Lodhi - The Garden Restaurant, Lodhi Garden

Situated near gate number one of the Lodhi Gardens, this restaurant is one of the best ambiance restaurant (except the ones in the five stars) in the city. As the name suggests, it is kind of inside the Lodhi Garden itself. It is situated in two parts - the first being the garden itself where there sitting is in open and have garden furniture for siting while the second is the closed sitting area where the sitting is more formal. They have some space on the first floor as kind of balcony where the sitting is again in open. The blend between greenery and furniture is quite dramatic yet they gel pretty well.

The food is more inclined towards Mediterranean & European cuisine yet there are some India-nized versions of the dishes. The place is quite a hit among tourist as well which you could figure out while eating there. The staff is quite gentle and well dressed. The open garden restaurant generally serves buffets while the closed area is more for groups or a la carte. The menu has more options for non vegetarians then for the vegetarians but the small number of options does not reflect into them being not good.

In starters, one should try Mezze Platters (both veg or non-veg). You can choose from different dips each one of them as delicious as the other one. The platter is quite a hit there. In the soup, try Scottish chicken and baby leek soup or the seafood broth. For the starters, the vegetarians should stick to pasta - they have quite a variety. For the non-vegetarians, the options are unlimited - one should try dishes from their lamb cuisine. And the best thing about the place (in terms of food) is their bread. They are served with most of the salads and pastas and are quite soft and delicious. Meal for two would cost around 1700 bucks.

Overall a great place to have a quite lunch or dinner. Very high on romantic index.

Contact Info:
Lodhi - The Garden Restaurant
Lodhi Gardens
Near Gate 1
New Delhi - 110003
Phone:- 011-24655054/24652808

Dimsum Lunch @ Mainland China

Once again I was back to Mainland China. Yes, it is surely my favorite Chinese restaurant in the whole city. Great food and cheap too. And one more factor for my frequent visits to this place, is my wife's preference of this place :)

So, last weekend I went to Mainland China - this time for a dimsum lunch. Although they do not have a fixed dimsum menu lunch but one can order dimsum from their a-la-carte menu. And that is what we did as well. We ordered SuiMai dimsums filled with chopped vegetables (one of our favorite there), steamed vegetable wontons in a rather unique sauce, silken tofu delight vegetable dumplings (chopped vegetables filled in a soft silky tofu covering and base) and XO sauce flavored chicken and prawn dimsums.

Nearly all of them were very good. Apart from these, other notable dimsums are vegetable hargao, prawn hargao & seafood dimsums. Overall, our dimsum lunch was worth driving down all the way from Noida to G.K. - Mainland China has never disappointed us till now. The bill for a dimsum lunch for two (consisting of five different dimsums) would be around 900 bucks. On weekends, make sure to go with prior booking - this place sells like anything.

Contact info:
Mainland China,
Plot No. 4, Local Shopping Centre,
Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash - II,
New Delhi - 110048
Tel : (011) 40535525 / 26
Email : mlcdel@airtelbroadband.in

Mrs. Kaur's Premium Cookies

They are just wonderful - who???


Well, cookies from Mrs. Kaur's Premium Cookies are just wonderful. When I was a child, there were no cookies around - only biscuits. And no one knew the difference between cookies and biscuits. Then came the liberalization and we got cookies in India as well. But then not every cookie is actually a cookie in true sense. You have to taste cookies from Mrs. Kaur's to understand what a true cookie is.


Nearly all of the cookies are very tasty. And each one of them is available in eggless form as well. Try Chocolate Chip, Florentine, Oatmeal Raisins, Almond Chocolate Chunk, All Spice Molasses & Cocoa White Chocolate. They offer brownies as well - try Chocolate Brownie (this is 'pure sin') & Cocoa Banana Bar.


You can buy the cookies at Khan Market or East Patel Nagar. You can also order online on their website here.


Location Information

73A,
Khan Market (Middle Lane)
New Delhi 110003

Arcade E,
Inside Gallery, Khan Market
New Delhi 110003

29/6 East Patel Nagar
New Delhi 110008

Website: http://www.mrskaurs.com

China Garden, G.K.-II

China Garden, located in the M-block market of Greater Kailash-II, is a branch of the famous China Garden chain of restaurants across the country. The chain is founded by Nelson Wang, a famous chef and the guy who could be quite literally termed as the one who has a big hand in popularizing Chinese food in India. As the story goes, he arrived in Mumbai from Calcutta in early 70s with only 27 rupees in his pocket. His first restaurant was opened in 1984 in Mumbai. And since then the name has grown bigger and bigger. He is the one said to have invented 'Chicken Manchurian'. Wang also started a women exclusive nightclub called Piano Bar in Mumbai.

Delhi's China Garden is another good Chinese option in the city. The ambiance of the place is soothing. There are glass stairs, wonderful oriental artifacts and simulated water fall. The whole setup is wonderful. The food also does not lacks behind (although in some areas only). Chinese, Thai and Japanese is served at this place. Nelson Wang's philosophy of cuisine with a twist can be felt quite easily in the dishes.

