Zinos, Gurgaon - A buffet restaurant

Zinos is one of its kind only buffet serving restaurant in Gurgaon. Pawan Soni finds out. Read more:

21 Gun Salute, Gurgaon

21 Gun Salute is clearly one of the best North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon. Read More

Route69, Sector 52, Gurgaon

Pawan Soni visits the new age Aahata in Gurgaon and likes the place for its ambiance. Read More

Beer Cafe, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

Beer Cafe in Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj is an interesting new concept. Read More...

Recommended eateries and restaurants in Gurgaon

Pawan Soni compiles a list of best restaurants and eating joints in Gurgaon. Check out the details here.

Route04, Gurgaon

Pawan Soni enjoys his experience at Route04 restaurant in Gurgaon, though feels service could improve.

Read More

Jakoi, Assam Bhawan

Pawan Soni and the members of the foodie group visited Jakoi for a food walk. They found it to be much better than its reports on other blogs.

Read More

KFC Vs McDonald Spicy Range

Pawan Soni tries the McSpicy burger from McDonald and Spicy Zinger Burger from KFC to give his verdict.

Read more here

Hops N Brew, Sector 29, Gurgaon

Hops N Brew is the latest new brewery in Gurgaon. Honest beer price and nice food make it a must visit place, comments Pawan Soni

Read the complete review here

Beginners Guide to Wine appreciation

Find out the tips and art of wine appreciation by Pawan Soni.

Check the link below:

 http://indianfoodfreak.blogspot.com/2011/04/wine-basics-beginners-guide.html

Sin Bar, Nirvana Patio Club, Gurgaon

Pawan Soni visits the new and interesting bar with some great food to match.

Read More at http://indianfoodfreak.blogspot.com/2011/05/sin-bar-nirvana-patio-club-gurgaon.html

MingSingh, Peppermint Hotel, Gurgaon

Pawan Soni checks out MingSingh at Peppermint Hotel. He discovers some nice fusion food set in a small but nice ambiance.

Bercos, Sector-53, Gurgaon

[Rated: 3/5]
Many global cuisines are gaining popularity in India and most Indians feel at home with Chinese and Thai. Bercos has stood the test of time in the mentioned categories.


After many years, we visited Bercos outlet in Gurgaon for a small family affair. Ambience was nice and more than 50% of the tables were already occupied by 8pm. We did not have to wait long before the order was on our table.

The Tom Yum Prawn soup (Rs 125) was nice and tangy but lacked Galanjal (a member of the ginger family that tastes like a cross between ginger and pepper), an important ingredient in most Thai dishes. Crispy Chilli Potatoes (Rs 155) and Sliced Fish in Black Bean (Rs 260) were both made-well and quickly disappeared from our plates. The Veg Thai Red Curry (Rs 205) was hot and flavorful as it should be. Sweetness of coconut milk and fierceness of dried red chilly came together to make an excellent note on our taste buds.

We had mixed views for the service. The staff was courteous and starting from the door man we felt welcomed at every step. The prompt and attentive service could have been better if the food laid on tables was also served on our plates. Even though we silently pointed out a small thread in the steamed rice (Rs 110) to our server, no one either came to apologise or to suggest replacing the rice. Sometime it feels only people who raise their voice at restaurant are heard the most.

All in all, if you are in no mood to be very adventurous and want to try a time tested flavorful Chinese or Thai meal, head towards Bercos (or may be order at home)

PS: There are few offers going on at Bercos like 15% discount on Citibank credit card, or free soup offer from www.khojguru.com, do try them. We just did.

Meal for Two: Rs800
Alcohol: Yes
Credit Card: Yes

Address: S-01, Central Plaza, DLF Phase-V, Sector-53, Gurgaon
Phone: 0124-4143001-03

-Pawan Soni

Gola Southend, Defency Colony, New Delhi

Aman Kapoor is regular to Gola Southend.Lets check his reason.

Indian Food Freak

Do visit our new address:
http://indianfoodfreak.blogspot.com

Spaghetti Kitchen, Sector 29, Gurgaon

Spaghetti Kitchen, Sector 29, Gurgaon: "Pawan Soni enjoyed Spaghetti Kitchen for uncomplicated Italian food..."

Spaghetti Kitchen, Sector 29, Gurgaon

Brownie with Icecream

[Rated: 4/5]

Sector 29 in Gurgaon is fast becoming the hub for foodies with restaurants appealing to all tastes and pockets. Some prominent ones are Bikanerwala, Pizza Hut, Gung (my personal favorite), Pind Balluchi, Sagar Ratna, McDonald, and the newly opened Italian restaurant - Spaghetti Kitchen.

