Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral
A Table for Four: Delhi’s Dining Legacy was launched on December 14, 2025, at Club de Palma, Bambolim, Goa, during an intimate dinner gathering that brought together voices from India’s culinary and cultural circles. The evening opened with the unveiling of the book by noted author and food critic Vir Sanghvi, followed by reflections from Sunil Kant Munjal, Ajay Shriram, and Nitan Kapoor. A thoughtfully curated dinner hosted by Club de Palma concluded the evening, echoing the warmth, reflection, and shared experience that defines the book.
The anthology traces 16 years of Delhi’s dining evolution through the perspective of four friends connected by the Doon School Old Boys’ Society — Sunil Kant Munjal, Ajay Shriram, Nitan Kapoor, and the late Deepak Nirula. What began as a simple ritual of regular lunches gradually transformed into an extraordinary documentation of the city’s restaurants, culinary trends, and changing tastes. The book captures not just what was eaten, but how food became a medium for conversation, continuity, and connection.
Blending restaurant reviews with personal anecdotes, culinary history, and food-centric observations, the narrative celebrates both Delhi’s dynamic food landscape and the enduring camaraderie behind the table. The book is dedicated to Deepak Nirula, a visionary who played a pioneering role in shaping India’s fast-food and restaurant culture through landmark innovations during the 1980s and 1990s. His passing in 2022 marked the loss of a towering figure in India’s culinary journey, and the book stands as a tribute to his passion and influence.
Featuring 27 restaurant reviews across European, Indian, Asian, fusion, multi-cuisine, and Latin American food, the anthology also includes select recipes, conversations, essays, and reflections from leading chefs, restaurateurs, industry experts, and food writers. Their voices enrich the personal narrative, creating a layered and engaging portrait of a city constantly reinventing how it eats.
Interspersed throughout are food factoids and cultural insights, touching on subjects such as Daulat ki Chaat, Mughal-era qahwa khanas, the culinary impact of Partition, Kwality’s ice cream legacy, the innovations behind Nirula’s, the rise of butter chicken, the growth of Bikanervala, and Delhi’s club culture. Together, these stories form a living archive of Delhi’s dining legacy — told not as a formal history, but as a shared journey of taste, memory, and friendship.
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