The California Boulevard, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi
The California Boulevard Rajouri Garden is located among one of the most tightly packed restaurant density you will find in Delhi. With the basics in place, this one is right on top of the popularity charts. Good food and great ambiance combined with a well tuned service makes up a nice dining experience.
Location of The California Boulevard Rajouri Garden
About the restaurant
You will fall in love with the theme of the restaurant immediately. Boulevard means a large street. The name California with the restaurant is a reference to the famous Hollywood boulevard which is in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Connection to this famous street is instant. As with the original street which has extra decorations, the same has been replicated here. Iron lamp post with two lights, the famous stars on the pavement and pictures of Hollywood stars completes the experience. There is also a TV dominating the dining hall with some nice songs screened.
Preparations to welcome you
The restaurant is spread across two floors. Before you enter the place, you are received at the counter outside which arranges your seating options. Things are coordinated before you climb the flight of stairs. This place is popular even on week days. So you might have to wait. This place also sees people coming in groups. So for a group more than four there will be some waiting. In the restaurant someone will always be there to help you reach your table and make sure that you are seated comfortably. The language of choice for the waiters is English, but they can switch to local easily. They present you with the menu, ask a few questions and they you are given time to turn the pages. The waiter who takes down your order is well trained to answer all your questions and asks about allergies too. Warm plates, expansive tissues, the list goes on and on. In short, you are well looked after.
About the menu and the food
There is an interesting option of Chef’s Special Set Menu. This is good if you want to have a full meal experience. I was specially looking forward to try out California traditional food. That mainly means fish, but I had narrowed down the choices to either a pizza, burger or sandwich. Next on the menu is small plates which is good to nibble a light meal. Then there are platters, soups, salads, pasta and mains. The menu is a nice mix of several cuisines. We took the recommendation of the waiter who strongly suggested the pizza.
Once the waiter leaves with your order, you can get into a nice and relaxed conversion. This is possible because there is no blaring music. With dimmed lights, it is the perfect settings to even enjoy a drink. Food takes time to arrive. The waiter also informs you of the time taken. A bread basket is complimentary. Bread is prepared in the wood fired oven. It is served with a nice butter mix.
The pizza arrived in time. It was heavily loaded with toppings. The crust is thin with nice crunchiness in it. Someone comes at the end of your table to ask you about the taste of your food and whether it was an enjoyable experience.
So is it too good to be true
In some sense, yes. It is not a fluke that this place reigns on the top. You see happy customers all around, enjoying the food. There are a few reviewers on Zomato who have complained about the service. Yes, when the tables are full, there is be some shortcomings in service. For them the best time to enjoy is afternoon when there will be less of a rush. A word about the pricing, yes this place offers a premium service and is priced rightly for that. And please guys, you need to have a wireless card swiping machine urgently!