In soups, try clear soups rather than the 'filly' ones. Clear soups are tangy and quite apt for a start. In the starters, I have tried dim sums only and could not found them as good as at other places (say Mainland China). Veg Sui Mai was quite spicy and the covering was not as thin as we like it to be. For the main course, try Teppanyaki, quite filling and wonderfully done. One can also go for Prawn in Pepper Garlic. Rice and Noodles are all properly cooked and are of good quality.

Overall, surely one of the good options in the city for Chinese cuisine. The rates are also not as high as other places like House Of Ming. Average cost per person would be 600 rupees. They have lounge as well as a Piano Bar.

Contact Info:-
China Garden
M73
M Block Market
Greater Kailash - II
New Delhi - 48
Ph. +91 11 29223456-59

Sona Sweets, Nehru Place

I remember Sona Sweets from my days while working near Nehru Place. Nehru Place has lots of wonderful small eating places - Sona Sweets is surely one of the best there. It is a small eatery joint which offers nearly everything in India fast food - from Chhole Bhature to Aloo Parantha, from Chaats to Pao Bhaaji, from Idli to Dosa and much more.

It has a large (as per Nehru Place standards) open kitchen area where there are large stoves and large flat tawas. You can actually watch your paranthas or dosas being made right there (it is not a good experience watching though). The place is nearly filled each day during the lunch hours and you may have to squeeze yourself first to make an order (do payment and take a coupon) and then squeeze yourself more to get the food at your table. In the meantime, I forgot, you need to watch for a table as well. But let me tell, all this hardship is worth it. Truly amazing food at reasonable cost, especially the Aloo Parantha is tasty and filling - one is enough for me. But the best thing is Lassi there - served in a large (Punjabi) style glass, it is one of the best I ever had till now.

So, go there for Aloo Parantha and finish off with Lassi. Just make sure that you do not rush into lunch hours.

Contact Info:
Sona Sweets
G 1, 27 Saraswati House,
Nehru Place
New Delhi - 19
Ph: 91-011-26426777

Khandani Rajdhani - Great India Place, Noida

UPDATES (16 Sep 2013) - Khandani Rajdhani is closed now. It has been replaced with Thali Vadi - same setup but different name. Have not tried it yet.

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To get over the Nirula's experience, we headed to Great India Place again to celebrate. This time we did advance booking for Pind Baluchi but once again we were not supposed to eat there. Just as we reached there, we found out that it was filled with women kitty parties:) It was like sitting in between firing across the border with tambola numbers flying through our ears. Since, it was just not the setting we would have liked, we decided to move on to Rajdhani restaurant nearby. And, this time it was a good move.

Khandani Rajdhani is a chain of restaurants which offer the traditional thali concept. They offer unlimited thalis with different items each day on a reasonable cost. The decor and ambience is calm and serene here - no frills and no fuss. So, do not expect luxury here but do expect wonderful food. The thalis consists food items mostly from Rajasthan, Gujrat and Maharastra. Just as you settle down the server will come with warm water to wash your hands - tradition style. And then you are served with welcome drink - in our case it was skimmed milk and aampanna. Then came the starters (Farsan) - White Dhokla and Aloo Tikki. Next in line was main course - a lavish spread of nearly 2-3 chutneys, 5-6 dishes, 2-3 types of breads, and 2 types of rice. So we had, potatoes with gravy, dal, Rajasthani kadi, bhindi rajasthani style and more in main course dishes. While there were green chutney, imli chutney and mirchi chutney along with roasted papads as accompli. Apart from this they had Rajasthan speciality - Dal, Batti and Churma. In the sweet dish, they offer Aamras, Aam Rasmalai and Moong Dal Halwa.

Overall, a truly wonderful experience - all traditional home style food. Meal for two would cost less than Rs.400 here.

Contact Info:-
Rajdhani - Noida
The Great India Place Mall,
3rd Floor,
Sector 38A Noida - 201301
Ph:- 91-9311759990, 91-0120-6488933/4

They have branches all over the country. Have a look here to find out if they are open near you.

Nirula's, Great India Place

Last week, colleagues in my office decided to celebrate an occasion with eating out. So, we decided to go to newly opened Pind Balluchi at Great India Place. Once we reached to this place, we were told there is around half-an-hour waiting due to some kitty parties going on. Dejected, we went to TGI Friday’s but discovered probably world’s only TGIF serving no liqueur leading us to once again looking for a new place to eat. Running out of options, we zeroed-in at Nirula’s. They have this so called multi-cuisine restaurant.

I have read somewhere that sometimes you take wrong turn in life and regret it later on. Going to Nirula’s on that day was surely such a wrong turn. It was the worst food, worst service, worst staff and worst value-for-money I have ever seen in my life. I have to Nirula’s other outlets in the past like the CP one or the one at Noida Sector-2, the food has been just about okay – nor too bad neither something to go ga-ga over. But the food at this place is worst one can make and even charge heavily for it.

Since we were in a group of 12 people, we nearly tried at least one item from each of their sections. We tried assorted non-veg kebabs, non-vegetarian kebab platter with dal / roti, chicken fillet burger, chicken chop, fried chicken, fried fish, non-vegetarian thali, mutton sausage pizza and non-vegetarian pizza - and nearly each one was equally bad. Only good thing was a starter called samosa sticks. I do not how one can consistently make each dish as bad as previous one – but it was surely done by the cook at this place. Also, the staff was aloof – not well trained and the place was full of flies all around. Water was warm, cold drink machine not working, food was served pretty slow and air conditioner was not working.

