Contributed by Gayatri Sharma
The Big Fall
Contributed by Gayatri Sharma
I remember the first time I visited The Big Chill. It was 2001, and I had finished writing my final exams at LSR college. My colleagues and I were heading off in our separate directions and a friend and I decided to say goodbye to each other at a new place that had opened in East of Kailash, which reputedly served home made ice cream. I ordered the Belgian chocolate, she had vanilla and I have still not forgotten the first bite. It was for the first time I tasted not just delicious creamy ice cream (as opposed to the usual sugary frozen thing sold in shops) but also rich cocoa (as opposed to the sugary candy with a chocolaty taste available in shops).
Following LSR, I went off to North Campus to study law and forgot all about The Big Chill. After graduating and starting work, The Big Chill again became the place for meeting friends, a casual lunch, a reasonably priced good coffee, and excellent deserts. The décor was stylish, the waiters and waitresses efficient and friendly, and the food was good. Importantly, it didn’t leave you broke.
That was then.
I went back to The Big Chill last night. The initial plan was to go to The Living Room in Hauz Khas, but Parvati had a bad cold and was in the mood for “comfort food.” We decided to go to The Big Chill located in Khan Market’s middle lane. It was crowded, but the waiter found a table for the three of us quickly enough. I ordered the Tomato and Basil soup with Penne and Bacon to follow, and Fatima ordered the Chicken and Mushroom soup. Parvati ordered the Spaghetti with Prawns. The soup arrived first. The tomato soup was thick, with no taste of basil at all, as at least 3 cloves of garlic had been grated into the soup overpowering the taste of everything apart from the tomato. Fatima’s chicken soup was clear with less garlic and had a pleasant tangy twist. The main course was a major disappointment. The bacon was not crispy and mixed into the penne along with the bacon fat. The bacon fat contributed to the oily-ness of the dish, which really should have been much less (Perhaps it could have been made only in the fat of the bacon without requiring extra oil – that is how Parvati fries eggs when bacon is being cooked at home). Again, the dish was overpowered by the taste of garlic. Parvati’s spaghetti was too spicy, the sauce was quite thick and garlic was the dominating factor.
The good news is that the desert remains excellent. We shared a Banoffee Pie between the three of us, which met our expectations. The service remains good, the décor is still nice, the deserts are yummy, but the food has definitely gone down hill.
The Big Chill seems to be surviving on its reputation. A place for nostalgic trips; not good food.
Meal for Two: 1200 | Credit Cards: YES | Alcohol: NO | Takeaway: YES | Home Delivery: NO
- Gayatri Sharma
