Absolutely delicious Northern Indian cuisine: Restaurant Dum Pukht @ ITC Maurya, A Luxury Collection Hotel, New Delhi (4. November 2019)
The Dum Pukht was recommended in many tourist guides and I was not aware that it was in the same hotel I was staying at until the day before. The restaurant serves traditional Northern Indian cuisine which started again with some crispy breads, onions, and a variety of sauces which were perfect to start especially since I had to wait a bit for my starter and hadn’t eaten anything the whole day.
As a starter, I went for something warm, i.e. the “Shorba Timater (a delicious soup of tomatoes, cumin and fresh green coriander, garnished with crackling wheat crisps)” (495 INR) which was basically an Indian version of a tomato soup. I suppose that describes it best in terms of taste. That wasn’t really the highlight though.
As a second starter I went for some dumplings with a spicy Indian sauce which were absolutely delicious.
The absolute highlight was the main course though – the “Dum Phukt Briyani (basmati rice and lamb, simmered with mace, ittar and kewra, finished in a sealed handi)” (1’845 INR) of which I forgot to take a picture though. It was incredibly tasty especially in combination with the yogurt they served with it. I have had similar dishes before (e.g. in Jordan) but nothing as good as this one! Definitely loved it a lot!
The interior of the place is nice in terms of interior decoration and generally appealing. It is rather heavy though in terms of style and the cushions make you feel like you’re set back in time (at least for 20 years). But it isn’t run down but kept in order making it comfortable.
The service is very caring and pays a lot of attention. I would say even a bit too much attention. They kind of do not allow you to order what you want “because it doesn’t make sense”. Now, I do appreciate if you try to educate me giving me suggestions what to do better and how to do it better but ultimately, it should still be my decision if I want it that way or not! And the service works fine until the very moment when you order the bill. During the whole evening, everything was taken care of and you would always be attended but when you ask for the bill, wooosh, all the waiters are suddenly gone and you wait for more than 10 minutes. That part I will never understand but it really seems to be a thing in restaurants all over the world!
However, to end it on a good note, the Dum Pukht is definitely my preferred restaurant in the ITC Maurya. I think a reservation is not necessary as it is not as hyped as the Bukhara but I would still recommend you to do so as it was rather crowded already for a Monday evening.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Dum Pukht @ ITC Maurya, A Luxury Collection Hotel, New Delhi
Sardar Patel Marg, Akhaura Block
Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri
110021 New Delhi (IN)
Tel.: +91 11 26 11 22 33
E-Mail: reservations@itchotels.in
Homepage: https://www.itchotels.in/hotels/new-delhi/itcmaurya/dining/dum-pukht.html
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
