Wenger's Deli, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Note - This place takes its last order at around 8:30 PM/8:45PM. You feel this is bad - this is actually much later than the legendary sister concern which shuts door at 7:45 PM.

Wenger's Deli, Connaught Place

Wenger's Deli is sister (and very new) concern of the legendary Wenger's. We all know about Wenger's, which is just phenomenal in terms of value for money it offers. Wenger's Deli is an attempt to get into next level - from Bakery to Delicatessan - but with same focus on 'value for money'.

It is located adjacent to Keventer's in A-Block (on the radial road), Connaught Place. With the legendary Wenger's two shops away, this place is rightly placed for attracting the crowd. But it gets a bit hidden due to its location. However once you step inside, you will find the same quality as Wenger's and will feel satiated with very less hit on the wallet.

Decor
Remember, this is a Deli - better suited for a pick-up or a quick bite between work. This is not a fine dining setup at all. Decor is very minimal. Actually, the place itself is very small - hardly 10 or 12 seats (bar stools, to be precise) are available for seating. During rush hours, the waiting can go long due to limited seating - best is to order first and wait or grab the food and step out. The seating is also much in a bar fashion with stools facing the walls (window) and fixed tables in the walls. The caricatures on both walls make the setting a bit light and makes it feel much like a Deli. Overall, seating is less but the decor is good (or maybe perfect for the venture).

Service
The Deli has an open kitchen - actually kitchen probably has same amount of space as the front desk and the sitting area. The kitchen is visible through an open glass panel. That kind of sets a good tone as you can see your order being prepared in hygienic way. The service is just about okay. I have found it to be very quick at times and then slow at other times. Also, it depends on the rush and orders in the queue.

Food and Drinks
Now comes the main part - Food.

Food at Wenger's Deli is amazingly fresh, cheap and quantity is good. This frankly stands out in whole of Connaught Place. After trying various items from their menu, here is what I would recommend

Salads - Cucumber and Grape one; really nice combination and flavor.
Panini - Go for Greek Hero or Vegan Delite (yes the one with aubergine) in vegetarian section or Peri Peri Chicken in non-vegetarian section.
Waffles - All of them are good; perfectly baked. If you are into waffles, try them here.
Smoothies/Shakes - Zacarito or Hawaiin (if you like it in Coconut milk)
Burgers - The non-vegetarian section rules here. Sorry for the other side but the classic Chicken burger or Mutton Shami burger are both awesome. They are very filling and have perfectly prepared patties in them. A bit on spicy side though. But we, Indians, love it that way. Don't we?

So, what is missing? In my opinion, coffee is surely missing from the menu. Well, no hot drinks till now on their menu. I fail to understand why. I hope they get this corrected soon.


USP
Three things - food preparation, food quantity and price. Perfectly sums it up.

Here are the ratings on different aspects
Decor - 3/5
Service - 3/5
Food - 5/5
Drinks - 4/5

Details
Wenger's Deli
A-18, Radial Road
Connaught Place,
New Delhi

New Town Cafe - Park Plaza, Noida

After nearly one year break on this blog, I have now decided to pen down my experiences and reviews once again. Let's hope this stretch continues unremittingly.

So, the first one after a long hiatus is New Town Cafe at Park Plaza, Noida. Over the time this restaurant has become one of my families preferred choice to spend a relaxing, cool evening out. Main reason is the relaxed ambiance plus lots of space for our daughter to roam around. The only drawback is their focus on buffet leaving their a-la-carte menu limited in choices. But nevertheless, if you want to relax and have good food, this is the place to go although a little bit costly than most of the other places in Noida.

NTC surely have the most elaborate buffet menu in whole of Noida. The choice of dishes specially the starters, cold cuts and deserts is sufficiently wide. And that is the main reason for us to not try that - we basically do not eat a lot. From the a-la-carte, worth trying are Antipasti Platter in the starters, Nasi Goreng from oriental selection, Grilled tenderloin steak or Ratatouille Lasagne from international selections, Nalli Awadi Korma (slow cooked lamb shanks in a curd based gravy) or Anjeer Ke Kofte (cottage cheese dumplings stuffed with figs and cooked with tomatoes). Their Indian dishes are served with rice/choice of bread, salad, pickle and Dal Makhani (black lentils). Top it up with Paan Ice Cream at the end.

Also, one of the places in Noida where you can get good food till 1 in the morning. Meal for two would cost something like 1600 bucks.

Contact Information:-
New Town Cafe
Lobby Level, Park Plaza
C Block, Sector 55,
Noida
Phone - +91-120-4678888

Kaustubh - Great India Place, Noida

Last evening, after not being able to handle the scorching heat of Noida, me and my family decided to spend some cool time by window shopping in Great India Place and increase the footfall in the mall by some numbers.

