Freddy Who

I must admit, when I first heard of Freddy Who, I assumed it was a bar. The entrance, hidden down a nondescript alley in Vasant Vihar, certainly suggests one. Inside, too, the first thing that catches the eye is indeed the bar: gorgeous, enveloped in red velvet drapes, luxe wood veneer and moody lighting. But Bhavuk Verma, the restaurant’s founder, is quick to correct me: Freddy Who is not a bar. He's equally emphatic that it is not a speakeasy either.

What it is, quite simply, is an Asian restaurant with the singular goal of becoming your favourite space that you come back to repeatedly.

On a Thursday evening, the room is already packed. Well-dressed diners fill the tables, familiar faces from Delhi’s social set dotted around the room. Then Vikrant Massey, one of my current favourite OTT actors (especially since I binge watched Musafir Cafe on Netflix), walks in looking exceptionally sharp in a formal suit and takes the table next to mine. There is a noticeable ripple of recognition, particularly among the women in the room, and for a few minutes there is a palpable buzz. But luckily for Massey, the lighting is dim enough for him to not be disturbed through the rest of the evening.

The restaurant, tucked away from the bustle of Basant Lok and Vasant Vihar’s community centre, is the debut solo venture of Verma, whose hospitality portfolio includes Dirty Good and Hikki. His idea is rooted in a distinctly old-school notion of hospitality, the kind once associated with grand hotels, private members’ clubs and restaurants that people returned to for years.

Look up and you discover a beautiful glass skylight that stretches overhead, reminiscent of a holiday home in the hills. Through the evening, I find myself repeatedly looking upwards, following the moon’s trajectory right from my table. It is an unexpected detail in a restaurant otherwise dressed in a more seductive, club-like palette. Designed by RENESA Architecture Design Interiors Studio, the 1,400-square-foot space is sexily dressed in deep oxblood lacquer, polished burl veneers, bronze detailing, mirrored ceilings and intimate seating pockets that create an atmosphere that feels rich, classic and deliberately resistant to trends.

But Freddy Who wants the food to be the reason you return.

The food at Freddy Who

Chef Vaibhav Bhargava’s modern Asian menu leans heavily Japanese, moving from an extensive raw bar, sashimi and carpaccio to gyoza, robata, wok-fired dishes, rice, noodles and generous large plates. It is indeed a menu designed for proper dining.

The Salmon Carpaccio has the right amount of zing, thanks to yuzu kosho and ponzu. The tuna sashimi is excellent—clean, fresh and properly handled. Avocado sushi is the sort of thing that sounds unremarkable until you eat one and immediately reach for another for all is crunchy, spicy goodness, and the torched salmon, brings a different dimension with its creamy richness. The prawn gyoza is another winner, each crispy little parcel is packed with succulent prawns, while the King Shroom Robata proves that vegetables deserve a coveted spot at your table when treated this well. From the robata, the John Dory skewer is doused in an excellent sauce that begs to be mopped up, while the grilled tiger prawn is smoky, juicy and generously sized. We finish with Freddy’s Rice, a teppanyaki-style preparation, paired with Kung Pao Chicken. Both are hearty, delicious and, far from ordinary.

The drinks at Freddy Who

The cocktail list follows the same philosophy as the kitchen: craftsmanship rather than theatrics. House infusions, considered ingredients and contemporary techniques produce drinks that move between smoky, savoury, tropical and spirit-forward. The Montana, with its smoky amaro character, is a good start. The Usual Suspect, a tequila-based cocktail incorporating yuzu, pineapple, Aperol and apple, sounds like it could easily become a muddle of competing flavours. Instead, it is remarkably balanced. That restraint is where the expertise shows.

Perhaps that is, ultimately, what Freddy Who is about. It isn’t trying to be Delhi’s loudest, swankiest or most Instagrammable restaurant. Its ambition is far more old-fashioned, and, in a city crowded with places chasing the next big thing, rather refreshing. There may be a handsome bar, a celebrity-friendly room and interiors, but the proposition is refreshingly simple: come for the food, stay for the cocktails, soak up the atmosphere, and, ideally, return often enough for someone to remember your usual order.