Biryani Blues

Slow-cooked food, served fast ATMOSPHERICS Visit any of their outlets at mealtimes and you’ll probably have to wait for a table. The reason is the superb quality of the food, the authenticity of many of the dishes (except a few where they have chosen to tweak the recipe a bit) and the prices. Three people…

Ummami

Ummami is a fine dining restaurant built over a huge scale, in a building that is, as yet quite empty. It is in the corporate office area of Gurgaon and both times I have visited at lunch time, it has been full of corporate honchos having lunch meetings. The wine library is not just a…

The Toddy Shop

Serves Kerala cuisine The exact tastes of home-style cooking of Central Kerala Atmospherics: Owned by three partners, one of whom hails from Kerala, this restaurant serves amazingly authentic food in the afternoons and goes completely off-track in the evenings! There are a couple of reasons for this dichotomy. The lady who is the consultant-chef and…

WD House

Unbelievable quality in GK II Serves World cuisine Atmospherics: An elegant, timeless restaurant on two floors. Their Chandigarh restaurant Whistling Duck is the finest stand-alone eatery in the Tri-city. While it is early days yet, WD House seems all set to beat that record. Muted décor, Le Corbusier-inspired chairs, classic table arrangement and well-trained staff…

The Kitchen

The Kitchen, Defence Colony, is a new branch of the original in Khan Market, but never was there more of a difference between two outlets of one brand. The Khan Market place is dark and cramped and serves oriental food as well as Indian and western; the Defence Colony branch is as peppy as it…

Daikichi

The tiniest Japanese restaurant with a Japanese chef Atmospherics: The L shaped eatery is strictly no-frills. Tables seat four except the tatami table (semi-private) that seats six. Daikichi is the brainchild of a hotel management graduate from a vegetarian community who spotted an opportunity in Gurgaon and has set up a wonderful little eatery, currently…

Nik Baker

It took someone from Chandigarh to fill a gap in the Delhi market Serves pastries, cookies, sandwiches, coffee Atmospherics: In the Greater Kailash II Market, every cuisine is represented, except the good old bakery. Till now, that is. Thanks to Nikhil Mittal from Chandigarh, whose Nik Bakers exist in prominent markets in the Tricity, GK…

Thai House by Kylin

Cuisine: Thai Blurb: A fresh look at Thai food by an Indian chef Atmospherics: In the stylish Greater Kailash N Block Market, next to one of the many branches of Fabindia, this brand new restaurant by a seasoned restaurateur concentrates on a single cuisine. Because the chef – young Nikhil Kanwar – studied Thai food…

Underdoggs

It’s a bar, a sports centre and a restaurant all rolled into one and that’s the best part about Underdoggs. On the evening of my visit, I saw middle-aged parents with their teenaged children playing board games at one table, as well as the young and trendy crowd getting rowdy at the foosball counter, an…

India On My Plate

Buffet at your table Serves: Indian food Atmospherics: Formerly, this restaurant was Earthen Oven with a show kitchen and an a la carte menu. Since it has become India On My Plate, the concept has changed significantly, though the décor remains the same, with a few new accessories. There still is an a la carte…