A Dinner Date at the Lodi Gardens

Cabana Seating 

Well, it was quite a long spell of tough office days and it was time that soon I would begin getting those looks that every married man is afraid of – yeah, the go sleep on the couch look! So the wise guy that I am, learning from the experiences of friends, I set up myself on an endeavor to prevent the inevitable. The first thing to think of was the plan and I had no clue to start with. But then being foodie myself, what better way to set forth a quite romantic dinner date in a soft yet elegant setting. So the search began over Zomato, checking out the pictures to assess the ambiance and reviews to assess the food. Over an hours search led me to this restaurant called – Lodi - The Garden Restaurant.

Located just on the outer periphery of the famous Lodi Gardens amidst the opulence of the posh locality, this is just the right location of even getaways and group parties. The setting is simply yet modernly decent. There are three seating options that the guests have. There is an indoor seating in a usual restaurant outlook decorated in mystic yet subtle theme, cooled by those modern electric appliances providing the right setting for a quiet conversation on convoluted business matters. Though it provides all the luxuries and comfort that one would hope for in a restaurant, there isn’t a particular charm that it offers. The other seating options are in the lawns. They have spread out tables across vast manicured lawns providing the right romantic setting under the sky. The ambiance is equally good for a group to spend some great time chatting about all topics on the world. Along the peripheral boundaries of the lawns, they have put up a few special seating arrangements. They have put up a few cabanas’s which allow you to spread your legs in truly a comfortable position, the 180 degrees liberty. They have this wide sofa sets (almost half beds) with canopy for privacy. The sides have curtains which swirl with the wind but still provide that seclusion to create the magic.

Entrance to the Lodi - Garden Restaurant

Narrow Lanes to the Heaven

So yeah, that was the location which was perfect for my purpose. I called in for reservations for which they advised that they would have a seating for us but could not assure the cabana. Well left it to hope, we took to the roads by about 7 to spend some time negotiating with the Delhi traffic. Now, located in the upmarket Luteyn zone provides it a relatively traffic free access. So we were right at the reception desk by about 7:30, the right time when that hunger begins to settle into its quenching form. The first thing first, there is ample parking available with some roadside space and also the parking for the Lodi Gardens doubling up for the restaurant because of absolute nearness. The entrance of the restaurant is elegant and sober and you pass through narrow strip with hedges on both sides before reaching the lawns. 

We asked for our reservations at the desk and the lady guided us to our seats. She offered us an indoor seating which we denied and then we were seated on one of the lawn tables. But the charm of those cabanas tempted us towards them and we asked her if we could have one of those for us. She did resist us by expecting a time of about an hour until one would be available but when we insisted she asked the server to keep an eye on one for us and asked us to begin our order and shift to one of the cabanas when it is available. Well, who changes places in midst of a dinner (date!) and hence we chose to wait and ordered a drink in the meanwhile. But as luck probably was on our side, one of the spots opened up before even our drinks could arrive and we shifted in time to receive the drinks in our new hub.

Ambiance and Seating

We had ordered a “beach blast” mocktail which was thirst quenching and recommended. In starter, we had ordered a “caramelized version of a potato recipe” and dumplings. In main-course, we had ordered penne pasta which came with a complimentary side – garlic bread. We ordered another plate of which to help us fill in those nagging stomach mice. The service was really good and the staff was accommodating to requests. The server was courteous and prompt, though they could do with a couple of more servers during busy hours.

We spent some great quality time with good food and awesome ambiance and I seem to be off the hook for a couple of weeks until the next similar look appears and I would scramble again in a fire-fighting effort to avoid going on the couch. Till then enjoy the rest of the posts, suggestions on dining places in Delhi and all the other rumblings and ramblings.

To know more about things to do in Delhi, do visit the post - The Capital City - Delhi: Things To Do