezze’s taste, served along with cracked whole wheat pita bread.

Next came ‘House Burrata & Panzanella’ which had heirloom tomato marinated with pesto sauce, fresh baby arugula leaves. The fresh house burrata cheese and parmesan croutons made it outstanding. Served with fresh pomegranate seeds that added the healthy quotient. As it’s the season of beetroot, I got to taste delicious ‘Roasted beetroot and goat cheese’ salad. Truly a star of the menu with Arugula and rosemary infused roasted beetroot, caper buds, crumbled goat cheese with fresh mint and aged balsamic and tossed sunflower seeds.
I would strongly recommend ‘Mushroom & Himalayan Burrata’ which has simple preparation. A flat-bread where you get an option for breads, like sourdough or multigrain as a choice, garnished with mushroom ragu and Himalayan Burrata with crunchy baby Aragula on the top, marinated with balsamic vinegar.

For non-vegetarians, a popular dish is ‘Florence Benedict.’ Organic poached egg is served on your choice of bread that has ample of spinach and crispy bacon covered with creamy hollandaise sauce on the top. ‘Slow Smoked Chicken with Poached Apricot’ is another dish in demand. Here sliced chicken is smoked with spices, mixed with cinnamon poached apricot, served with lettuce, spring onion, fresh coriander and dressed with honey and mustard leaves. ‘Blackened Cajun Grilled Fish’ is chef’s favourite here — fresh bassa marinated with Cajun spices and bread crumbs for crispness, grilled over the iron plate and served with roasted vegetables with spicy mango salsa.

For lamb lovers, ‘Cocoa Bun’ is a good choice. This is pepper pulled lamb stuffed into the cocoa bun with mushroom ragu as a spread with a fried egg. Served with house potato wedges and chef’s salad.

Round off your meal with hot brownie fudge and it will surely make your day. For vegans, Honey Almond Cake is a perfect choice. And Sticky Toffee for one and all!

The beverages menu is very impressive. There are cold press juices and a really vast exotic tea cart as the menu card reads. From the ‘Mocktail Library’, I loved my Cibo twist with fresh orange and kafir lime leaves. Here the smoothies are dairy free and amazingly healthy. Try ‘Hail Kale’, a smoothie made with almond milk and blended with fresh kale, banana, spinach, fresh mint and honey.

If in the mood to have a nice cocktail, ‘Stormy Night’ will do full justice. It is a combination of rose wine and fresh berries and freshly brewed black tea concoction with fresh mint and lime.

So next time, you are in CP, hop on to Cibamor for a casual catch-up over coffee, or a long lazy meal from their eclectic menu that includes All Day Breakfast, Salads, Small Plates, Cold Pressed Juices, Smoothies, and Gourmet Teas.

Where: H-37, Ground Floor, H Block, Outer Circle, CP

Recipe by Chef Raghunath, Corporate Chef, Cibamor

House Burrata & Panzanella
Ingredients:
Burrata cheese- 75 gms
Heirloom tomatoes- 100 gms
Basil Pesto- 20 gms
Himalayan pink salt- 5 gms
Freshly grounded
black pepper- 5 gms
Baby Arugula Leaves- 30 gms
Virgin Basil oil- 10 gms
Parmesan croutons- 30 gms

Method:
1. Wash and clean baby arugula leaves and heirloom tomatoes and make it completely dry.
2. Prepare the pesto sauce and cut the heirloom tomatoes in a round shape.
3. Put some pesto sauce in a salad mixing bowl, then add heirloom tomatoes in it and mix it well in pesto sauce.
4. Take another salad bowl for mixing baby arugula leaves with Himalaya pink salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, mustard vinaigrette dressing and mix to well.
5. Add house burrata cheese on the top.
6. Garnish Parmesan croutons and pomegranate seeds and drizzle it with chili and basil oil. Serve.