Having been in the hotel industry, the four partners of Turquoise Cottage in Adchini Village in South Delhi, anticipated this Thai craze and set up their Thai speciality gourmet outlet two years ago. They have also added some Chinese dishes to their menu, though. The restaurant also has a Teppen Yaki grill, which otherwise is only available at TK's at the Hyatt Regency.

The Turquoise Cottage has grown into being one of the finest Thai food restaurants in Delhi, serving some excellent dishes. And as in the hotel industry, the partners keep on reviewing the food, adding and deleting preparations.

Several items on the menu are worth recommending: The Thai Prawns in Red Curry, with prawns marinated in coconut milk and Thai herbs with a red curry base; the SpicyChicken with basil and Green Peppers, which has a mild flavour of wild basil and Thai green pepper, which are stingier than their Indian cousins; and the best is the Thai Black Mushroom dish with vegetables, which has wild black mushrooms tossed up with exotic vegetables.

The owners get all their raw material imported from Hong Kong. The herbs, spices and some of the vegetables, especially the mushroom are from the city. The restaurant imports curry paste and then the chef uses his genius to bring out the flavours of the paste.

On the weekends, Fridays to Saturdays, Turquoise Cottage has a bartender who specialises in making mocktails and cocktails, which are far from the ordinary. They also have special ladies night on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when the lady visitors get a free mocktail.

The Teppen Yaki grill too is popular and the restaurant plans to have a live fish tank, with prawns, crabs and other mollusks and crustaceans. And those who opt for the grill can choose their own fish to be grilled,though they will have to wait until the rainy season is over for this to start.

Over the past two years, Turquoise Cottage has built up a fairly large clientele and the owners are now working on opening a basement addition to the restaurant to increase the number of tables. A meal for two would cost Rs 650 to Rs 750, which is cheaper that several of the other Thai restaurants in Delhi. Considering that the food is good, it may be well worth the price.

--Vidya Deshpande