So, having gone through some shops specially Odyssey, we decided to have dinner in GIP itself. With my father-in-law opting for a Dosa, and me being not so excited nowadays for South Indian food, I thought why did I actually gave him the choice :) :)

But in the end, we decided to step into Kaustubh, a super specialty South Indian restaurant, on the third floor. Kaustubh is a chain of South Indian QSR (Quick Service Restaurants), which have now opened their branches in NCR region - one in Saket and another one in Noida.

And I must say that having South Indian food there was a different experience altogether. It was wonderful to see so many varieties and proper main course offerings. As a part of menu offerings, the restaurant offers a wider range from all the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This is something hard to find in NCR since most of the South India restaurants either offer just the 'dosa-idli-vada' thing or include North Indian offerings in their menu as well.

But the food at Kaustubh is South Indian only. Although, they have 30 kinds of Dosas with them, I would suggest to go for more traditional cuisine like Chettinad or other local cuisines. The flavor is truly wonderful and the preparations speak of someone who knows the South India cuisine. They also have fixed meals and thalis to sample different items but most of them are restricted only to normal dosas, idlis, vada and do not include other specialty cuisine items.

Although the service could have been better for a QSR but overall a must go. Meal for two would cost something around 350-400 bucks.

Contact Information:-
Kaustubh
3rd Floor, Great India Place
Noida (U.P.)

Also at
D-2/5&6,
Southern Park Mall,
Behind Select City Mall,
Saket,
New Delhi-110017
Tel:44625611/22/33

Breakfast @ Café Style, Noida

UPDATES (16 Sep 2013) - Cafe Style is closed now. Something which was becoming evident due to low turnouts at the place. There is a Bikanerwala at the same place.

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It was a relatively free Saturday today, after few last weekends, when we decided to have breakfast outside. We have thought about having breakfast out of home earlier as well but there were not enough (read good) options for that in Noida. In Dehli, there are better breakfast and brunch options for the weekends but traveling to them and that too empty-stomach is not a good thing to do for me:)

But I have read about this place in Sector 18 Noida, where they have good breakfast menu. So, we decided to check it today. The place is near Superstars and called 'Café Style'. It is a new joint but has received good reviews wherever I have read about it. It is quite laid-back, spacious and 'stylish'. The first thing that you notice on entering the place is the whole concept. The sofas are comfortable and the chairs are more than spacious. The place is spread in two floors and they have some outside sitting as well. They have some old artifacts (mostly from UK of 50s and 60s) spread across these sitting area - a 1954 scooter, a 1962 car and more.

Since we were there for breakfast, we decided to stick to their breakfast menu only. The breakfast menu is available from 8 AM to noon and has well thought variety. There is a Punjabi style breakfast (Alloo parantha along with curd, pickle, butter and tea), a Mumbai style breakfast (Pao Bhaji along with tea), an English style breakfast (three egg omelette of choice - masala, mushroom, cheese, toast, salad), an Obama style breakfast (bowl of cereals with milk, fruit salad, sausages, croissant and choice of juice) or just plain old cornflakes.

We order one Punjabi style breakfast and one English style breakfast. All the preparations were well done - paranthas were not oily at all and appropriately stuff, toast were properly 'toasted', omelette was also wonderful. And this all topped with masala tea was wonderful. Overall, we had a good experience. We did not go further than the breakfast menu - something left for next time.

Contact Information:-
Café Style
K-1, Dharam Palace,
Sector 18,
Noida
Ph. 0120-4548472

QBA, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Some months ago, in the heat of Delhi's summers, I was in the CP and surrounding area and was looking for some good place to eat. Due to vegetarian people in company, we wanted to go to a place having good enough vegetarian options. Initially thought about going to TGIF but then figured out that TGIF at CP is closed. So, we went to QBA, in the middle circle (or is it inner - CP always confuses me).

The entry is quite hidden which is usual with most of the place in CP. You would search for the entrance, which is toward the rear of the block. You start walking in the dingy looking, narrow alleyway, almost tempted to turn back. But suddenly you would see the reception at the ground floor. Once you reach to the restaurant through lift, you feel a calm and soothing atmosphere inside - especially when are coming from hot Delhi summer outside. The place is in cool blue interiors with two levels and a terrace for sitting. The first level is more like a lounge with sofa sitting plus bar area while the second level is more formal sitting. The terrace would be a nice sitting option in the winters - to eat food and talk while the crowd at CP running underneath.

Food is not at all good - just okay. Although we were looking for vegetarian place but QBA did not turned out to be one :). The prices are surely more than they should be. Although I was quite disturbed there by some socialite ladies discussing their families - mom-in-laws and all that (and disturbing our talks in between) but it was otherwise quite silent in the lunch time. They have live band in the evening which I have heard is also not very bad. We had very little food - mostly appetizers only.

I would certainly recommend the place to relax and enjoy rather than for the food. The sitting is relaxed, ambiance is cool and the space they have with them is awesome right there in the middle of CP.

Contact Information
QBA Restaurant & Bar
E-42/43, Inner Circle,
Connaught Place
New Delhi
Ph. 011-41512888

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

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

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.

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

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