Produced by Future Group and directed by noted Italian Chef Bill Marchetti, Spaghetti Kitchen looked like a perfect marriage and had me excited to visit the place. The food and the location were great, though internal layout and service could have been better. The restaurant with two huge halls can serve 125 guests. The interiors were nice but absence of partitions in huge halls neither gave it the sophisticated look nor its guests the privacy. 

I appreciated Spaghetti Kitchen for un-complicating things by describing the Italian dishes; helps avoid embarrasing moments for the first timers by seeking explanation or ordering the normally available safe options.

The Rosemary Potato (195) tasted as good as potato wedges even though they were baked and not fried. The spicy Tabouleh Salad (290) contained nutritious toasted quinoa grains for the health conscious (Quinoa is a glutton-free, protein-rich cereal with a light, fluffy texture when cooked). I especially liked the softer than al dente Penne Vodka (450; creamy cylinerical pasta done in vodka) and the Pepperoni Cracker Pizza (Rs550). The Pizza was cooked in an electric oven but still tasted as good as in a wood fired one. Bill’s line of reasoning was well accepted when he said that many malls, where they operate, do not allow wood-fuel to be used and to maintain consistency of flavor they use the same imported electric oven in all outlets. The Fish Fillet with lemon butter (675) was average but the olive potato mash which accompanied the dish was soft, creamy and light; just the way it should be. It was heartening to note that the individual flavors of ingredients were not masked by the spices and seasonings in most dishes.

Spicy Tabouleh Salad

Pepperoni Cracker Pizza

Penne Vodka

Rosemary Potato

Fish Fillet with lemon butter

Tiramisu

Do not miss on the Tiramisu (275); one of the lightest, smoothest I have had. The brownie with ice-cream (320) was served in a sizzler plate and hot chocolate poured all around; Excellent visual appeal but overtly sweet for my palate.

Spaghetti Kitchen is awaiting bar license, and in the meantime it would do well by including some mock-tails in the menu. The servers need to be more attentive in serving dishes and changing dirty plates frequently. Still vegetarians will be delighted to have over 50% of the menu devoted to them. Another visit would be worth to see if the services and bar menu have improved to match the food it serves.

Meal for Two: Rs1800 | Alcohol: No (License awaited) | Credit Card: Yes| Lunch Buffet (Mon-Fri): Rs325++

Address: Plot No. 27 & 28, City Centre, Sector 29, Gurgaon| Phone: 0124-4049720

-Pawan Soni

Note: This review was first published in Suburb Magazine, Gurgaon

Coriander Leaf, Gurgaon

[Rated: 4/5]

Coriander Leaf needs no introduction. Located at the heart of Gurgaon city, behind DT City centre mall on the MG Road, Coriander Leaf restaurant has always been a preferred destination for Indian and Pakistani cuisines in a fine dining format. I have personally been to the restaurant several times, and I was happy to be invited to review their independence week special food festival. In the Phillipines and few other countries, the Independence day food festival is celebrated with much fanfare through out the country, and I was glad to note that standalone restaurants in India are making efforts to celebrate the day. However, this day still remains a big untapped opportunity for all in the food business which is a mandatory off for most of the working class.

To celebrate the 64th anniversary of our Independence, Coriander Leaf has come out with a new menu with 64 dishes covering the length and breadth of the country. The selected dishes from various state comprising of Kashmir, Rajasthan, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh among others were included in the special menu which was printed in the shape of the Indian map. The special menu has most of the items different from the regular menu highlighting the restaurant is not only marketing it well but packaging it differently too. The decor, with small Indian flags centred at the table, patriotic songs playing on a low volume, and servers dressed in traditional Kurta, payjama, and Gandhi cap set the mood perfectly for Independence week food festival if a trifle predictively.

Obviously it would have been an impossible task for me to try out all the dishes, I asked the corporate Chef R.K.Reddy to suggest the food. I am a hardcore non-vegetarian and to balance it out, I was joined by my friend who is a vegetarian. We started by having some Mattha (Maharashtra), Chicken 65 (Karnataka), Tabak Maaz (Kashmir), Bhopali Kabab (Madhya Pradesh), and Paneer ka Soola (Rajasthan). I have never been fond of grilled Paneer. It usually is too bland, chewy, or not marinated properly. But I must admit the Paneer ka Soola at Coriander Leaf was a welcome change. Even Chicken 65 and Bhopali Kabab were as authentic as they could get.