I hope somebody from Nirula’s upper management reads this blog or my comments with the local management at this place and do something about it. It is like killing a brand – if they continuously keep serving such stuff customer after customer.

Never ever go to this place.

Swagath Restaurant

Swagath Restaurant is a famous chain of restaurants in NCR which specializes in Indian Mughlai food and Coastal food. It is surely the best restaurant in the coastal food category in Delhi and NCR. The main restaurant is at Defence Colony with branches at Malviya Nagar and Noida. It is a non-vegetarian foodies paradise - nearly any non-veg item from their menu is worth ordering. Vegetarian food is also quite good - although it is more famous for its non-vegetarian offerings.

For the starters, try Fish Tikka Ajwani (Boneless Fish Marinated with Yoghurt, Ginger, Garlic and Gram Flour; flavoured with Ajwain cooked in Tandoor), Mutton Seekh Kebab (Minced Lamb Marinated with Ginger , Garlic Paste with touch of red chilly, finished in clay oven) or any Fish Fry. For the main course try Chicken Stew, traditional Butter Chicken (some of the critics do rate it as one of the best butter chicken in Delhi) or Chicken Masala Chettinad. Try Mutton Biryani or Subz Biryani - they are really wonderfully cooked. Since I am not a great admirer of coastal food, I have not tries their coastal food options more but they are surely regarded as the best in Delhi.

They also offer Chinese food but I will suggest to just skip it since this is not what they are best at. The cost is little bit high but it is worth every buck you spend. Food for two would cost around 900 bucks (without drinks). They do home delivery as well and their portions for home delivery are quite large.

Contact Info:-
Swagath
14, Defence Colony Market
New Delhi
Ph:- +91-11-24337538

Swagath
C-8, Malviya Nagar
New Delhi - 17
Ph:- +91-11-51830622, 51830613, 51830640, 51830649

Swagath
J-57, Sector - 18,
Noida (U.P.)
Ph:- +91-120-2516066, 4240619

Lemon Twist

Lemon Twist, at Sector 63 Noida, is a new restaurant from people behind Lotus Pond, Delhi and Bamboo Shoots, Noida. The restaurant is a variation from their older tradition Chinese cuisine restaurants - here the focus is more on fusion cuisine. The restaurant is situated in two floors - the lower one is a tradition restaurant setting while the upper one is a open terrace setting along with a grill. They are promoting the place as a Oriental Wok and Grill place. Since I visited the place for a lunch, I was seated in the lower part of it. The decor is good - place feels comfortable. The staff is surely not up to the mark - they seems less knowledgeable about Chinese food (which is a bad thing if the place is termed as Oriental Wok place).

We ordered two starters - Vegetable dim sum (which they called SiuMai - although they were no way close to the SiuMai we are fond of) and Crispy Spinach With Red Peppers. The second one was good but the dim sums were just okay. In main course, we went for Exotic Vegetables In Lemon Chilli Sauce, Shitake Mushroom In Fried Sesame Rice along with American Chopsuey. I think this was after a long time that I had order Chopsuey at some place - and I was again disappointed with it. The main course and rice were good although the rice quality could have been better. Overall, we left with a mixed feeling towards the food - sometime good and sometime not-so-good.

Although they are terming their place as the one where a "portion" of salad, soup, starter or main course is sufficient just for one, it is still enough for two people in most cases. The rates are not high, when compared to Bamboo Shoot or Lotus Pond. But then the food is also not that good. In my opinion, worth an occasional visit only. The location surely makes it an easy access for people working in Sector 55/56/58/62/63 and other nearby sectors.


Contact Info:-
Lemon Twist
H-1A/16, Sector 63
Noida
Ph:- (0120)4217500

Sampan @ Crowne Plaza Surya

Sampan is the Chinese cuisine restaurant at Crowne Plaza Surya. The best thing about Sampan is its location. It is situated on the top floor and offers a panoramic view of the city specially a marvelous view of the DND road with its curves and elevation properly visible. Sampan, meaning a flat bottomed boat in Chinese, has good décor and Chinese artifacts. Apart from these two good things, place is not much worth to write about.

The food is not that good as other Chinese joints in the city. And the cost is too high for the place and the food. Food for two will cost around 1600 to 2000 bucks. Crowne Plaza Surya is not regarded as a good hotel in Delhi and Sampan also lives to this reputation. There is nothing spectacular about food here. It serves Szechwan and Cantonese varieties mostly. One can try Crispy Spinach and Corn for the starters. While in main course, try Chicken in Sichuan Sauce or Vegetables in Garlic sauce variants. One can also go for their buffet which happens daily on weekdays in the lunch timings (from 12:30 to 2:30 or something of that sort). It is cheaper and would let you try various things without worrying about shooting your bill upward.

Nothing great for me expect the views it offers.

