California Boulevard. Rings any bell? Well, yes, most of us associate it with Hollywood. That’s exactly what one can connect with when they enter California Boulevard at Rajouri Garden. It’s got plush interiors, Chesterfield sofa’s, Hollywood snippets on LCD’s, wall of fame replicated on the floor and the masculine n roaring Harley Davidson.
The menu offers cuisines from 11 different cuisines and has something for everyone. The well mannered staff which meticulously handles and serves the guests is an added feather in their cap. Rajan Sethi has weaved an American Dream with this restaurant and given a gem to West Delhi.
For starters we had the Som Tam Salad which was absolutely yumm! It was extremely spicy and the flavours of lemon, crunchy roasted peanuts and palm sugar went really well together. The next dish to come was Dilli ki Chaat - Crisp fried Spinach with sev and sauces and was the best starter one can crave for. We tried three different varieties of dim Sum’s which included – Spicy Mushroom, Mix Vegetable & Chive and Crystal Chicken, the mushroom and chicken dim sums both were very well made. These were followed by the BBQ Pork Bao which were not well appreciated as the bun (outer covering) was very thick and thus killed the flavor of the meat within. 
Our table was next graced by the Meat Fondue. Well, this dish ain’t for the weight watchers. It’s a traditional Swiss dish which originated in the Alps and has bite sized assorted cubes of chicken and lamb which are served with molten cheese. It absolutely took the heart away! In contrast to this was the dish that followed – Tandoori Bacon Prawns (Jumbo Prawns wrapped in bacon); these were high on salt and thus couldn’t make way to any acknowledgement or appreciation but the Wasabi Mayo dip served alongside was very well made.
We had heard a lot about their wood fired pizzas and thus called in for California Veggie & Peri Peri Chicken Pizza’s on the Chef and servers recommendations. The pizzas were made to perfection with perfectly balanced toppings and since I’m a big time cheese fan I was even given extra parmesan to sprinkle on my slice. 
In the Indian main course we tried the Gosht Nihari and the Peanut Butter Paneer. Both the dishes were a sheer delight to have. The mutton was cooked t perfection and was extremely flavourful, tender and less on the floating oil and the paneer was nice and creamy with the surprise edge given by the hint of peanut butter in it. These were accompanied by the Oregano & Chipotle Gourmet Naan, Lal mirch roti and three mushroom and cheese kulcha. The breads were not just different from the usual but also very tasty and well made. 
There’s always this one dish that you fight for in order to get the larger share, for me it was the Seafood Thermidor. It’s a French classic and had sea food (Sole fish, shrimps, lobsters) cooked in white wine with mushrooms and lemon and was served in a very innovative way. It was a mind boggling dish and will definitely pull me for repeated visits to this place. 
The drinks that we had were inclusive of both cocktails & the mocktails. For mocktails we had the Thai Refresher (Soda with water melon juice and chunks, kaffir lime, galangal & mint) and Virgin Sangria (Seasonal fruits in Orange & Pineapple juice and a hint of cinnamon). Cocktails were extremely well made and left us craving for more. We tried the Bloody Mary, Mojito and Chi-Chi. Well, to say the least, Chi-Chi is a little shocker and surprise package. It has vodka, coconut cream, pineapple chunks and vanilla ice cream in it. So what do you say when you sip in a cocktail and feel like you’ve gulped in some milk shake and as soon as you take it in, the vodka hits back? That’s exactly how I felt when I first tasted it. It was a sheer bliss to have. We winded up our lunch with deserts on the chef’s recommendation. We had the Chocolate Marquise (Chocolate desert with California Almonds), TCB Kulfi Gazzak and Flambe Bailet’s Jamun. 
The gazzak kulfi was extremely innovative and nice and leaves you craving for those wintery goodies packed in a summery packaging. The Baileys Jamun absolutely won our hearts! They were infused with baileys and flambeed with rum. They incredibly stole the show. 
You can well imagine the feeling when u dig in a hot, soft & spongy jamun and right at the first bite, liquor hits you! Sheer Bliss. We loved every bit of it. This place is definitely worth a visit and repeat visits.
Meal For two – Rs. 2000.
Address: California Boulevard, J 2/5, B.K. Dutt Market, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi
Tel: +91 9971108571, +91 9971108561
