Rodeo, the oldest surviving bar in Delhi

Rodeo, the oldest surviving bar in Delhi 

Bar review: Rodeo

As you walk down the tiled pathway of Connaught Place's famous inner circle, the one dotted with glossy outlets and beaming restaurants, somewhere beside the overbearing KFC you'll find Rodeo, the Tex-Mex restaurant-cum-bar tucked away from the pompous glories of new-age eateries.

Launched in the spring of 1994 as the first ever authentic Mexican restaurant in India, Rodeo continues to be where it was - A 12, Inner circle, Connaught Place - serving its purpose in the humblest manner possible. It has been 19 years since the bar's unwavering existence in a precinct as popular as Connaught Place. Having survived competition of all kinds from fellow restaurants and bars, having witnessed plenty of such places shutting as hurriedly as they launched, Rodeo has managed to build its ground impressively over a span of two long decades. "There was no pub or bar culture in Delhi back in the 1990s. Restrictive license policy ensured that only hotels with a 4 and 5 star rating were allowed to serve liquor. Those days, 5-star discotheques like Tabela, Ghungroo and Number One were the popular places," says Saeed M Shervani, managing director of Shervani group of hotels and the brain behind Rodeo. A steady dose of Clint Eastwood movies throughout his growing up years seeded the idea of a saloon and thus, Rodeo was born.

Servers dressed as cowboys, saddle laden bar stools

Several restaurant-cum-bars borrow their concepts from the West but not all are able to live up to the place's culture and cuisine. With time, focus on the theme becomes secondary and this is where Rodeo earns its brownie points. Rodeo is a term for an exhibition where cowboys show off their calf-roping and bronco-riding skills. With the name that reflects the true essence of a cowboy, it has everything that you would find in the saloon of a Clint Eastwood movie - sheriffs (servers) wearing Stetson hats, bar stools wrapped with real saddles, and lanterns and nooses hanging from the ceiling. My personal favourite is the cowboy rifle stirrer, a creation that tempts you to nick it as a keepsake. Incredible but true it is that Rodeo has managed to keep its concept in place, not to mention, the frequent food and beverage festivals in sync with the cultural celebrations of Mexico being held from time to time. Once you settle down, crane your neck and look up to the roof area where two performers, one strumming the guitar and the other playing the piano, crooning the much loved pop songs of the 80s per request. "There is no fun without competition. But thankfully, we've been able to maintain the charm that only Rodeo can provide. We are the only ones with such an ambience. The repeat guest percent with us is about 40% which reflects our service over the years," says Shervani.

Fajitas, nachos, enchiladas and more

Originally Rodeo commenced as a restaurant sans liquor with its specialty in Tex-Mex cuisine. Shervani explains, "Just when the bar was ready to be launched, we learned that as per the government policies during those days, only hotels with star ratings could acquire a liquor license. There was no licensing policy for standalone pubs and bars. So we decided to introduce the fusion food from Americas which reflects the Latin American and South American culture." And so, a team of Indian chefs led by Chef Manoj Kumar was hired and trained by chefs from Mexico and USA, and a comprehensive menu comprising fajitas, enchiladas, and taquitos was developed. After running successfully for about 6 months, Rodeo finally got their liquor license and then they introduced an arsenal of world class liquors.

It so happened, that my fourth visit to Rodeo coincided with the 'Margarita combo festival'. Naturally, the trouble of choosing the drink for the evening was sorted. I set off with a delicious serving of Mango Margarita and a platter full of Nachos served with four yummy dips - Guacamole, Cheese Dip, Bean Dip and Sour Cream Dip. As I helped myself with mouthful of nachos and looked inquisitively at the Pollo Con Pallo (chicken skewers) and Vegetarian Taquitos (small tacos), Chef Manoj joined us for a quick chat. "Did you know that all big hotels like the Taj and Le Meridien buy their nachos from us?" he asked and continued, "we import the spices and corn flour from Mexico and we make the nachos here. Most five-star hotels don't have the requisite means to make original nachos and we end up delivering it to them."

Half-full from the appetisers, I moved on to the main course, Rodeo's signature dish and Shervani's personal favourite - Pescado En Salsa De Mostaz, a gorgeous fillet of river sole steamed with coarse mustard sauce and served with sauteed vegetables and oregano potato. The fillet size is generous and the preparation is fairly filling, so you could give the starters a skip to enjoy the nuances in its flavour fully.

After an extravagant main course, the choice of dessert had to remain simple. The classic Mexican style brownie was served topped with vanilla ice-cream and plenty of homemade hot-fudge sauce and nuts.

It is all right to want to try drinking at a new bar for a change, or to experiment with a new restaurant. But if you begin to miss the comfort and familiarity of a place that lets you be, you know where to go. Rodeo isn't going anywhere. Not anytime soon for sure.

Rodeo

Venue: A-12 Inner Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi (a short walk from Rajiv Chowk metro station)

Meal for two: 1800 INR with alcohol (approx.)

Must try: Nachos, Pollo Con Pallo and Vegetarian Taquitos