Contact Info:-
Sampan
Crowne Plaza Surya
New Friends Colony
New Delhi – 65
Ph:- 26835070, 41672222

Jade, The Claridges

Jade (earlier known as Jade Garden) is the oriental cuisine restaurant at The Claridges in New Delhi. The setting is good - on the ground floor of the hotel along a grove of bamboos. The atmosphere in professional and the staff is courteous.
For the food part, it offers Chinese and Far Eastern Oriental cuisine. It may not be the best Chinese in the town but it is surely the one where you can enjoy the kind of Chinese food which gave birth to the Chinese cuisine culture in India. Do not let go of the complimentary fried prawn munchers served along with food - they are delicious. For starters, go for Shredded Spinach - a rather crispy item - it is truly wonderful. In the main course go for Stir Fried Chinese Greens or Bean curd with Mushroom. Their quantity is just enough - so order just the right amount for your guests.
It also offers an exclusive dim sum menu which includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian dim sums plus sweet dim sums as well. They have a large variety of dim sum - around 35 to choose from. Apart from this, they also offer executive lunch on weekdays - wonderful stuff at a cost - but worth a shot if you feel it. I would suggest to go à la carte here since other options are quite costly. But Jade is surely worth a visit (or maybe more).
Contact Info:-
Jade
The Claridges
12, Aurangzeb Road,
New Delhi - 110011
Phone:- 23010211

Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida

This is road-side eating at its best - the evening food stalls at the Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida is just fabulous. The food at these around 15 stalls offers great variety while being not heavy on your pocket. You have to eat standing up or in your car but you will not regret coming here just for that.

In vegetarian food, there are momos, soups, chaat, aloo-tikki, steamed corn and bhelpuri. The aloo-tikkis are crisp and good on your tongue. Bhelpuri is also spicy and you would surely ask for second helping. In non-vegetarian food, the variety increases a lot. Numerous stalls offer different tikkas, seekh kebabs, boti kebabs, shammi kebabs, chicken/mutton korma along with roomali roti and chicken/mutton biryanis. The tikkas and seekh kebabs are specially worth trying along with mutton korma. But there is a warning here - some of the stalls serve very spicy food, so be ready to deal with it. And then there are two good juice shops if you feel to beat that heat on your tongue or in your throat. Plus, you can always try some sweets from Evergreen later on to complete your dinner.

Surely, worth a place for good enough food at reasonable price - provided you are not too keen on ambience.

Maamouchee

Maamouchee is a snazzy restaurant offering different cuisines. It is situated in the Centerstage Mall, Sector 18, Noida. The setting is quite subtle - which is the best part about it. You can just be lazy on its lounge sitting and take your time while ordering your drinks and food. The view of the busy market as seen from its large glass walls is quite good. The place is generally not crowded - so you would be able to spend quality time here as your own pace.

They offer Indian, Lebanese & European cuisine. The focus is on the fusion cuisine as is the trend now-a-days. Do try non-vegetarian platter (the hot seekh kebabs are good), mezze platter (hot - since cold one is not as tempting) or the grilled fish. Not extraordinary but still not bad either.

Worth an occasional visit but that too with your friends - just drink and talk - do not think about the food anymore. They offer seperate party area on fifth floor for groups. They also offer 2+1 scheme in happy hours or 20 percent discount (for corporates) - whatever you like.

Contact Info:-
Maamouchee
4th and 5th Floor
Centerstage Mall
Sector 18
Noida
Phone:- (0120)4312241, 2517037

Buffet @ Mainland China, G.K.-II

The first time when I visited Mainland China G.K.-II, I was very much impressed by their food (to read about it have a look at this blog entry). And I had a glimpse of what they offer for their daily lunch buffet - which is served on second floor. So, today I again headed toward Mainland China, this time to taste their lunch buffet.

And it was wonderful – simply wonderful. They have huge variety for the buffet, so such a reasonable price. If their a-la-carte menu is genuinely Chinese, their buffet is one of the best Indian-style Chinese to get in Delhi. To start with, they offer dimsums – I tried both veg and non-veg ones. Plus they had four starters – 3 veg and one non-veg; I was able to taste only two of them (since I had to save myself for various main course dishes) – Chicken Drumsticks Hunan Style and Crispy Veg. They had 5-6 types of salads on offer. And I forgot to mention that they had soups on offer as well – one veg and one non-veg. Their main course continued the more-than-enough trend set by starters and salads. They had five main course veg dishes and five non-veg ones plus rice and noddles both in veg and non-veg variants. My last visit to their place was totally a vegetarian one, this time I stuck with non-veg variety only. The non-veg main course dishes had nearly everything to try – chicken, lamb, prawns and crab. I tried Prawns In Spicy Chilli Sauce, Crabs in Butter Garlic Sauce and General Tao’s Favorite Chicken. And they were all delicious. Having stuffed all this in my stomach along with beer, my next target was wonderful dessert and fruits section. They had 5-6 desserts ranging from ice cream to mousse and fresh fruits.

Really, it was a very rich buffet in terms of variety of Chinese dishes plus the quality of food as well. And all this for 375 (+taxes) bucks per person only. Mainland China is slowly becoming one of my favorite places for Chinese. Next time, I am going to go for dimsum treat only.

