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

TGIF, Great India Place, Noida

A very long break from this blog. Life has been quite happening and I have been quite lazy to put something here.

So, to start with again, I thought why not start with my current favorite at this point of time - TGIF (Thank God It's Friday).

I have always been fond of Tex-Mex cuisine mostly due to lots of cheese in it:). I liked going to Ruby Tuesdays earlier but they just got their menu all wrong and when I saw that they have removed Chimichanga from their menu, I stopped going there. I recent times, TGIF Noida has been my favorite place to eat food and have beer.

TGIF is a chain of restaurants worldwide and the whole concept of having old artifacts, different assorted items, bar and sitting setup is more or less same at all outlets. The overall feel is like of a relaxed Friday's evening when the work has finished for the week and you want to start weekend with some food and drinks. I really like the setup. The music is also not very much loud - one more thing which I like in an eating place. Overall, for me, a good place to go either with family or with colleagues. They have recently changes their menu - and Chimichanga is here now :)

Since I have been there a lot of time, I have nearly tried most of the stuff. My recommendation would be

For vegetarians - try 'Grilled Pita Dipper', 'Fried Mac & Cheese' or 'Dynabites' in appetizers. Try 'Broken Noodles' pasta or 'Quesdillas' or 'Chimichanga' as the main dish. Top it up with 'Fridays Sundae' - Vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge, caramel sauce, nuts and cream. Yummy :):)

For non-vegetarians - try 'Chicken Fajita Nachos' or 'Three-For-All' scheme where you get three appetizers in one serving. For main dish, try 'Sizzling Chicken and Cheese' or 'Fridays Shrimp'.

The menu keeps changing and there would always be some offer at the Noida outlet since they are new and want to establish themselves. For example, they are currently having buy one and get one free offer on food and drinks both.

Contact Information
T.G.I. Friday's
319-320 (3rd Floor),
Great India Place, Sector 38A
Noida - 201301
Tel: 120-4221 000
Email: t2238@fridaysindia.com

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