Honk — Restaurant in New Delhi

The Aerocity Surprise: When Dim Sum Dreams Come True

Walking into Honk this afternoon, I was immediately struck by the restaurant's refusal to conform to airport hotel stereotypes. The space buzzes with an energy that feels authentically Asian rather than generically international. Watching chefs at work was delightful, their hands moving with the practiced precision that only comes from years of folding dumplings. It's theatre, but not the contrived kind—this is the real thing.

The Sunday Dim Sum Brunch, running from 12:30 to 3 PM, is what the industry calls a "curated experience," though I'm pleased to report that the curation here has been done with genuine thought rather than marketing-speak bravado. The menu is neither overwhelming nor underwhelming—that delicate balance that separates good restaurants from merely competent ones.

I began, as one should, with the Himalayan soupy chicken dumpling. Now, I've eaten soup dumplings from Shanghai to Singapore, and I can tell you that getting the broth-to-wrapper ratio right is an art form. These dumplings managed to contain their precious cargo of hot, flavored broth without either drowning the palate or disappointing with inadequate liquid. The wrapper had that essential quality of being substantial enough to hold its contents yet delicate enough to yield gracefully to the teeth.

The char siu pork bao that followed was equally impressive. Too many restaurants in Delhi seem to think that char siu means "sweet to the point of cloying," but Honk's version achieved that difficult balance between the caramelized exterior and the savory depth that makes this dish a Cantonese classic. The bao itself was properly fluffy—not the dense, stodgy affair that often passes for steamed buns in our city.

What particularly pleased me was the Cantonese-style fried chicken with garlic soya and fresh green chili. This is not the kind of dish that photographs well for Instagram, but it's the sort of thing that separates restaurants that understand Chinese cuisine from those that merely serve it. The chicken had that distinctive "wok hei"—the breath of the wok—that you simply cannot achieve without proper equipment and, more importantly, proper technique.

The Szechuan-style noodles provided a pleasant contrast, with enough heat to make you reach for your drink but not so much as to numb your palate for what was to follow. I appreciate restaurants that understand the difference between spiciness that enhances and spiciness that merely overwhelms.

For dessert, the darsan with vanilla ice cream was a revelation. I had expected the usual suspects—chocolate mousse, tiramisu, perhaps a fruit tart. Instead, Honk offered this traditional sweet that managed to be both familiar and surprising. The vanilla ice cream provided a cooling counterpoint to the intensely flavored darsan, creating that perfect end-of-meal moment when you realize you've been pleasantly surprised.

The service throughout was attentive without being intrusive—that hallmark of good Asian hospitality where your glass is never empty but you're never made to feel rushed. The staff clearly understood the menu they were serving, always a good sign.

As I sit here reflecting on the afternoon, I'm struck by how Honk has managed to create something rather special in what could have been just another airport hotel dining room. This is Pan-Asian cuisine that respects its sources while understanding its audience—Delhi diners who have traveled enough to know the real thing when they taste it.

The Sunday Dim Sum Brunch at Honk is that increasingly rare thing in our city's restaurant scene: an experience that under-promises and over-delivers. In an age of social media hype and Instagram-ready presentations, there's something refreshing about a restaurant that lets its food do the talking.

I'll be back. And next time, I won't wait for someone else...

Aerocity is the new star in the hospitality space of Delhi NCR. The area is still relatively quieter than its surroundings. We recently attended a Meet & Greet Delhi Daredevil’s party at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity and can claim some familiarity with this place.

A recent review invite at Honk, Pullman’s Pan-Asian restaurant got us here again.

We had a host of dishes and they were all very good. Below are our recommendations.

Sushis – We tried many varieties and they are hit. Specially the veg and non veg rainbow rolls were to die for.

Chicken skewer with apple sauce – For a change from peanut sauce, the apple marination gave the dish a mildly sweet but refreshing taste.

Chilean sea bass – Fish slices steamed in banana leaf created a healthy and yummy protein platter.

Prawn noodles – Although cooked in hakka style, this was soft and not oily or spicy making it a complete meal on its own or a perfect side for other dishes.

All the desserts were yum. Do try:

Ginger cake with ginger ice cream – The mild flavour in the ginger ice cream was unique and in combo with the raspberry sauce smeared on the plate, this was a deadly mixture of tastes and temperature.

Green tea créme bruleé – The magic that the chef made while combining mild jasmine tea flavour with this conventionally creamy dessert has to be tasted to be believed. The aftertaste lingered on for a while.

Talking of teas, they have a long list. One must try:

Rise and shine tea – Aromatic with a mixture of spices, this is warm and fragrant and opens up the senses.

Christmas tea – Aromatic tea with mild flavour. This is a great accompaniment with food.

We love the iron crockery that they used to serve the teas in.

What didn’t work:

Pork ribs and Vietnamese grilled chicken salad – In contrast with the other fantastic options didn’t really stand out. There was definitely room for improvement.

We were attended by Sunil and we were touched by his hospitality. The decor was clutter free and tables far apart, making this equally viable for business luncheon or dinner dates.

Asian meals are lighter than Indian cuisine and very appropriate for summer. We experienced Thai food at K3 Marriott sometime back and recently dined at Dimcha and now Honk! The range of Pan Asian Restaurants in Delhi NCR is just getting better and better.

For people who dig Asian Cuisine and like lighter food affair, try Honk – Pullman New Delhi Aerocity. It’s worth...

Had the displeasure of having the dimsum brunch here today. Really wish I could give it a 0 for service.

I've got several concerns about their hospitality in general. Just last week I wanted a bite to eat with my wife at around 10 in the night. Arrived at Honk frontdesk at 10:15, and the host said that they'll be with us shortly. Then they proceeded to tell us that last order is at 10:30 and they can't serve us anymore. As soon as the host looked at her watch, she quickly said -- "oh, I mean 10:15". She then called the manager who explained that last order is at 10:30, but they're "closing early today" for no reason whatsoever. Being a accor gold member, this was highly insulting.

Either way, decided to give it a shot again today for the Sunday dimsum brunch. Where do I start? The dimsums were on the live counters, except there was literally no one ever there to give you the dimsums. Stand there for 5 minutes looking around and someone might give you attention. Same for the hotpot. The som Tam wasn't refilled after asking twice. Asked for the summer roll that never arrived. Asked for the bento box main course that arrived 30 minutes after asking for it. The prawn har gao was decent, but it was a shame that I was spending top dollar for an absolute mediocre meal that I could've has elsewhere in Delhi for 5 times cheaper.

Oh, and the absolute cherry on top was that there is apparently no diaper changing station at the hotel for restaurant guests. I had to change my baby's diaper in a conference room?? That was being set up by hotel staff. It was humid and smelled like people. The restaurant staff and one other hotel staff I asked couldn't be bothered at all about trying to figure out a comfortable solution.

Easy to say that despite being an accor gold member, it's my last visit at Pullman. Zero hospitality and...