Contact info:
Mainland China,
Plot No. 4, Local Shopping Centre,
Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash - II,
New Delhi - 110048
Tel : (011) 40535525 / 26
Email : mlcdel@airtelbroadband.in

The Host, Connaught Place, New Delhi

The Host is one of the worst restaurants I have ever eaten in plus it is costly. It is a very old restaurant in the busy Connaught Place area. From its interior, staff and food it looks like they have frozen in time. The service is pathetic as well.


Their menu consists of Indian & Chinese cuisine. But they are bad at both - even roadside vendors can cook better food than these guys. Surely waste of money to go there - I have done it once. I went there just because I was exhausted while roaming around in C.P. and wanted to eat something. And my bad luck was such that I was standing in front of this restaurant when my stomach ached for food. And so it happened - and I am now writing here.


Do not go there. Walk a few steps and go for TGI Friday's in the same block.

Pearls Regency, Noida

Pearls Regency is situated in Ganga Shopping Complex, Sector 29, Noida. It is a place very hit with office crowd in the afternoons and with families in the evening. It has three portions - a Chinese restaurant, a bar and an Indian restaurant. In the evening there is a live ghazal program in the Indian restaurant, where you can ask for your choices. The ambience is okay but the food is cheap, good and quantities are big.

Best is to stick with Indian cuisine here. Try Murgh Sheekh Kebabs or Murgh Tikka for non-veg starters. If you are into vegetarian stuff only then go for Tandoori Bharwan Aloo. In main course, go for Paneer Tak-A-Tak Masala, Plain Dal or Malai Kofta in vegetarian. In non-veg stuff, go for Murgh Makhan Wala (Butter Chicken) or Rogan Wala Gosht. Accompany it with Pineapple Raita.
Wonderful stuff - good typical Indian food in reasonable prices. Liquor is also not too costly here. Do make sure that you do not order more than you can eat - they have good servings. Also ask for company discount - you would usually get 15-20 percent discount. They have home delivery options as well which is quite reliable. They offer 10 percent discount on home delivery as well.

Contact Info:-
Pearls Regency
R-253,
Block 1, Ganga Shopping Complex,
Sector 29
Noida - 201301
Phone: (0120) 2450061, 2450062, 2450063
Free Delivery Timings: 12:00 Noon to 3:15 PM and 7:00 PM to 11:15 PM

Tea Shop, Sector 37, Noida

Tea Shop in Sector 37, near the telephone exchange is one of those hidden places which become popular only through word-to-word publicity. It is a nice little shop run by Capt. (Retd.) Mehra and his wife. It is quite popular among young crowd - who come out to chill, chat and smoke there.

The place has sitting arrangements in front of the shop. It offers great variety of tea and coffee plus grilled/plain sandwiches and other eatables like cookies, momos, corn etc... It is wonderful place - one which I have visited numerous times and still visit a lot. Order any hot/cold drink from their menu and it would be fantastic. All the sandwiches are also wonderful specially the traditional onion-capsicum grilled and the latest chicken-salami one. There is also a sweet shop nearby, offering wonderful samosas.

If you are in Noida, then it is a place to visit and relax in your car while having wonderful tea/coffee along with hot eatables.

Pind Balluchi, Noida

Yes, the famous Pind Balluchi restaurant is now open in Noida as well. It is situated on the top floor of the Unitech's Great India Place in Sector 38A (in front of Sector 18). Since the Lajpat Nagar's Pind Balluchi is now closed due to sealing done by government, this is the closest Pind Balluchi for Noida people.

The ambience is surely not as good as the original one in Lajpat Nagar but the food is still the same. Classic punjabi food and pretty cheap - to read more about what good there, have a look at http://gluttonous-me.blogspot.com/2008/01/pind-balluchi-lajpat-nagar.html

Flavors Of Italy, New Delhi

This trattoria run by Italian chef Tarsillo Nataloni is a true Italian restaurant in New Delhi. What makes it wonderful is that it is as authentic as you can get to Italian cuisine in India. The restaurant has indoor seating (smoking as well as non-smoking areas) plus there is an outdoor verandah along a small green area. It is filled with wrought iron tables and gives you the feeling of road-side restaurant settings so famous in Italy. The menu includes a broad selection on Italian dishes along with wonderful pizzas. They have everything - Anitpasti, Salads, Soups, Panini, Pizza, Pasta, Risotti and much more. The pizzas are made in the wood-oven as well.

Do try their "Peri Peri Pizza" - it is wonderful and something which you will not get anywhere else in Delhi. All the pastas are worth ordering, specially the one in Napoli sauce. They also have the option for whole wheat pasta and pizza base for weight watchers.

One thing which I dislike a lot about the place is that their service is very poor. The staff takes a lot of time to even come to your table to ask for order and then takes a lot of time delivering it. Overall there is surely a need for the staff to get their service level up a lot. Worth a place visiting in spite of this. Also, the place gets a lot crowded in the evening, so make sure that you reach early. Meal for two would cost somewhere around 1000 bucks.

