Gunpowder - The Peninsular Kitchen

By The Balloon

It all began a couple of months ago with a small restaurant on the top floor of one of the tall-ish building overlooking the tank in Haus Khas Village, Delhi. The place, named Gunpowder, was (and still is) unpretentious: few tables, few menus printed on white A4 paper, few well prepared South Indian dishes.

But then who had gone there for the incredible view went back for the beef, and who has gone there for the gunpowder got addicted to the dosas and appam. In a matter of weeks - or even days - the voice spread and Gunpowder became THE new place in Delhi.

You can meet pretty much everyone there: from students to arty types, to suits, uncle and aunties, and a lot of foreigners. Everyone climbs all the stairs that take to Gunpowder (they say it's the third floor, but it feels more like the sixth), and the place is now so popular that it's very rare to eat there without bumping into someone you know.

The restaurant is refreshingly minimalist: in a city where pretentious places open one after the other, there's something really new and nice about a place that keeps it simple, and good.

We love their meat dishes (there's even beef), but there are many delicious options for vegetarians: you don't want to miss the sweet and sour pumpkin, nor the lentils with spinach. Pick the (addictive!) dosa over the rice, and challenge yourself with the gunpowder mix at least once.

Reserve a table outside, and get ready to join Gunpowder's fan club.