Iconic British era restaurant reopens (With Pix)

Months after it was gutted in a fire, one of the city's oldest restaurants 'The Embassy', has reopened to the delight of patrons, some of whom have been regulars for several decades.
Operating out of the inner circle in Connaught Place since 1948, the eatery has been a favourite with old-timers for its extensive high tea, old fashioned snacks and for "having stood on the sidewalk of time while the city underwent change after change."
The restaurant also boasts of an impressive clientele, including Lord Mountbatten, the once Governor General of India. On August 26 last year, the bulding was gutted after a fire caught in a soda vending machine and owners had to suspend operations.

The gastronomical hub was established by friends P N Malhotra and G K Ghai, who in the summer of 1948 "left everything including a thriving restaurant business in Karachi and landed in the capital to start something new."
Famed for its north Indian and continental spreads as well as handmade icecreams, the eat out is now managed by 25-year-old Savar Malhotra, a third generation family member.
'The Embassy' still hosts guests who have been frequenting it for the past over 30 to 35 years.

Kamal Mehra, who claims to be visiting the place for the past 50 years fondly recalls the time he used to bicycle to the restaurant just to eat the special Embassy pudding.

Then there are others like Srinivas Ozha and Bir Singh, two out of a group of four friends who say they have been been going to the restaurant everyday without fail for the past 30 years.
"Everyday from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm we have been coming to the restaurant. Their tea is most delightful, there used to be four of us earlier, but now there are just the two of us," says Singh.
Meanwhile, Savar says he took over the reins from his father Sunil Malhotra a year-and-a-half before the fire.
The fire gave owners a chance to remodel the restaurant. But they were clear on one aspect - no changes to be made to the food. They worked rather on its presentation with focus on re-doing the interiors to reflect the change.

The owners decided to go back to 1947, to recreate the rich heritage and legacy of the eatery.