Crisp, Cool, And Full Of Umami: A Summer Menu Made To Refresh Your Palette

With Delhi blazing, one needs a place to stop, look around, and fill up their stomach but not over do it. This is where Chica, located in One Golden Mile in Netaji Nagar perfectly fits in. Its new summer chapter, carefully curated by Chef Divyansh Arora offers the perfect summer blend on your palette.

The place has a different vibe altogether, the moment you enter, you will feel the much needed calm that you need from the cruel summer. The summer menu by Chef Arora is a result of his years of experience, inspired by dishes from all over the world, but mostly bent towards East Asian fusion. When asked why, we got to know that East Asian food is in fact the most preferred by the Delhiites.

So, how can one miss wasabi, kimchi and ponzu sauce? Well, all this is brought up in a perfect blend of Korokke (Rs. 425). It had kimchi slaw, wasabi aioli, and scented ponzu sauce, all things East Asian! For the uninitiated, kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made of salted and fermented vegetables. If one has to draw parallels, pickle is a good comparison. Wasabi is a Japanese plant, and this is where we get the hot and spicy wasabi sauce. Lastly, the ponzu is a popular Japanese citrus-based sauce, it is also known for its salty, tangy and slightly sweet flavour.

The chef tells us that all these tastes fit perfect for summers. You do not want something too spicy during hot summers, but something that is a perfect mixture of all.

Next up, we tried Chicken Yakitori Skewer with Teriyaki Glaze (Rs. 575), served with pickled ginger yuzu gel, and wasabi avocado cream. It was flavourful and perfectly mixed the juice and smoky taste. It also had the sweet-salty teriyaki glaze balanced by the zing of pickled ginger yuzu and the creamy kick of wasabi avocado.

Having my own love for Korean cuisine, I could not miss the bulgogi and sticky rice. Bulgogi is a popular Korean dish which consists thinly sliced, marinated meat and is grilled or pan-fried. The marinade includes a mixture of sauces, namely, soy sauce, sugar or honey, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. So, we jumped right into Chicken bulgogi with sticky rice (Rs. 745). It had a homely comfort to it. The bit into the meat felt tender and flavourful, pairing beautifully with sticky rice, while the apple salsa and crispy shallots added crunch and tang, all tied together by a rich soy-caramel gochujang glaze.

The popular one from Chica was the Crispy sweet and sour mackerel (Rs. 925) with Asian peperonata. It offered a perfect balance of tang and crunch, complemented by the bold, smoky-sweet notes of the Asian peperonata.

For the desert, what could be better than the seasonal ingredient of Mangoes? This is a perfect ending to the summer menu. We went for the Mango Pavlova (Rs. 494), a perfect blend of meringue, mango relish, passion fruit gel, coconut mousse, and vanilla mascarpone. From the first bite itself, it had a melt-in-the-mouth texture that no one can resist!

The cocktail menu curated by Gunjan Pal was a creative and flavour-forward journey, and we tried it all! The menu offered everything from floral notes to smoky surprises. Our top pick was the Botanic Rhapsody—a gin-based beauty where green tea and a whisper of citrus danced with floral elegance. It was fragrant, lightly smoky, and ethereal—like sipping spring in a glass.

The Last Peach of Summer, another gin-based cocktail, brought together smoky tea, soft stone fruit, and a creamy hush of nostalgia. Spiced and velvety, it felt like a golden hour sip on a Darjeeling veranda. For those who enjoy a deeper dram, Salt & Smoke was a standout. This scotch-based cocktail was complex and aromatic, kissed with orange blossom and carrying a hint of sea breeze and bittersweet charm. The Madrid Martini, built on whiskey, was dry and exotic—herbaceous and layered with savoury sophistication. It truly felt like a whisper from the Iberian coast. We also tried Sweet Sting, and it stood out for its crisp rhubarb, floral sweetness, and spring-like freshness. A summer menu, indeed!