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Saturday 25 April 2015

Enokee - Dwarka - 3/5

Well people, I was curious to Know what the name of the restaurant means and I found out that Enokee means - a thin, long-stemmed and tiny-capped white mushroom, native to the northern mountain ranges of Japan and prized as a food. Wow! What a name, but its sad that most people including me do not know what that means.

The restaurant Enokee is owned and run by Chef Dheeraj already who had started Cafe Blue Tomato in Rajouri Garden. The restaurant is located in the sector - 12 Dwarka market, where there used to be another restaurant called Black Olive. Enokee is a decent place, not sure why the ambiance is a mix of Bollywood and Beatles pictures with a Cocktail Bar setting, because the name doesn't suggest the theme of the restaurant. The ambiance otherwise is nice but the lighting is strong at some places and dark at other corners. seating is comfortable.

The menu is the play it safe multi-cuisine menu with dishes across the world from Chinese,to Thai to Indian and some continental dishes. I have heard that the Indian dishes on the menu are nice, but the chinese is a little shaky. I tried European which was nice, but not great. My chicken had salt to a slightly higher side. It did taste great otherwise. The sangria was a let down. Actually my mistake ordering a sangria in a restaurant located in Dwarka, because they would probably never have received guests who would have ordered a sangria. The soup was decent.

Taste wise food was nice, but lacked the Wow factor. The Sangria was a let down.

service was ok, even though staff needs more training and are not aware of most dishes, and service wasn't quite prompt considering we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Coming down to taste. This is what I had :--

Red Wine sangria - Disappointing. Just seemed like some tasteless low quality wine with dices of apple in it. My rating - 1/5

Chicken sweet Corn soup - I am allergic to egg and I informed them not to put egg in my soup, however I was still served soup with egg. Cannot rate this, because, I could not have the soup.

Herb Crust Fish - The Fish was perfect. Could be a little crispier though, but was great. My rating 4/5

stuffed Chicken Breast - The stuffing inside was fabulous, but the sauce on top had a slightly higher salt content for my palate. The sauteed veggies were nice and complemented the meat really well. The dish is great though. My rating 3.5/5

Ceaser salad - I would say the ceaser was their version of this classic salad, but it wasnt bad nonetheless. It was actually nice. My rating 3.5/5

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Thursday 23 April 2015

Sam's list of Top Dessert's to try if you are in Delhi

Even though I am not a dessert person, yet some restaurants across town have been successful in convincing me to jump the other side. So I have compiled for you my list of some absolutely and divine desserts that you will find across some top restaurants in Delhi / NCR, and you won't regret cheating on that diet and gaining those extra inches on your waistline.

PS: This is a personally compiled list and I am sure you would have discovered some Gems of desserts at other places too. please feel free to add their names in the comment box.

Here goes the list of Sam's favourite Desserts in Delhi (in order of Ranking) --

No. 1 - Tiramisu in a Jar - at Olive Bistro, Gurgaon

Hands down the best Tiramisu in the world. I had liked the one I had two year ago at Prego, the Westin hotel in gurgaon, however this one tops my list. Love the huge portion of this heavenly dessert. The sponge ha the perfect coffee flavour. Love the creaminess, the Gooeyness and the divine experience of enjoying this heavenly dessert. A must have if you are dining out at Olive Bistro

Tiramisu in a Jar - at Olive Bistro, Gurgaon

No. 2 - 5 Star Brownie at Sodabottleopener Wala

Soft mushy yummm brownie made with real 5 star chocolate. Warm, and soft and sticky. Better than most I have had!! One loves the stickiness against the teeth while chewing this awesome dessert. A must have at SBOW.

5 Star Brownie at Sodabottleopener Wala

No. 3 - The Royal Chocolate at L'Opéra Salon de Thé

Is my favorite ever since I Ist tried it at the Lópera Khan Market. Love the chocolate crust on the outside and the gooey chocolate mousse on the inside. The combination of flavours of the chocolate crust and mousse mixed together is outstanding.

The Royal Chocolate at L'Opéra Salon de Thé

No. 4 - Tiramisu & Chocolate Nutella torte at The California Boulevard - Gurgaon

Has to be one of the best I have ever had. So huge and gigantic in portion and so soft and tender and amazing in taste. I also love the Chocolate Nutella Torte at TCB. Chocolate Nutella Torte is a masterpiece of a dessert. Loved the fact that the taste was subtle. Nutella has an inherent feature that it dominates the flavour of any food item its added to since its very strong in flavour. But this dish had the perfect proportion of Chocolate and Nutella, and was as pretty as Leonardo Davinci's Monalisa! A must have dessert at TCB.

Tiramisu at The California Boulevard - Gurgaon

Chocolate Nutella torte at The California Boulevard - Gurgaon

No. 5 - Toblerone Mousse at Sodabottleopenerwala

This was a fantastic mousse. One of the best I have ever had. Even though in an Iranian cafe, you would expect the Lagan nu custard to taste better, but surprisingly, the mousse was an ABSOLUTE "ROCKSTAR". loved the look of it in an ice cream cup with dices of toblerone chocolate on top. This was one of the best desserts I have ever had.

Toblerone Mousse at Sodabottleopenerwala

No. 6 - The Chocolate Lava cake at Woodbox Cafe

One of the best Choco Lava Cakes I have had. soft spongy texture with a gooey Chocolaty molten chocolaty centre. The chocolate that flows out as you cut through has a perfectly thick texture, and it tastes divine with Vanilla ice cream. A must have at WBC.

