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

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

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

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