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I was in Delhi and had the opportunity of trying the new Vietnamese restaurant at the Taj Palace Hotel called Blue Ginger.

My first encounter with Vietnamese food was in Paris where Vietnamese restaurants are as common as Indian restaurants are in London, part of colonial legacy.In fact, friends of mine who have visited Hanoi longingly refer to the delicious steak baguettes which are served throughout the day. At least the French, unlike the English, introduced quality bread in their colonies.

In many ways Vietnamese food is very much new-age cooking. In fact, Vietnamese chefs like to refer to their cooking as the nouvelle cuisine of Asia.The common thread of this cuisine is a heavy reliance on carbohydrates as vegetables, rice and legumes feature heavily in the cuisine as does the liberal use of fresh herbs such as coriander and basil.

Oil is used sparingly and meat and fish are treated more like condiments than main dishes.For the Indian palate, though, the one irritating factor is the prodigal use of fish sauce in practically everything — certainly not vegetarian friendly.The use of oil is minimal and simmering is the preferred form of cooking.There is liberal use of vegetables, such lotus root and Pak Choy.

Blue Ginger is an extraordinarily attractive restaurant.Not as ostentatious as its counterpart in Bangalore, the Taj West End.Given the lush and verdant surroundings of the West End Hotel, that would be difficult. But in an urban context this is one of the best designed restaurants I have dined at.It has the most extraordinary shower-like chandeliers, an open kitchen, and a beautifully classic wooden ceiling.

There is an attempt at presenting a fixed price menu at lunch time in order to attract lunch-time crowd. In the evening, it has been a remarkable success as it is difficult to get tables.When I asked about the vegetarian angle, particularly the matter of fish sauce, I was told that nearly 30% of the menu is vegetarian.In fact, I started my meal with the vegetable pho, not quite in the league of the beef pho I had in Bangalore — pho being a noodle soup.

However, calling it noodle soup is like calling foie gras, goose liver — it is one of the icons of Vietnamese cooking.This was followed by grilled chicken with lime leaf and chilly — simple and satisfying, but not quite Vietnamese if we go on the principle that meat is a condiment rather than main course.But Blue Ginger s to Vietnamese food what Blue Elephant is to Thai food; it seeks to make the cuisine internationally acceptable.

But to return to my lunch in Delhi, there were two absolutely outstanding vegetarian dishes which I would recommend to anyone visiting the restaurant: Dau Dua Xao Toi (stir fried beans with crushed garlic and coriander) and Soi Chay Trong Tho (sticky rice with vegetable topping in clay pot).These struck me as completely authentic, exquisitely spiced, lightly cooked and simple.When in Delhi, you must try it.