Contact Details:
Flavors Of Italy
49-54 C, Moolchand Flyover Park,
Rind Road,
Defence Colony
New Delhi - 110024
Phone : 24645644, 41550367

Berco's, Noida

Berco's in sector 12, Noida is one of the oldest restaurants in the city. It is a oriental cuisine restaurant, specializing in Chinese. Its Chinese cuisine may not be the authentic one but still it is worth a visit (a maybe more). If you are working nearby, then it is a really good place for a lunch. The place actually gets very much crowded for lunch - so start early (12:30 types) if you want your orders to be quickly served. Also, it is a good joint for having reasonably priced liquor - they have happy hours during the day (till 7 or 8 in the evening). I have been to this place many times because it is pretty close to my office.

On to food, as I said most of it is chinjabi food. But it is still very good - and surely looks great with good liquor/beer. In veg starters, you can try Crispy Corn Pepper, Spring Rolls and Crispy Chilli Potatoes. In non-veg starters, you can go for Juicy Chicken Drumsticks, Chilli Garlic Crispy Chicken and Chicken Kunchao. In veg main course, try Vegetable Holy Basil, Three Treasure Vegetables Hunan Style or Classic Thai Red/Green Curry. In non veg main course, one can go for Holy Basil Chicken, Mongolian Chicken or Chicken Peking Delight. They have some pre-defined meal combos as well containing salad, rice/noodles along with main dish in sauce of choice - which is worth the money.

Average cost per person is around 200 bucks (no drinks). If you go for combo meal, it would be much cheaper (only around 150 per person).

Contact Details:-
Berco's
R-1 Barat Ghar Complex
Sector-12
Noida
U.P.- 201301
Phone : (120)2545376 / 277
Mobile : 9350583325

They have other branches in NCR as well:

CONNAUGHT PLACE
G-43/3, Middle Circle, Connaught Place,
New Delhi-110001
Phone : 41513541 / 42
Mobile: 9350536583

JANAKPURI
R-2, DDA Building
Janak Palace District Centre
Janakpuri
Phone : 25532777 / 999
Mobile : 9350536712

KAMLA NAGAR
38-UA, Jawahar Nagar Bungalow Road
Kamla Nagar
Delhi-110007
Phone : 23854660 / 23856988 / 32905525
Mobile : 9350583279

PREET VIHAR
A-Block Market, LSC No.6,
New Delhi-110092
Phone no-65486551/64683651
Mobile no.9899795568

PITAMPURA
Pankaj Arcade Plot No 18, Road No. 44,
Rani Bagh Commercial Complex
Pitampura
Delhi-110034
Phone : 27011527 & 37
Mobile : 9350584711

VAISHALI
Ansal Plaza Opposite Dabur Factory
Vaishali
Ghaziabad U.P.
Phone : 95120-3261363 & 65
Mobile : 9350585044

GURGAON
S-01, Central Plaza Sector 53,
DLF Phase-5
Gurgaon Haryana
Phone: (0124)4143001-003
Mobile : 9911675299

Dhaba @ Claridges, New Delhi

A visit to Dhaba was long due since I had heard a lot about it. But I would say that I was not that much impressed by the restaurant. It is ok for occasional visit but not much more than that.

Dhaba is the Claridges Punjabi restaurant, done up like a roadside truck stop; it serves a refined, hygienic version of the simple, tasty food found along North India. The place is pretty small and hence the sitting is quite close. The concept is good but the food is not extraordinary. We tried Matar Paneer (cottage cheese along with peas in thin gravy), Dal Tadka (yellow lentils) and Balti Meat (red meat cooked Indian style) - they were all good but that about it. Overall, I think the non-vegetarian food is better there but it is surely costly. Food for two would cost something around 1200 bucks.

Worth occasional visit - although I would prefer Jade (Chinese restaurant at Claridges) more.

Contact Info:

The Claridges

12, Aurangzeb Road,

New Delhi - 1100011

Phone:- (011) 41335133

Khaja Chowk, Sec-18, Noida

UPDATES (16 Sep 2013) - Khaja Chowk closed down a long time back. There have been several restaurants opened and closed as same place. Not sure which one is running there now.

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Khaja Chowk, a concept-based restaurant chain, has opened its outlet in Noida's Sector 18 market. It is a restaurant inspired by Indian street food. The overall ambience and setup of the restaurant is about daily activities and common scenes across Indian streets. There is also an auto-rickshaw-converted-into-dinning-table for four people. There are also small auto rickshaws as decorative artifacts. Overall, the setup is quite unique and good.

Now, to the food part. The lunch buffet is not good - very less in variety. They claim it to be a five course buffet - which it is not at all. It has no starters, no soups - just 3 veg and 2 non-veg dishes plus one salad + one sweets. Although the rates are cheap (175 for veg buffet and 195 for non-veg buffet), the less of options in the buffet makes it a not-to-go-for thing. We tried a-la-carte instead. One of the starters which we liked was "Khaja Chaat Platter", it was really wonder. It was basically traditional Indian chaat items served with some innovation in terms of toppings & fillings. In main course, we liked "Besan Ke Laddu" a lot - it is Jodhpuri-style filled gram flour dumplings in lemony flavored curry.

Overall, a good place of occasional visit - fits the budget nicely and will go well with each age group.

