With progressive Mediterranean cuisine and a wide range of eclectic cocktails, this restaurant transports one to exotic shores

NESTLED IN the heart of Delhi at Ashoka Hotel, Ophelia is a treat for the eyes from the very first sight. The place is elegant with charming aesthetics, cozy interiors and graceful design.

The ambience is enhanced with elements of crystal chandeliers and illuminated lights, wooden paneling and mirror display with a touch of Victorian style ceiling and classy marbled flooring — bringing out the plush and stylish vibe of the ‘new and old’. Cabanas on wooden decks and illuminations that glow up the space, further enhance the look and feel.

The advanced DMX feature, the crystal chandeliers attractively blends into the classy interiors. Also, the added element of the light colours changing synchronisation with music certainly adds to the appeal. The bold colours and hues in tones of red, blue and green are eye-catching and give the space an energetic vibe.

The golden framed graphics are a fusion of the new and the old. The prominent Van Scott wooden paneling design on walls along with wooden fluting complements the aura of the space. Mirrors on the columns make the space look larger and gel with the ambience too.

The affluent yet convenient furniture design with plush fabric, along with carefully designed details add to the overall luxe feel of the place. The Victorian-style ceiling design looks elegant and classy while the tapered arches blending into the ceiling look absolutely delightful.

The flooring incorporates classy black marble on the periphery, with black and white pattern designed in marble in the central area. The double-sided wall lights and table lamps warmly illuminate the space.

The outdoors of Ophelia perfectly match the décor indoors. The grandly scaled entrance gate welcomes the guests in a in splendid fashion. Its retractable roof, embedded with lights, add flexibility, acting as a supplementary asset to the design. The contemporary design embodies greenery in every corner.

The flooring is kept modest using three different shades of terrazzo — namely fern green, slate grey and jet black along with brass dividers give appropriate visual texture to the floor.

With progressive Mediterranean cuisine and a wide range of beverages and eclectic cocktails, the place transports one to distant shores.

Head Chef Amit Singh and the renowned Turkish Chef Ahmet Algan have crafted a lavish menu that has plenty of signature dishes. ‘Duck Pate’ is undoubtedly the star of the menu where duck meat is ground to fine mousse like paste with herbs like marzoram, thyme, sage dipped in orange glaze served with beetroot jam.

‘Grilled Chicken Paillard’ is chef’s favourite and high in demand — thinly sliced chicken breast with vegetables, morel sauce and beetroot confit. ‘Chilean Sea Bass’ is extraordinary and must not be missed. It is Sea Bass fillet, pan seared and served with purple potato mash and cherry tomato puttanesca.

‘Lamb Adana’ has distinct flavour of Turkish spices beautifully done on charcoal barbeque. ‘Seafood Cappeletti’ — Cappeletti pasta stuffed with scampi and prawns with salsa Rosa, pinenuts and basil foam — is a great option for prawn lovers. While the ones wanting healthy fare can go for ‘Organic Kale Salad’ — Californian kale with flax seeds, cranberries, walnut and feta with orange honey dressing.

Butternut Squash Filo Pie — butternut squash, bell pepper confit with mascarpone baked in filo sheet — is light and comforting. Vegetarian Mezze Platter does full justice to the Mediterranean theme as it comes loaded with delicious goodies — grilled broccoli, falafel, paneer shashlik, mushroom pie and an array of Turkish dips: Entep ezme, muhamarra, tahini chickpeas, pembe sultan, hummus.

Round off your meal with desserts like Eggless Special Mousse of orange, ginger, mascarpone mousse and sesame cannoli. Chef Specials are apple crumble cheese cake, candied walnuts, grapes and sorbet and hot seller at Ophelia is Chocolate Mushroom and Belgium Praline — chocolate dessert in the shape of a mushroom with a mousse texture stuffed with rum ball made with Belgium chocolate, Philadelphia cheese and Elle n vire cream.

Pair your food with skilfully-crafted cocktails like ‘Lick Me First’ — a vodka-based drink stirred with gomme syrup, orange juice, dark chocolate, almond and lime juice is worth every sip. ‘The Gold Lust’ is gold rum infused with Elderflower syrup and kaffir lime.

‘Flowery Ophelia’ is a chamomile-infused tequila with maple syrup and lime. Gentleman Choice has whiskey, orange chunks along with home-made cinnamon syrup. ‘Grog Batida’ is a rum and pineapple juice drink with passion fruits puree and citrus.

Have fun in the magical gin garden under a sky of twinkling lights. Here one can indulge in handcrafted drinks along with live counters of Shawarmas, Mezzes, Dips and more. With an abundance of food, spirits and good cheer, this venue promises to be a never-before-experience. The service staff is friendly and articulate.