The Altitude Store

When I lived closer and also when I first moved away from Delhi city limits proper pre-Covid, Altitude was the weekly staple for vegetables and meats and bread (yes, bread — this was a decade before everyone and their grandma was selling sourdough on the ’gram). Then, they started pan-NCR deliveries, and that made our week! living 3 towns over… Since then, easier/closer organic deliveries have sprung up. To my doorstep in under 10 minutes even. And I still call Altitude for some veggies no one in all of NCR has, for oils, for toiletries, for pollution masks, for special occasion orders, for seasonal specials like kanji and for a lovely selection of Indian cheeses, for chocolate tea, for soups and broths and sandwiches and sausage rolls… Because it’s one place with so many things others don’t stock (even when the competition have the same brands’ more populist offerings, they don’t have the same depth of catalogue). And because the staff go the extra mile to procure things just because I said ‘don’t you stock… any more?’ Especially commendable because I’ve seen others in this grocery category come and go — shut down or shave down their lists to the more popular items. Oh, and the meat products and ready-to-cook/eat categories remain exceptional.

I recently ordered a few products from The Altitude Store as a gift for a friend who prefers clean, preservative-free items. While I truly appreciate the store’s concept and the team was polite and responsive over the phone, my experience with the products was mixed and quite disappointing considering the premium pricing. The Bocconcini, Brie Cheese, and Banana Bread were fresh and genuinely good — these lived up to the reputation. However, several other products were far below expectations: • The Fresh Cheese with Garlic & Herb (listed as 1 tub) turned out to be extremely small in quantity — quite misleading for the price. • The Sourdough Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Bread, which the bakery manager mentioned was a bestseller, was underwhelming and lacked balance in flavor. • The Confit of Garlic was oily, flat in taste, and not something I’d buy again. • The Sourdough Muffin (given complimentary for tasting) was unfortunately terrible in texture and flavor — certainly not something a premium bakery should be sending out. Given the reputation and pricing, I had higher expectations. The quality and portions do not justify the cost, and honestly, I’ve had far better sourdough and fresh cheese from other artisanal brands.