Makhane ki Kheer

Mutton Vindaloo

In the main course Chef suggested we go for Mutton Vindaloo (Goa), Vegetarian Stew with Malabar Parantha (Kerala), Dal-Bhati-Churma (Rajasthan), Prawn Xacuti (Goa) and Chicken Keema Parantha (Delhi). All other dishes except Keema Parantha (too dry!) were excellent with special mention to Dal-Bhati-Churma and Prawn Xacuti. So soft, so juicy and so traditional. Malabar Parantha with vegetarian stew is a must must recommendation for all vegetarians. It is a welcome change from the ubiquitous Dal Makhani and Shahi Paneer which we north Indians are so used to ordering every time we go out.

The desserts were again full of options from across the country. We tried Malai Ghewar (Rajasthan), Dal Payasam (Tamil Nadu), Bhutte ki Kheer (Madhya Pradesh), Seviayan Muzaffar (UP) and Makhane ki kheer (Bihar). Bhutte ki Kheer was very innovative and I had it for the first time. Makahne ki Kheer and Malai Ghewar topped with some fresh Rabri also needs a special mention. These were absolute melt-in-the-mouth.

The festival is over but I recommend all the food lovers and people to try out Coriander Leaf's Mughlai and Pakistani cuisine when ever they get the next opportunity. I look forward to more such happenings to experience traditional food that offers a great fine dining experience wrapped in a delightful ambiance.

- Pawan Soni

For reservations contact: 0124-4062121

Editor: The review is slightly dated and was done on 14th Aug'10.

Red Monkey, Defence Colony, New Delhi

Red Monkey, Defence Colony, New Delhi: "With so many options in Def Col, Visit Red Monkey only if you must..."

Red Monkey, Defence Colony, New Delhi

[Rated: 2.5/5]
Defence colony market offers plethora of dine-in options catering to all tastes and pockets. Dhiraj & I decided to try this relatively new resto-pub with an eye catching name, ‘Red Monkey’.

The small 30-seater restaurant located on the second floor is nothing with whom one falls in love at the first sight, but the ambiance slowly grows on you. The lemon grass aroma, dim lighting created using mix of modern fancy lights and traditional candles, and some great music slowly relaxes you in its own world. The menu set on the back drop of a bill-book offers some interesting options chosen carefully by its widely traveled owners.

We ordered Green Fairy (Rs350; Gin, white wine, mint and green apple) and the Red Monkey Iced Tea (Rs 350; LIIT with a twist of iced tea in place of coke). Both the drinks were potently refreshing and relaxing. The Honey Bee (Rs350; Vodka, Lime juice, ginger ale, honey and Hazelnut liquor) had a velvety texture but the overuse of honey made it too sweet for my taste and remained untouched. The Mojito (Rs325) at Red Monkey is normally served with fresh sugarcane juice but due to the non-availability of the same we went for watermelon Mojito which was a refreshingly well-made drink. Since the sugarcane juice is procured from outside I wonder if the freshness can be guaranteed for the late-night parties.

Fish Hong Kong (Rs330) was pan fried and not steamed as it is normally served. Crispy Wasabi Vegetables (Rs 219) had no kick of wasabi, and we wanted to use the tissue paper to wipe off the overflowing oil. Popcorn Prawns (Rs359) was served with French-fries and after 6-7 small prawns we were only left with the unsalted non-crisp French Fries. We wanted to try the prawns wrapped in bacon, but they weren't available and the UnChicken Nuggets (Rs309) which we were told are made of tofu, turned out to be soya chunks. It's clearly a case of lack of training if the restaurant cannot correctly announce its basic ingredient.

Popcorn Prawns

Crispy Wasabi Veg

Fish HongKong

Unchicken Nuggets

The veg Tom Yum soup (Rs169) was nice; light and mildly spiced to not over-power the other ingredient. Only for the academic purpose I would like to highlight that the Red Monkey had used the name ‘Tom Yum Goong’ which is incorrect. There cannot be a veg option if the Goong is used, as Goong/Kung means prawns. The Thai Red curry (Rs309) used fresh ingredients and tasted good, though with mellowed spices. I like my Red Curry to be hot which it wasn’t. Only thing we truly appreciated was the warm Toffee Pudding with Vanilla ice cream (Rs199); Moist Date & Banana cupcake served warm and topped with mildly heated toffee sauce. Having been to Chilli Seasonss, a restaurant below Red Monkey, I am sure the dessert didn’t come out of the Red Monkey’s Kitchen.

Veg Tom Yum

Toffee Pudding

Red Monkey displays interesting pictures of the owners and reflects their personal likes and dislikes in artifacts, paintings, drinks and foods. Each drink has an explanation with a name of one of their friend, creating curiosity amongst the first timers to know more. Just like ambiance wish they had paid a little more attention to other aspects of food business.