Our Story
Made slowly,served warmly.
Aurelle began as a sketch on the back of a menu: a room where the evening itself is the main course.
Café Aurelle is a love letter to the grand cafés of Europe: places of marble, brass and endless refills.
Aurelle Darbar keeps a promise to the khansamas of old: cook slowly, honour the spice, and serve every guest like royalty.
Philosophy
What we believe.
We believe a great dinner is measured in hours, not covers. Our dining room seats only as many guests as our kitchen can cook for without hurrying.
Our cooking is classical at heart: French technique, Indian produce, and a deep respect for both. We would rather perfect three elements than crowd a plate with ten.
Service is quiet and attentive. You will never be asked whether you are “still working on that”.
Philosophy
What we believe.
Everything we serve is baked here, every morning. If it is not good enough at 8 am, it does not reach the counter.
Our coffee comes from Indian estates we know by name, roasted every week and brewed with care.
A café should belong to its neighbourhood. Stay for one coffee or for the whole afternoon. You are always welcome.
Philosophy
What we believe.
Our recipes come from four heritage kitchens: Awadh, Rajputana, Punjab and Hyderabad. Each is cooked the traditional way, with no shortcuts.
Masalas are roasted and ground by hand every morning. The tandoor burns charcoal, and biryanis are sealed and cooked on dum.
We serve as the palaces did: generously, with ceremony and with warmth. Mehmaan nawazi is not a slogan. It is how we were raised.
- 18hOur stocks simmer
- 7Courses in the journey
- 42Seats, never more
- 72hTo make one croissant
- 27Layers in every croissant
- 4 amWhen our ovens wake
- 32Spices in our galouti
- 12hDal Darbar on the embers
- 4Royal kitchens, one table
The Chef
Chef Ishaan Vir*
Trained in classical kitchens and raised on his grandmother’s Punjabi cooking, Chef Ishaan cooks the way he hosts: generously, precisely and without hurry.
“A great meal is a conversation between the cook and the guest. My job is to listen.”
* Chef Ishaan Vir is a fictional character created for this concept. On your website, this section introduces your real chef.
Sourcing
Where it comes from.
-
Morels
Himalayan foothills
Foraged in spring by families who have gathered them for generations.
-
Saffron
Pampore, Kashmir
Hand-picked stigmas, bought directly from the growers each autumn.
-
Coffee
Chikmagalur
Single-estate beans, roasted in small batches every week.
-
Butter
Normandy & Punjab
French butter for lamination, and local dairy cream for everything else.
-
Coffee
Coorg & Chikmagalur
Single-estate Arabica, roasted in small batches every week.
-
Flour
Stone mills, Punjab
Heritage wheat, stone-ground for our sourdough.
-
Saffron
Pampore, Kashmir
Bought directly from growing families each autumn.
-
Mathania chilli
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
The deep-red chilli that gives Laal Maas its colour.
-
Basmati
Dehradun & Punjab
Aged for two years for long, separate grains.