SodaBottleOpenerWala

Gawking at Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub is good enough reason to visit; Sodabottleopenerwala (SBOW) is the icing on the cake Atmospherics: If the swish hub looks like Singapore or Dubai, with its spacious walkways, the restaurant looks like a throwback to another era. From the uber cool display window with its giant bottles of sweets from…

Neung Roi

Eschewing the clichés and celebrating Thai food from the entire country Atmospherics: Light coloured wood and bright yellow table runners overlook a large open kitchen headed by a diminutive lady chef. It sets the tone for the meal. Neung Roi has many firsts: It features each region of Thailand on a menu: North, South, Central…

Thai Pavilion

A brilliant Thai restaurant with modern tastes. Atmospherics: The rest of the hotel may be young and trendy, but Thai Pavilion is sombre, being completely wood-panelled from floor to ceiling. Service is managed by a bunch of seriously young people who can talk extensively on the finer points of every dish. The management can take…

Pout Cafe

Worth it for the peppy “fashion café” interiors alone, though there is food for every taste too Atmospherics: The best part of this café on two floors is the interiors. Broad black and white stripes combine with vibrant colours and an attractive collage on the first floor that occupies a whole wall. The first floor…

Akira Back

Modern Japanese/Korean Chef Akira Back was the first Korean executive chef for a Nobu restaurant. His own brand incorporates influences from his native Korea. Atmospherics: After waiting so long to open, JW Marriott at Aerocity has spectacular offerings, but Akira Back tops them all. One American and one Korean chef in the open kitchen, ably…

Alive - for the archives

VLCC is not a company that you associate with food and beverage. However, Alive is not about either health food or diet food, or even organic food. Alive is about healthy eating. Thus, all the sauces that are based on roux (butter and flour: in other words, the basic white sauce) are made with wholewheat…

Elan

Almost as good as your own dining room Formerly the Aman, the hotel has reverted to being the Lodhi. Elan is the dining room for Indian and western comfort food. For elegant dining there’s On the Waterfront near the entrance gate. The mood is cosy more than imposing – the diametric opposite of On the…

Zaffran

Zaffran is one of the few Indian restaurants in Connaught Place that does not date back to the 1950s. Consequently, the relatively minimalistic décor has more to do with the revamped Hotel Palace Heights of which it is a part, than the likes of Embassy Restaurant two doors away. Fortunately, the owners have decided not…

Smokey’s

Barbecue Grills What used to be Smokehouse Grill is now Smokeys Delhi was crying out for a New York style barbecue place. At last, we’ve been given Smokeys You know those dark, all wood, masculine interiors that you see in the movies? Well, they’ve been recreated here in GK 2 now. Retro music, a superbly…

Purani Dilli

It is not as well-known outside the immediate locality as, say, Karim’s is, but Purani Dilli is headed for its place in the sun. No artificial flavourings (like kewra or screw pine), no lashings of pure ghee. Just no-fuss surroundings in the heart of South Delhi, good biryani and down to earth prices. You’ll have…