I have been living under a rock, because while I had heard of Fig, the popular café at the Museo Camera in Gurugram, I knew next to nothing about it, let alone partake of its delights. Luckily, Fig has come closer home, with the opening of a grand outpost at Malcha Marg in Delhi’s diplomatic enclave. After dropping in for a preview I realised what I had been missing all these years. Needless to say, Fig’s fans in Delhi are counting their blessings.
Fig at Malcha, as the new, two-floor café is called, is massive, taking over the space once occupied by two restaurants. The menu is equally extensive, with more dishes than at the original café. Fig at Malcha is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner — and everything in between. In fact, founder Manish Yadav has envisioned Fig at Malcha as a space where patrons enjoy lingering. “We offer a smart, environmentally safe and aesthetically enhanced space for creative inspiration, business meetings and relaxed conversations,” he says. The interiors are nearly Nordic in their minimalism, and I think conducive to deep work, mindful conversations and conscious eating. Art from Artery on the walls is keeping it interesting.
The breakfast options include eggs every way you can imagine (only premium, cage-free eggs are used), pancakes, breakfast bowls, and toasts with toppings. The rest of the menu is divided into soups, salads, small plates, big plates, healthy comfort bowls, home-made pastas, wood-fired pizzas, and burgers and sandwiches. Desserts are not listed — you just take your pick from the display. There is a dedicated drinks menu, with speciality coffees, teas, juice, smoothies, in-house kombucha, and so on. There will be alcoholic drinks too, once the liquor licence shows up.
On the afternoon I strolled in, there was a nip in the air, brought on by a sudden shower. It called for warming, comfort food, with a dash of something spicy and oriental. Thank god Fig at Malcha’s tables are sturdy stone affairs, because ours was soon heaving with humongous quantities of food.
From the continental end of the spectrum, we ordered the beer-battered fish and chips and the spinach feta chicken. The fish and chips were a refreshing departure from the crumb-fried variety we’re all a little tired of. The chicken was unusual and delicious: chicken breast stuffed with a spinach and feta filling.
I am not a soup person, but my companions ordered the roasted pumpkin and chicken and avocado soups, and came away loving both.
From the Asian section, I got the Thai larb gai salad, poached chicken summer rolls, and Pla Neung (Thai steamed chilli fish). Being greedy, I also ordered the prawns ceviche. The minced chicken larb gai was tangy-spicy with a chilli-lime dressing. The rolls were bursting with the goodness of raw vegetable strips. The steamed chilli fish was topped with a dressing which packed quite a punch in terms of flavour and came with some wilted bok choy and steamed beans. The prawns ceviche sustained the tangy theme and were so good I could probably eat them every day of my life.
From the breakfast side of things, I ordered an avocado and kale smoothie, and their best-selling shakshuka. Both were excellent.
Restaurants sometimes run out of steam by the time they come to the dessert section. No such thing here. I tried two: vegan banana finger and Swiss roll. Both were to die for. The banana finger had just the right amount of sweet, and I liked the fact that the Swiss roll used mascarpone cream.
“We’ve very carefully created and crafted every detail of our offerings that makes a meal at Fig a holistic experience. We have 14 chefs with five specialist chefs who are experts in their respective cuisines such as Thai, Japanese, French, etc. Our pâtissier and boulanger hold the fort in the bakery,” explains Manish.
Fig calls itself “an eco-contemporary and conscious food collective” that inspires flavourful, healthy, ethical and plant-forward cuisine. Responsible practices are at the core of the cafè’s design and operations, including a minimum-waste kitchen. The success of the menu rests on high-quality, seasonal produce from local farms, 100% GMO-free meat, cage-free eggs as well as a Parisian style in-house bakery and ‘farm-to-cup’ speciality coffee.
I’m a fusspot when it comes to coffee, so I’m happy to report that Fig passes with flying colours on that count. The coffee is all from Indian estates, with the origin clearly mentioned. There’s a lot of fancy coffee-making techniques and equipment in use, including a Storm machine from Italy for the Italian brews. My Americano made with coffee beans from Tamil Nadu’s Pulney Hills was pretty much perfect. Yes, the future is conscious, and the future is here.
Manish hopes that Fig will be adopted by regulars who’ll feel free to walk in at any time and make it a second home. Speaking on the inspiration behind the café, hesays, “Fig is an expression of our passion to serve and share food that is deliciously easy, joyous and powerful.” Amen to that.
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Max: 5 stars)
Food: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Interiors/Décor: 7/10
Vibe: 8/10
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