The Roseate, Delhi

Hotel review

Delhi’s NH8 doesn’t sound like an obvious location for an urban oasis, does it? But enter The Roseate’s eight-acre property and your opinion will change. Pass an austere looking guard, and the road opens up into an expansive entrance driveway, dotted with art installations and adorned with 650,000 individually cast brass leaves, by British designer John Bowmen. Let me just write that again. Six-hundred-and-fifty-thousand individually cast brass leaves. To say it’s quite an entrance would be an understatement. Designed by Khun Lek Bunnag, known for his grandiose creations, the architecture throughout The Roseate sets it apart from other hotels in the city. With everything on a slightly larger than life scale, you’ll feel a little like Alice in Wonderland as you traverse its undulating grounds and water bodies. Boasting Delhi’s longest pool, at 102 metres long it is more than many can sprint, let alone swim! The Pool View rooms include private outdoor areas and direct access to the pool – perfect for a morning dip. Other notable features include a rotating pendulum disc and The Tree of Life, also designed by John Bowmen, as well as a wall of stained-glass in the lobby. Rooms are decorated in white and grey hues, focusing on open spaces and natural light. Totally modern, all of your gadgets can be controlled from an I-pad so you can open your blinds in the morning from the comfort of your own bed. No hard hotel beds here (seemingly the mattress of choice in India) they are sink-into with soft pillows and cloud-like duvets. There is a capacious bathtub, almost al-fresco with views outside, whilst the shower doubles as a steam room and guests will find not one, but two sinks, big enough to be a church font. A lot of effort has gone into the menu design. From all-day dining at Kiyan to dinners at Chi Ni, the Roseate has roped in some of Delhi’s highest-flying chefs. At the majestic Kiyan, flanked by a collonaded wall styled on the Elephanta caves, chef Nishant Choubey heads a dynamic team creating innovative fusion dishes. The menu changes every few months and as much as possible is sourced their organic farm, just a few kilometres away. I had the Organic Pomelo salad to start, which was the perfect blend of fresh and crisp with a soft sweetness from the tamarind dressing, followed by the vegetarian thali, a great introduction to North Indian cuisine for those fresh off the boat. For breakfast, there is an array of healthy and not-so-healthy dishes (I couldn’t help but opt for the trio of pancakes, not once but twice), as well as fresh pressed juices and crispy South Indian dosas. Try to make sure you have dinner at Chi Ni during your stay, for authentic Chinese flavours courtesy of chef Ban. Starting with blanched baby spinach in a sesame dressing for starter, we were taken on a culinary journey of wasabi shrimp, vegetable lettuce wrap, chicken Siu Mai, and soft and fluffy tofu bao.

Megan Lambert Review published: 31/10/2018