Yellow Brick Road, Ambassador Hotel

Yellow Brick Road is quite an interesting place. It is the 24 hour multi-cuisine coffee shop at this Taj property but it is more famous than the other specialist restaurants/bars there (Larry's China or H2O+). The color scheme is very bright - mostly primary colours, and makes you feel as if you were eating in a kid’s room. The menu is set inside a news paper; it is like - while reading the news, why don't you order something? I liked it - at least the concept is unique and quite innovative. The photos on the walls are of old Raj-era advertisements which give a nostalgic feel to it.

The food is not so great - but considering that it is a multi-cuisine attempt, it is ok. We tried a special salad (which was the best items on our lunch) - 'Kurkuri Idli Chat' (fried savory cakes made of a batter consisting of fermented black lentils, rice and fenugreek; all tossed up with other spicy items & sauces). It was something which we have tried and it was simple yet it tasted wonderful. Do try it if you go there. The fresh juices there are also wonderful. We also tried 'Bangkok Vegetable Curry' and it was fine.

Overall, the food is not so great but the place is worth a visit (but just one only).

Contact Info:
The Ambassador Hotel
Sujan Singh Park
Cornwallis Road
New Delhi -110 003
Phone: (011) 24632600

Latitude @ Mosaic, Noida

Latitude is a multi-cuisine restaurant at the mezzanine level of Hotel Mosaic, Noida. From past sometime, it has become a frequently visited place by me. The decor is quite subtle and professional. Seating arrangements are comfortable and the staff is cheerful. Food is of varied cuisine - Oriental, Indian, & Continental and nearly most of them are good.

For starters, try Greek Salad or any of the kebabs - they are really good. In the Indian menu main course, try Nalli Gosht (a lamb curry on the bone with grindless gravy), Bhindi Jaipuri (crispy, stir-fried Okra) and/or Paneer Lababdar (cubes of cottage cheese cooked with tomatoes, cashew nuts and whole ground spices). Go for Hyerabadi Gosht Biryani (rice + lamb with tasty spices) - it is really one of the best ones I have tasted in Noida. In the Oriental menu main course, try Chinese Vegetable in Hoisin Sauce. They have a daily buffet in lunch also which has good number of items and variety - costs a little on higher side though (699 plus taxes).

Overall, a good place to go with your family and enjoy good food. Average cost of two person would be around 800 (without drinks).

Contact Info:

Mosaic Hotels
C – 1, Sector – 18, Noida – 201301
Tel Phone: (0120) 4025000

Mainland China, G.K. - II

For long Mainland China (at Local Shopping Complex, Masjid Moth, G.K.-II) has been on my 'must-go-to-one-day' list. And somehow I was not able to go there. But today I went there for lunch and when I was coming out, I was wondering why the hell I did not went there earlier??? Yes, it is surely one of the best Chinese food place you can have in Delhi. And I was missing it till now!!

To start with, Mainland China has excellent staff (very friendly, helpful & courteous). The place is a modern setup and gives a no-nonsense feeling by the way it has been built and furnished. It covers 2 floors and has comfortable sitting arrangement. They have separate menus for Dim Sum and Other Items. It has several options for vegetarian and non-vegetarian stuff. And for a change I went all vegetarian today.

The best thing I liked about Mainland China is their Dim Sums - they are simply one of the best you can get in a city dominated by Chinese restaurants serving 'Chinjabi cuisine' instead of the real thing. I would personally recommend to try their Dim Sums if you go there. The best ones are SiuMai (also called Shaomai or Shāomài; small steamed open dumplings with chopped filling inside a thin wheat flour wrapper) & Hargao (also called har gau; delicate steamed dumpling with chopped up filling and almost translucent wheat starch skin). The translucent Hargao is a good demonstration of the chef's artistry to make these translucent dumplings.

For soup, try Silken Tofu with Clear Vegetable Soup - it is a recommended one. In the main course go for, Stir Fried Chinese Greens Cantonese Style (semi-gravy dish) or Vegetable in Chinese Parsley Sauce. They are wonderful and very tasty. Accompany it with any of the fried rice - they have some very good ones, specially Golden Onion & Shitake Mushroom Fried Rice - the one I tried and was very satisfied with the quality & taste. They use fresh ingredients and vegetables which was evident from the taste of their dishes.

Average cost for two people without drinks would be 1000 bucks - pretty cheap for the quality of the food. They also have buffet lunch available each day - it costs 350 bucks plus taxes and from whatever I could explore it is VFM.

A must go for:-
1. One of the best Chinese food in Delhi.
2. Dim Sums - they are among the best.

And since, I have rated the vegetarian options till now, I will surely write about their non-vegetarian stuff one day.

Contact info:
Mainland China,
Plot No. 4, Local Shopping Centre,
Masjid Moth,
Greater Kailash - II,
New Delhi - 110048
Tel : (011) 40535525 / 26
Email : mlcdel@airtelbroadband.in

Pind Balluchi, Lajpat Nagar

If I could summarize Pind Balluchi at Lajpat Nagar in one line, it would be 'Good old Punjabi food without burning a hole in your pocket'. Yes, it is cheap, excellent & very tasty food. Once I was part of a party of about 16-17 people there and the host actually paid only around 2000/- for all our food!! I have been there on several occasions and I could say very easily that average per head never goes above 150 bucks. That's too cheap for good food in Delhi.

