A casualty of the MCD sealing drive, the picturesque restaurant Thai Wok, perched atop the Ambawatta Shopping Complex in the midst of bustling Mehrauli has reopened after almost three years, this time as Thai High. Besides the spectacular view of the Qutab Minar and the rickety elevator ride to the 4 th storey, pretty much everything else has changed: Thai High is a lot swanker than it used to be and two of the three original promoters have changed.

Golden Buddhas greet you at the entrance while a charming little waterfall in a small tropical garden are the points of focus on the terrace. The bright orange walls and honey hued pagodas are reminiscent of how Thai Wok used to look. The indefatigable 30-something Payal Jauhar who started Thai Wok with two partners in 2001, is a seasoned restaurateur whose most recent venture in Mumbai, Bohemia, a modern European diner, in her words, “was a complete disaster”. Before that Jauhar had opened Congo in Goa in partnership with Malini Ramani that started off well but fizzled out quickly. “We got embroiled in all sorts of legal issues and I decided to shut them down,” says Jauhar, who’s returned to Delhi after 6 years. Here, it seems she has a winner, though the eating out environment has changed dramatically in three years, with several new malls and eateries having opened close by. Jauhar is unperturbed and says she’s had a terrific response in the 7 nights she’s been open. “Tonight, I’ve done about 90-covers and I’ve sold over 80 desserts. People are open to experimenting with food so much more,” she says.

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