We had almost four hours to kill at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and I’ll admit my expectations for that stretch of time were modest. A layover is a layover. But the Encalm Lounge at Terminal 3, on the mezzanine level of the international departures hall, turned those four hours into one of the more enjoyable parts of the whole trip.
The space itself is generous and notably spacious for an airport lounge, with enough room that it never felt crowded or rushed. There is a calm to it that is easy to settle into, and the staff are genuinely attentive without hovering.
But the food is what I keep thinking about. There were so many delicious dishes to choose from. I started out with paneer do pyaza, a rich North Indian curry where soft cubes of paneer are cooked with onions, and then proceeded with a spicychicken dish. Trine went for a dal, which was equally good. There was also a big pot of masala chai, which the staff pointed out didn’t have sugar and suggested adding brown sugar to taste.
The highlight, though, was a live station where someone was making besan chilla, chickpea pancakes, to order. They had a paneer filling and came with a bright green chutney. So delicious.
Then came the desserts. Arranged across a long table in more varieties than I could count, and most of them completely new to me. I worked my way through as many as I could justify, and all of them were truly delicious, the kind of unfamiliar sweets you are glad you tried even without knowing exactly what you are eating.
I had access to the Encalm lounge through DragonPass, and we purchased a guest pass for Trine, which was absolutely worth it. Before we knew, it was time to board the flight to Bangkok. Four hours had disappeared without us noticing, which is about as high a compliment as a layover can get. If you are transiting through Delhi T3, the Encalm lounge is a great place to kill some time and eat a lot of tasty food.
A quick practical note: the wifi at Delhi Airport requires registration with a passport to get your access code. It sounds more complicated than it is, and the staff at the Encalm Lounge are happy to help you through the process.
Read my blog post about the Air India flight from Copenhagen to Delhi
