Upside

The chefs behind Guppy bring to you one more hotshot Asian offering on Delhi's already crowded Asian scene – Upside, a spacious, minimalist space in the madly popular Basant Lok market. 

Founded by four young entrepreneurs – Saurik Singh, Dhananjay Singh, Uday Nayar and Rajesh Bhati, for whom this is their first big venture together – and helmed in the kitchen by chefs Vikas CV and Vikram Khatri of Guppy, Upside bears all the traces of the playful sensibility that made Guppy a favourite years ago. Though I'd say there's a touch more nuance to the menu here.  

Interiors are scaled up too – darker tones, warm lighting, an open kitchen equipped with a robata grill, plus a mezzanine. It's young without being brash.

Vikram Khatri – long known to several as the OG Japanese chef in Delhi – is known to keep a low profile and let the food do the talking, and here, there's plenty to talk about. Upside isn't just another restaurant serving a predictable roster of Asian favourites. The kitchen takes inspiration from across geographies, but isn't bound by them, bringing together familiar ingredients, interesting techniques and unexpected flavour combinations. The menu is designed for sharing, and that's precisely how I'd recommend approaching it. It's a rare thing to eat your way through most of the menu, spanning small plates, the raw bar, robata and mains, and find almost every one worth talking about.  

The food at Upside

We start with Brie on Toast, which isn't quite what you'd expect at an Asian restaurant. But one bite and I'm sold. A generous bed of Parmesan, creamy brie, chilli crisp, hot honey and truffle come together on sourdough toast to deliver all the goodness of comfort food.

The raw bar offers some interesting combinations. The Rambutan Ceviche, presented tartare-style, is a particularly clever creation. With a fleshy texture that almost resembles seafood, the rambutan is perked up with green papaya, shallots, Thai chilli and kaffir lime, while a lotus blossom cookie [inspired by Chef Vikas's childhood] on top adds a lovely crunch. The Kanpachi Tiradito, featuring zuke-cured yellowtail, charred avocado and smoky aji panca sauce, is another well-executed plate. The Salmon Tataki is as pretty to look at as it is refreshing to eat, with seared salmon, green asparagus, microgreens and pomegranate brought together with a cucumber-jalapeño dressing poured tableside. 

The small plates are where the kitchen really has fun. The Tuna Tostada combines a crisp base with smoky chilli, yuzu-teriyaki avocado, quality tuna and butter-poached jalapeño, packing plenty of flavour into each bite. The BBQ Chicken Tacos, served in crisp wonton shells with oven-roasted barbecue chicken and cultured cream, are excellent little mouthfuls. Then there's the Upside Fried Chicken, which gets its crunch just right, with succulent meat underneath and a gochujang glaze and tartar sauce adding a delicious sweet-spicy tang. The Braised Pork Kakuni is a classic that chefs Vikas and Vikram are particularly known for, and it's easy to see why. The farm-raised pork belly is beautifully cooked, with a melt-in-the-mouth centre and a lovely char on the outside. A honey-teriyaki reduction adds an addictive sweetness, miso mustard brings in the umami, and daikon kimchi cuts through the richness.

The Aburi Fatty Salmon Roll is another standout. Prawn tempura and cucumber are topped with torched fatty salmon, bonito-sesame dressing and teriyaki glaze. It's indulgent, beautifully balanced and one I'd happily order again. The Butter-Poached Prawns are equally good. The aromatic house chilli-garlic sauce complements the naturally sweet prawns without overpowering them. 

From the robata, the Upside Robata Chicken, served with chilli butter and spicy sesame sauce, is a must-try. We also sample the Chicken and Leek Skewers, trying both the salt and house tare versions, along with the Yakitori-glazed Minced Chicken Skewers, finished with shichimi and spring onion, and tamarind prawns with shichimi and lime. The robata lends a lovely smoky character to the ingredients, and watching the action in the open kitchen is an added bonus. 

The Penang Lamb Chops are another highlight. Australian lamb chops come with a creamy, aromatic Penang sauce and spicy red chimichurri. The accompanying crunchy vegetables, onions, mushrooms and broccoli are perfect for mopping up every last bit of that rather delicious sauce, and the flavour is so rich that I suspect some hidden ingredients beyond the typical Penang curry. The Jumbo Prawns with Spicy Oriental Yellow Curry and bok choy, however, are a tad too spicy for my liking. I generally associate yellow curry with a gentler, mellower flavour, but this one comes on rather strong. For something more comforting, there's the Teppan Fried Rice, tossed with soy, chilli and garlic, with a choice of egg, chicken or prawns.

Finally, the Nama Chocolate is a rich, rather indulgent finish, combining three varieties of dark chocolate crémeux with soy caramel, sake-poached apple and sesame soil. Rich, indulgent and thoughtfully put together, it makes for a fitting end to the meal.

What I particularly like about the food at Upside is that the kitchen isn't trying to tick boxes or represent every Asian cuisine on the map. Instead, it borrows intelligently, with citrus, spice, smoke and umami weaving their way through the menu. As Chef Vikas puts it, the kitchen treats geography as a spice rack, not a rulebook. 

The drinks at Upside

The drinks menu, titled Upside Down, has been curated by Ani Sharma, and takes a rather refreshing approach to cocktails. Instead of categorising them by their base spirits, the signatures are divided into flavour profiles: nutty, spicy, rich, smoky and cooling. It's a fun way to navigate the menu, particularly if, like me, you tend to choose a cocktail based on what you're in the mood for rather than what's in it.

I try the Spicy and absolutely love it. A delicious combination of tequila, mezcal and a Korean ramen secret mix, it has a kick that is both familiar and rather difficult to put your finger on. It certainly lives up to its name, with the spice coming through quite assertively. For something sweeter, the Rich is a well-balanced concoction of vodka, cream cheese, Aperol, strawberry cordial and orange carrot. I kept referring to it as a strawberry cheesecake, and perhaps that's the easiest way to describe its flavour profile. It has a gentle sweetness, with just enough tang to keep things interesting, rather than becoming cloying.

There are classic cocktails too, divided into sweet, bitter, savoury and sour profiles, with two options under each. The list is concise yet there's enough variety to cater to different preferences. More importantly, the drinks are thoughtfully made and sit comfortably alongside the food, complementing its many layers of flavour without competing for attention.

Time Out tip: Upside has two dinner seatings, at 7.30pm and 9.30pm. The later slot comes with dimmer lighting and louder music, so if you're looking for a more energetic evening, that's the one to book. But even the earlier seating has a buzz about it, which is a welcome change from several Delhi restaurants that can feel rather lifeless at that hour.