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Uzair Siddiqui

@siddici

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Architect → Chef → Brand Strategist
Helping businesses shape better experiences
Design in service of flavour + form
👇🏼My food installations for IKEA

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Too much?
That’s the whole point!

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Notes From My Thirties

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Delhi has never lacked culinary diversity, but Sri Lanka always seemed to exist just beyond its dining map. Then came @zetudelhi.

On a rain-soaked evening in Mehrauli, somewhere between a 500 year old sprawling banyan tree, conversations that drifted back to Colombo and Galle, and plates that tasted of memory, the city disappeared. For a few hours, the distance between Sri Lanka and New Delhi had been bridged.

In today’s weekly Delectable Delhi column for @newindianexpress, I take you on this delicious journey with me.

Zetu opens its doors today. Go check it out, Delhi!

#FoodWriting #SriLanka #Delhi

[Sri Lankan cuisine in Delhi, Zetu, Fine dining restaurants in Delhi]

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Half a year, zero context.
An audit of my camera roll from 2026

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Call it serendipity, but my visit to @zetudelhi, a new Sri Lankan restaurant right at the tip of Delhi’s upscale 1AQ in Mehrauli, almost felt like it was meant to be.

Two years ago, we had an unforgettable trip to Sri Lanka. It was beautiful beyond words, and we spent our days eating sambols and curries amid interspersed rainfall along the south coast of the country.

Sudden rain shower came as a much needed respite that day, and honestly, I didn’t expect I’d be transported right back to my days in Galle and Tangalle, right at the heart of Delhi.

Founded by Sarah Nikahetiya - a former British diplomat to India and now settled in Colombo, and Anurag Dania - her architect partner based out of Delhi, and helmed by chef Dush Ratnayake - who is one of the best people we’ve met this year, Zetu feels less like a restaurant and more like a small Ceylon oasis hidden in plain sight, where design, textures and an unmistakable sense of ease, work alongside the food to create something immersive.

What stayed with me just as much, perhaps, was spending a large part of the evening talking to Sarah and Chef Dush — exchanging stories and notes about Sri Lanka.

Leaving you here with only this much, but read my full piece on this startling gem of a place and its food, in my Delectable Delhi column this week in @newindianexpress.

@zetudelhi opens its doors to New Delhi next week.

[Zetu, Sri Lankan cuisine in Delhi, Restaurant design]

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It's probably the first time summer is busy in Delhi — one opening after another (usually, it's lean season). Not that I'm complaining, because the city just got its first Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant, Zetu Delhi. As clichéd as it may sound, this place is no less than an oasis.

Once you enter the 1AQ complex in Mehrauli , it feels like you've left behind the dust and grime the city is (in)famous for. At Zetu, you feel like you're in a tropical paradise—lots of plants, water bodies, and of course, the 500-year-old banyan tree that is the pièce de résistance. The indoor space is, in contrast, a quieter affair, the noise being made by the many textiles and artworks that line its walls. Those who want privately can opt for the terrace, where they've got cabanas.

The food brings Sri Lankan specialties to the forefront without overwhelming the diner; there's much familiarity in the flavour. You've got rituals like the choon pan tak, drawing inspiration from the bread carts seen on early Sri Lankan mornings. There's also gram dahl, lamprais, Sri Lankan curries, kotthu, and of course, egg hoppers served alongside condiments.

The drinks are refreshing, made with tropical flavours like pandan, coconut, curry leaf and the like. I particularly enjoyed their picante with a secret spice blend and the frangipani martini, which was quite potent (and aromatic).

We rounded off the meal with chocolate and biscuit, a boozy dessert that was polished within minutes. The baked guava pie had raisins and arrack, and the addition of lemon curd really elevated its taste.

By now you know why I can't stop raving about the place. It's a matter of another week before the place opens. And as far as the word goes, it's going to be a hard table to grab!

@anuragdania @tiffi_tu @zetudelhi @longformgram @purteesethi @siddici

#newintown #srilankanfood #delhigram #delhincr #restaurantsindelhi

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A wild wild weekend with @jimcorbett.marriott 🦜 Swipe till the end to see the rarest cub sighting 🐅

#Hosted

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full table, full hearts, full carousel @cincinindia

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Lately 🌼

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The age when the highlight of your week is your best friend’s kid turning three. (how did we get here so fast?) Happy Birthday Yuv 🩷 @chefbani

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Shot for @siddici X @ikea.india
Edited by @gunjanporus

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Diwali, Dhakai Jamdanis, DDLJ, multiple patakas.

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