As the name suggests, Pind Balluchi, has been made like a Pind (Village). So there is a village chaupal (meeting place), haveli (house), gufa (cave), village well and even a (plastic) tree simulating stylised rusticity. The entrance itself is through a grand haveli-like-gate and the guard there would greet in Punjabi. The whole atmosphere is village like with constant chattering and tempting smells of delicious Punjabi food. The cutlery is also along the theme with big steel plates and large copper like glasses. It surely symbolises the return of Indian cuisine to main stage.

To the food now. It is one restaurant which has very good vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian options to go for. For vegetarians, go for 'Sarson ka saag' (curried mustard leaves) along with 'Makke ki roti' (corn bread), it is totally divine. Other good dishes to have are 'Dal Tadka' (lentils with a spicy tempering) and 'Butter Paneer Masala' (a bright colored, creamy and light buttery flavored cheese dish). For non-vegetarians, go for 'Tangri Kebab'(chicken leg piece marinated in curd, ginger garlic & spices - gone through the tandoor) for starters. Go for 'Dhaba Meat' (Indian-style-roadside-eatery-type mutton) in main course, it is really wonderful at Pind Baluci. Accompany it with 'Mutton Biryani' (rice and mutton cooked with Indian spices). The mutton biryani is served in a 'handi' (Indian style earthen pot) - and it tastes very spicy and tasty. Do not forget to have 'lassi' (skimmed curd) with the meal - it is served in large copper glasses, the traditional Punjabi style.

Overall, you will feel satisfied with food at this restaurant and your pocket will not feel light after coming out. One thing to note is that avoid going on weekends - it gets very crowded and you may have to wait a lot. The service also degrades at that time. It is open all days except Tuesdays.

Details
Pind Balluchi Restaurant
M-58, 1 and 2nd floor
Lajpat Nagar-11
Ph: 011-29839001
Mob. 8527099880

Chor Bizarre, Noida

UPDATES (16 Sep 2103) - Chor Bizzare at Noida is closed now.  If you want to experience the Chor Bizzare, you would have to go to Hotel Broadway at Asaf Ali Raod in Delhi.

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I thought a lot about which restaurant to rate first. I wanted a favorite of mine to be rated first. And after several thoughts from Flavors to Diva to Pind Balluchi, I settled for one of my most favoured restaurant - Chor Bizarre @ Noida.

Although eating at Chor Bizarre is more towards upper side on the purse but it is good value for money. Beleive me, I have eaten at much expensive places where food does not deserve the price they charge. Plus, the music which they play there is very soothing - old hindi songs from 50's & 60's.

Chor Bizarre is a unique concept in itself. Its name is derived from the famous thief market of old times in Delhi. The restaurant actually started as a collect-from-all collection of different items used - from chairs to paintings to tables to spoons - everything was taken from that thief market. And once the restaurant became popular - it was made the USP of the chain. The one at Noida also has the decor based on same philosophy.

The food is inclined towards Kashmiri & Wazwan cuisine (the original Wazwan cuisine used to had 36 courses - a lot to eat!!). My suggestion would be if you go there for food then order Kashmiri or Wazwan food - it is one of the best you can get outside Kashmir.

My recommended menu would be:-
1. Go for salad bar + buffet - unlimited salad/food/sweets (part of a fixed price menu)
OR
1. For starters
- Go for non-veg platter as a starter. It consists of delicious sheekh kebabs, shammi kebabs, fish tikka & chicken tikka.
- If you like seafood a lot - go for "Tandoori Prawns" instead.
- If you insist on kashmiri food only, then go for a delicious kashmiri dish - "Tabak Maz". It is flattened lamb chops and the taste is oh-just-so-good.
2. In main course go for
- Hak (a light and pleasant tasting dish made of Collard greens is cooked in water, salt and oil). It is the most simple-yet-wonderful vegetarian dish I have ever eaten. Served with a bowl of rice at Chor Bizarre.
- Gushtaba or Rishta (dishes of minced mutton balls served with a ladle-ful of its Gravy). Rishta is small spicy lamb balls in red sauce, melting-in-the-mouth , Kashmiri dish. Gushtaba is mutton, bigger round ground pieces, made in white sauce, again very tasty. Their sauces are of rather strange-yet-feels-good-to-me taste - tangy (this is word closest to their taste).
- Breads (with these dishes anything would go)
3. In the sweets
- Phirni is worth trying; rest are just okay. You can actually skip them, which I usually do.
4. Drinks
- Do not go for them (except a beer, maybe). Reason being they are costly and nothing not available anywhere else.

Cost for two person:-
1. Without drinks it would be around 1K.
2. With drinks - sky is the limit :)

Go there for:-
1. Best Kashmiri or Wazwan food in NCR
2. Good Music

Contact Info:
Chor Bizarre
Savoy Suites,
A-79A, Sector 16,
Noida
Uttar Pradesh
Phone:- (0120)-2511420

A New Attempt

Yes, it is a new attempt from my side - to review the eating places in Delhi & NCR. I have always liked eating good food and this is my attempt to review the places I have liked or disliked.