The Bikers’ Cafe

Nothing macho about this place! Serving One plate meals: Indian, western, oriental Atmospherics: When you see the signage outside the building, it feels like it would be on the mezzanine or first floor. It’s not: it is on the ground floor and the entrance is directly under the escalator. I visited on a Sunday afternoon,…

Jamies Italian

Serves Trattorio-style Italian Blurb: Tuscany via London Atmospherics: In a mall that has had its share of ups and downs, Jamie’s Italian is so large that when it was initially set up, everyone wondered whether optimism had won the day over caution. Two years later, the crowds still gather here for an evening of fun…

Chin Chin

Serving almost authentic Chinese An unpretentious dwarf in a giant’s playground Atmospherics: Chin Chin checks a few boxes simultaneously. It has been around ever since Sector 29 came into existence, but has always been resolutely under the radar, catering to loyalists. It does not have the authenticity of a China Club on the one hand,…

Thai at Spectra

Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian and now Thai Serving Thai Atmospherics: The all-day dining at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon has a plethora of cuisines, all of which they manage to do with surprising panache. However, the pride of place must go to Chef Kanyaphat Faisai from Phuket. She is the latest chef to join the eclectic team…

Number 31

First Number 8; now Number 31 Serving Breakfasts, Asian Atmospherics: The thin, long floor plan is a challenge for any interior designer and fortunately, Number 31 has concentrated on getting the nuts and bolts in place: comfortable chairs, adequately large tables and plug-points that are sprinkled generously around. Seating is on the first and second…

Whisky Samba

Gurgaon is in for a treat Serving: Peruvian inspired Atmospherics: In the spacious courtyard of One Horizon, a particular doorway buzzes incessantly with activity, and that is Whisky Samba. Maybe it is the name – an intriguing blend of an alcoholic beverage and a Latin American dance – or maybe it is the glorious sight…

Nueva

Well-known chef, Michael Swamy blazes a new trail Serving: South American Atmospherics: At the heart of any restaurant is the menu, and at the heart of every menu is the novelty factor. Make it too exotic and you’ve lost the popular vote; keep it dumbed down and the cognoscenti stays away. Michael Swamy’s greatest achievement…

Bernardo’s

A feel (and taste) of Goa Serving: Goan (Catholic) Atmospherics: If there was a family-run restaurant anywhere in Goa, it would be a lot like Bernardo’s, now in its 14th year of operations! There are remarkably few eateries run by individuals in the NCR, perhaps because of the sheer tidal wave of paper work that…

AnnaMaya

Not a café, bar or restaurant. It’s a foodhall. Serving: Indian and western Atmospherics: Airy, bright with primary colours (the juice bar and dessert counter are positively radiant). Inside the main enclosure, cleverly broken up into open kitchens and seating spaces; chairs and sofas,  you can order your entire meal at the table, or choose…

Nagai

First Nobu, then Morimoto, now Reina Nagai Serving: Japanese Atmospherics: Want to know how authentic a Japanese restaurant is? Look around at the Japanese guests there. If they constitute over 90%, authenticity is guaranteed; if it is next to nothing, be sure it is a crowd pleaser for the desi palate. But what about a…