At Louve, Shikha Begwani is Making the Case for Classical European Fine Dining in Delhi

There is something disarming about Louve’s arrival on Humayun Road. Its address, 1, Humayun Road, within the prestigious Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone, carries that particular Delhi quality of quiet exclusivity: grand but understated, exclusive but unhurried. The façade, wide and whitewashed, reads at first glance as another stately bungalow along this leafy, diplomatic stretch near Khan Market. It is only when you step inside that the full intent of the place announces itself.

The gaze is drawn immediately upward: a 14-foot bespoke chandelier adorned with birds and butterflies dominates the ceiling, its soft glow lending the room a quality that is at once ceremonial and intimate. Behind the island, a glass-bowl fountain shimmers gently against a backdrop of lush greenery, bringing movement and serenity to the space. The soaring double-height ceilings, bespoke glass-and-crystal light fittings, gracefully arched windows and doors, classical black-and-white marble flooring, and garden-facing gazebo dining pavilions are all the work of Sarbjit Singh of Fabinteriors, a designer with five decades of mastery, whose portfolio spans the Taj Hotels, Welcomhotel The Savoy Mussoorie and Le Méridien. Drawing from the stately elegance of classical French architecture, the interiors feel majestic yet intimate, timeless yet unmistakably current.

What strikes one most, however, is the space itself. Delhi’s newest dining destinations have acquired a troubling habit of trading scale for atmosphere: cramped covers, crowded corners, low ceilings dressed in moody darkness. Louve refuses this entirely. Tables are large enough to host a birthday gathering or a sprawling lunch without any sense of encroachment. 

Sunlight plays across the décor with intention. It is, in the truest sense, a room designed for long, unhurried indulgence, and at the heart of Delhi’s most elite dining precinct, that is no small feat. “I have always believed that true luxury lies in intention, not excess,” says founder Shikha Begwani. “With Louve, every detail has been carefully considered, from the architecture and interiors to the way food is crafted and experienced.”

Cocktails and Opening Acts

The bar programme, curated by UAE-based head mixologist Vasile Dorofeev and titled Cocktails from Memory, frames each drink as an emotional narrative rather than a transactional one, chosen by feeling and recollection rather than simply by ingredient. In practice, this translates into something genuinely affecting. 

The barista, reading our fondness for coffee with impressive intuition, crafted an off-menu tropical coffee cocktail that was as exquisite in conception as in execution: a small, considered act of hospitality that coloured the entire meal. The Hedonism cocktail arrived with theatre, the word ‘Louve’ written in signature script across its surface, a presentational flourish that earned its drama rather than merely performing it.

From the kitchen, the Arancini, risotto croquettes with sun-dried tomato, rosemary and scamorza, opened proceedings with visual confidence. The presentation was delectable; the moistness of the risotto filling, however, fell just marginally short of the standard one might expect from this widely offered staple across Delhi’s continental restaurants. A small caveat, but worth noting in a kitchen that otherwise sets its own high terms. 

The Kohlradi and Celeriac tartwith celeriac purée and Parmesan, on the other hand, was a revelation: an innovative riff on the classic tart format, achieving near-perfect balance between a precisely made crust and a gooey, savoury interior. Begwani’s conviction that “authenticity, clarity of flavour and technical precision create experiences that endure” finds early expression here.

The Main Event: Pasta, Pizza and the Lamb That Changes Things

Chef Selim, whose pedigree includes the Michelin-starred Mikla in Istanbul and Cipriani in both Istanbul and Dubai, leads a kitchen guided by what Louve calls a singular philosophy: Food First. Always. His menus celebrate classical European dishes executed with finesse, “where flavour leads and excess is consciously held back.” The main courses deliver on this promise with considerable force.

The Risotto alla Garda, handcrafted pasta in a light rosé sauce with Parmesan, was magnificent: cooked to a precise al dente, neither soggy nor resistant, with a creaminess that felt earned through technique rather than applied by quantity. The Buratta and Truffle Pizza on a rustic thin-crust dough, built with besciamel and truffle oil, demonstrated the same mastery: each element amplified the others without crowding the palate, the marriage of butter to cheese and truffle to dough lifting the whole to something considerably greater than its parts.

The Pistachio Lamb with celeriac fondue, nutty praline and vegetable bouquet, however, stood in a category of its own. From the depth of the sauce to the flawless execution of the meat, it was genuinely revolutionary, a dish unlike anything currently on offer elsewhere in Delhi, the kind that lodges itself in memory long after the table is cleared. Begwani’s assertion that she wanted to create “a dining destination that feels globally fluent yet deeply grounded” finds its fullest expression in this single plate. To call it simply ‘very good’ would be a disservice.

Dessert and the Measure of Restraint

The Belgian Ruby Chocolatedessert, macadamia nut, ruby chocolate and vanilla gelato, brought proceedings to a graceful close. The presentation was immaculate, the proportions shrewdly calibrated: each element complementing and balancing the others without one overwhelming the rest. The distinctive fruitiness of ruby chocolate was handled with confidence, and the result was a dessert that managed to feel simultaneously light and indulgent, a fitting final note for a meal that, at almost every turn, had prioritised harmony over spectacle.

Louve describes its approach as one of “timeless elegance over momentary spectacle, created for those who value refinement, restraint, and enduring sophistication.” On the evidence of what arrives at the table, that is not marketing language, it is an accurate description of an experience that feels considered from start to finish.

The minor disappointment of the arancini notwithstanding, this is a restaurant that has arrived with both ambition and discipline fully intact. Begwani, who navigated the transition from five-star hotel structures to independent entrepreneurship with what she describes as “an extra layer of resilience,” has built something here that Delhi’s dining scene is considerably richer for. An address defined by quiet exclusivity now houses a restaurant worthy of it.

When: Open daily from 12:00 PM - 11:59 PM

Where: 1, Humayun Road, Lutyens' Bungalow Zone, New Delhi