If you know Delhi, you may already know Priya Market in Vasant Vihar for its cocktail bars and speakeasies. The market is buzzing with watering holes, with new ones popping up every other week. And while we’re all hopping bars to find that one drink that checks all boxes, there is one restaurant in Vasant Vihar that is quietly whipping up cocktails worth every penny.
Khi Khi opened in Priya Market in May 2023, and it was here that I first discovered the magic of jackfruit through its Tandoori Pulled Jackfruit Tacos. Since then, it has been my go-to whenever I need a break from the city’s seemingly endless parade of Italian, Mexican, and European restaurants. It is where I head for a relaxed evening of good food and its Shahi Tukda Waffle, a dessert I haven’t found anywhere else in town. Even this time, the plan was like it always has been: dinner at Khi Khi, followed by drinks at one of Priya Market’s many bars.
Only this time, I was fortunate to flip through the cocktail roster, too. Twenty-one drinks, each trying to do something different, not just with what’s inside the glass but also with the garnish. The stars were aligned, and I was visiting on a Wednesday, when the restaurant gives away complimentary vodka-based Fruit Punch to all diners. There’s more. They get one of the diners to prepare the drink for everyone. And no points for guessing who the chosen one was on my visit day. Me!
What a day!
Without Much Ado, Let’s Come To The Drinks
My spirit of choice for the evening was either vodka or tequila. When I told Ravi, the mixologist at Khi Khi, he quickly recommended Just One. “Shall I tell you the reason behind the name?” he asked. The cocktail, he explained, was made for that one friend in every group who insists, “I’ll have just one drink.” Funnily enough, that’s usually me among my friends. Even so, from the very first sip, I knew that stopping at one would be easier said than done.
Arriving in a crimson hue, Just One brings together vodka, white miso, plum vermouth, Campari, celery, and green apple, topped with a layer of froth that opens the drink nicely. Green apple and plum lead the flavour profile. Building on that, I’d highly recommend starting with Just One, not just because it sets the tone for what the rest of the cocktail menu has to offer, but because it makes you rethink your resolve to stop at just one.
Next up, my co-diner ordered the whisky-based Corn Star. Ravi told us it was the cocktail he felt most connected to as a mixologist, having used every part of the corn to make it. My problem with whisky, however, is that it tends to overpower everything else in a drink. That was precisely my experience with Corn Star: I couldn’t pick up the corn flavours. For me, whisky is best enjoyed on its own or over ice. Even so, if you’re curious about a whisky-based cocktail that looks as good as it sounds, Corn Star might be worth a try.
“Did you like Bounty when you were a kid?” Ravi asked next. “I still love it. Forget about my childhood,” I replied. Moments later, a clear cocktail arrived with a bar of Bounty perched on top. “That’s Bounty in a glass,” Ravi declared. Given my love for the chocolate bar, I was a little apprehensive. Still, one bite of the Bounty followed by a sip of Re Bounty was enough to sweep me off my feet. With notes of coconut and cacao, it delivered exactly what it promised: the familiar flavours of Bounty reimagined as a cocktail. Lip-smacking and thoroughly enjoyable, this is one drink I’d happily return to for as long as my love for cocktails and Bounty lasts.
My final drink of the evening was the Kathal Highball. Ravi kept the ingredients under wraps, assuring me that I’d enjoy it and inviting me to guess what went into the glass. Pineapple was my first guess. “No, but yes. It has ripe jackfruit from Bangalore, which does taste like pineapple,” he revealed. Lemon curd added a refreshing touch, but the biggest surprise was the base spirit: whisky. Unlike the Corn Star, it didn’t overpower the other ingredients, allowing the fruit and citrus notes to shine through. By the time I finished the drink, my long-held reservations about whisky-based cocktails had all but disappeared. In that sense, perhaps whisky deserves a second chance.
The Food Menu
On the food front, Khi Khi doesn't try to do a lot, but whatever they do, there is flavour and love. I started off with my favourite Tandoori Jackfruit Tacos, which are, hands down, my favourite vegetarian dish on the menu. My co-diner, who ordered her Delhi 6 Chicken, couldn’t help but compromise her chicken for the tacos. It is that good! This time I also tried their pan-fried dumplings, which came in a serving of six and in a pool of momo chutney. If you are trying to compete with the chutney Delhi’s momo sellers pair with their momos, you are already signing up for failure. Overall, though, the dumplings didn’t impress very much.
From the Khi Khi kulchas, I recommend the Jalapeno Jack, which pairs jalapeño, jackfruit, and loads of cheese with mango mustard butter. With the drinks, you are likely to devour it in no time. I was wary of the mango mustard butter in November, but the cold-storage mangoes worked well, at least in the butter.
For the mains, I went in with my all-time favourite Paneer Pukhtan Mewa with lachhha parantha. The paneer looked like burrata, and the comforting pumpkin sauce poured over it, with the crispy lachha paratha, was pure comfort in a bite. You can also ask the servers to swap the paratha with their Malabar Parotta. My co-diner ordered the Colonial Mutton Curry, where she thought the potatoes were done better than the mutton.
Desserts at Khi Khi, like their drinks, are a must. Don’t forget to try the Shahi Tukra Waffle stuffed with a cardamom rabdi mousse, which, against your expectations, will be very mildly sweet. If I am ever doing a roundup of my favourite restaurants and bars from this year, Khi Khi would feature on the list not just for its drinks but desserts too. Ditch your Instagram famous speakeasies, trust me, and head to Khi Khi for a meal with family, friends, and whoever comes along. You will only thank me!
Information
Address: Unit Number F-02, First Floor, Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110057
Price for two: INR 2,500 to INR 4,000 (without alcohol)
Timings: 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
