
Winter Palace is India’s first and only Russian fine-dining restaurant (Bline, the dainty cafe in Delhi shut down a few years ago); and is a faithful messenger of an unfamiliar land and cuisine, much different from ours. Scrupulously recreated tropes from Russia work well on a plate. They have used fairytale sky-blue and lace in the interiors and a bear-cutout hangs on the door. Try the open-air bamboo shack, preferably after sundown. The food offers sequential degrees of unfamiliarity, and is most rewarding after you get past pasta and the. Try the classics such as the chicken a-la kiev or beef stroganoff. If you approach it with a curious palate, Winter Palace offers an experience of Russia’s most indulgent dishes, unprecedented in this part of the world.