The Cannes Film Festival craze might be just an annual affair, but there’s a little haven in Delhi where one could enjoy Cannes vibes all year long. Cosy Box, one of the city’s newest entrants to its restaurant space is where a great ambience meets excellent food. Oozing oomph, the restaurant at One Golden Mile, the city’s hottest new food hub, transports you to a world of La Dolce Vita!
Cannes connection
Back in 2008, Jean Bernard Fernandez-Vesini (JB), Cannes Film Festival’s official food partner founded Cosy Box in Cannes, tucked away amid the red-carpet fanfare. Along with a showcase for luxury brands like de Grisogono, Arman De Brignac, Gucci, and more, Cosy Box in Cannes was conceptualised as a happening club and a restaurant. Closer home, Delhi restaurateurs Akshay Anand and Aashish Begwani decided to introduce this space to Delhiites and joined hands with JB to get Cosy Box’s first-ever international chapter to Delhi’s One Golden Mile. Abutting Lutyens Delhi, Cosy Box is perhaps one of the finest additions to Delhi’s ever-growing restaurant list.
What awaits you?
As you talk towards the restaurant, a jade-tiled patio replete with sun umbrellas greets you, set up in a verdant green space. For those who love alfresco dining experiences, this beautiful patio exuding a relaxed yet sophisticated vibe is the place to be in. Step inside the restaurant to find glossy marble and rose archways. Lights highlight the chrome accents and the plush and comfortable seating sets the perfect vibe for a relaxed afternoon or evening. Everything about Cosy Box spells luxury.
The 7500 square-feet space also houses Cosy Pavilion, a tucked away setting for small parties, pop-ups on art, culture and everything in between. A posh experience with food to match, this exclusive section within Cosy Box is meant for business meetings and fashion - in a nutshell, anything and everything that needs a closed yet sophisticated setting. This is a perfect space where single malts rub shoulders with Cuban cigars and bespoke food.
However, if a sprawling party space is the need of the hour, then there’s nothing better than ‘The Cosy Cloud’, a terrace that can accommodate up to 200 people. Even as the stunning hues of the sunset flirt with the décor that changes seasonally, the setting is perfect for a sundowner.
World on your plate
Variety is clearly the spice of the meals at Cosy Box. From brunch bowls to a baker's basket, burgers, soups, and salads to a mind-boggling Asian selection, grills and fire wok meals, Indian and Turkish meals to European meals, and of course pizzas – there’s very little left for imagination at this restaurant. Fortunately, every dish has its own unique flavour, which urges you to return to try out every cuisine available. We started our meal with our favourite mushroom cappuccino soup, which had a generous Parmesan foam, Truffle oil and Porcini dust – the perfect beginning to a meal that went onto several courses.
Moving on to the appetisers - these ranged from Philadelphia cream cheese to Thai fried chicken and Peking duck dumplings. After trying out a few variations of sushi, we nibbled on some European Four Cheese Portobello Mushroom, which was every mushroom lover’s dream come true – cheese stuffed Portobello mushrooms, and asparagus, served on a bed of tomato fondue. Even a self-confessed carnivore would happily binge on this one. However, the real star of the meal was the pizza – the Truffle mushroom and Arugula pizza that was hands down the best pizza we have had in a long time. The other winners in the meal were the pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass and the lamb chops. Of course, the restaurant needs at least three visits to taste the entire menu.
We wound up the stellar meal with a dessert that could walk the red carpet! The Baklava cheesecake was everything a sweet lover could dream of – the best phyllo crust, a generous bed of pistachios, fine quality mascarpone cheese with generous dollops of honey and orange zest. This dessert alone could be a good enough reason to return to Cosy Box.
It's all about sharing
What we absolutely love about Cosy Box are the sharing platters called ‘Cosy Plate’. Here you will find bite-sized servings of seafood and seasonal vegetables, grilled on Japanese open-flame robata grills. The smokiness of the charred food is layered with tequila and mezcal (barrel-aged agave tincture) straight from Mexico.
High spirits
Cosy Box turns into a buzzing club at night so the drinks need to need to match the space’s high spirits. The bar here boasts of mixologists from across the world, mixing classics as well as new fascinating cocktails You’ll find old favourites like the Paloma Negra to a special Cosy trademark: A candy bar with candy-flavoured shots.
Zee Zest recommends: Cannes-themed special cocktails including ‘A Summer in Cannes’ (Beefeater gin, Martini Fiero and elderflower), A Day in Cannes (gin, dry Vermouth, raspberry and egg white), or heady cocktails like ‘Nobody Knows’ (Sake, mint and peach) and ‘Day Dreams’ (Suze and tonic water).
Pro tip: Order food that on the Turkish flame trolley – to enjoy a spectacle.
Where: One Golden Mile, Netaji Nagar Musical Fountain and Nature Park, Opposite Bhikaji Kama Place, New Delhi
Reservations: 8375939495
Hours: 12pm to 12am
Meal for two: Rs 2,500 plus taxes (without alcohol)