The Chocolate Lava cake at Woodbox Cafe

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DCK>> Efficient Delivery Model but food needs to be bettered- 3/5

Starting as a small time place in Gurgaon, Dana choga today operates a large number of outlets in Delhi / NCR. Had visited their flagship outlet years ago in Gurgaon so was pretty excited when they opened their doors to people in Dwarka.

Even though the outlet is quite old in Dwarka, yet I haven't had a chance to visit and since it was a day my husband doesn't eat non veg, and I did not want to cook, so decided on ordering in from DCK. A friend of mine had earlier mentioned that they have started something different and have a time bound delivery system and the food is pretty decent as well. So without much ado me and my husband unanimously decided on ordering from DCK.

The home delivery menu is very very limited. That may be a USP since they target delivering in 45 minutes or you get your food for free. However its a good concept to have an efficient delivery model, just like Dominos, but I think they haven't been able to execute it better.

Well because the menu had very very limited options, the name Paneer Adrak hara Dhaniya sounded very very catchy. So ordered that and Dal Makhani is the safest Veg option that can never go wrong or can hardly ever go wrong. So dialled the delivery hotline number and very impressive that they have a proper IVR menu and you need to feed in your options just like Dominos or the Helpline of Mc Donalds and they take your order, repeat your order and tell you your bill amount. Once the order is placed you receive an SMS of your order details. Quite impressive I thought.

My order arrived within the stipulated time duration of 45 minutes, hot and fresh. Just one catch when I opened the neatly packed boxes I saw Shahi paneer instead of the Paneer Gravy dish. Why do I saw that, you might wonder? That's because as the name suggested Paneer Adrak Dhania, there was neither Adrak nor Dhania in it. Which means they switched the order with someone else probably or the Paneer I ordered wasn't available so they sent whatever was cooked in the kitchen.

Nonetheless, the Shahi paneer and Dal Makhani tasted alright. For the pricing I just wish the quantity could be more. The food doesn't taste bad though. Its better than your usual Dal Makhani Shahi paneer places.

You can order from here just urge them not to switch your order or you could double check whether whatever you ordered was cooked by the chef that day.

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Tuesday 21 April 2015

Lutyens - The Chic, classy & delectable cocktail house - 4.5/5

Lutyens is Mr. Priyank Sukhija's new baby on the block which is his tribute to the legendary and greatest British Architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens, who also happens to have designed some prominent monuments for our capital city of Delhi during the days of the Raaj. There's art form in every nook and corner of Lutyens whether it is the branded Robert Welch cutlery or the upclass British Bar ambiance and even the innovative Bar food served with a twist.

I must compliment the promoters for venturing into unfamiliar territory than the usual clubs and cafe's the group owns across town. It seems that Lutyen's was something he had been wanting to do in a while and it seems that he has taken personal interest in creating everything in this place right from the setting to the food. And, hell I am glad he did. The result - Lutyens, as it is. Chic, classy, delectable cocktail house. Guys, you ought to visit this classy place to experience sheer bliss and something different that the usual bandwagon of bar's and so called cocktail houses in the city.

Just like Lutyens's Architecture there's style and detailing in every aspect of this cocktail house - the Furniture, the fixtures, the setting, the glassware and cutlery and even to the food and drinks. No, Lutyens is not your usual neighbourhood bar, it is something plush, something chic, something classy and up above the rest. It's a place where after a long day you would want to come home to your inner self, enjoy your single malt on the rocks and experience inner peace in sheer class.

Like I mentioned before Lutyens has style and class in every grain of the food cooked and every droplet of the drinks served. Lutyens is perfect for that romantic evening out with that special someone in a great mesmerising setting with a spectacular view of the majestic Le Meredian hotel tantalizing your senses. Should you bring your friends or your business associates here for an evening out in this classy British ambiance clubbed with great music food and drinks, they are bound to have a helluva time and get addicted to the place.

I loved the nice leather seats and chairs and the high Bar stools and the nice comfy seating which goes very well with the theme of the place. The Music is oh so addictive and so jive that one tends to feel at peace even if one's had a real long day. Loved the Cigar's on show which one can try if one's tempted to indulge.

The menu has dishes hand picked from world cuisine right from the simplest of a ceaser salad to Spanish Sea Food Paella or even the Prawns served with Wasabi Mayo and Mango Salsa. The Chef picks all his ingredients farm fresh and also imports the best condiments and top quality cheese for adding that extra bit of taste to the food. The beverages are superb whether you have a simple and refreshing watermelon cooler or whether you taste the Twins with the subtle flavour of coconut milk and Mango pulp on a bed ofice with Kaffir lime leaves. Loved the combination of flavours that makes each beverage a completely refreshing and quenching experience.

Food has been uplifted and freed from the shackles of mundanity. Would you believe a simple Ceaser Salad has been glamorised by doing away with the usual iceberg lettuce and replaced by the fresh and crisp Romaine Lettuce? And which by the way tastes divine and better than the usual ceaser salads. I would never have imagined a poached pear to taste so divine. The hint of dijon Mustard did the trick.

Service is very personalised and top notch. Servers are well trained and they seem to know their food and drinks pretty well. The Manager ensures he makes a visit to your table and makes you feel that extra bit special and valued as a customer. Service is very quick and prompt and the food arrives well within the stipulated time.

I was at Lutyens with a close friend who like me has the appetite of a giant for great food, so we chose Lutyens for a change and I am glad we did because it was one evening I will remember for all times to come. Now coming down to taste this is what we had.

Wild Mushroom Bitter Ballen with Truffle Aioli - Oh! Good Lord these balls of divinity melted in my mouth. So soft and mushy that their taste is still fresh in my mind. My rating 4/5

Veg & Chicken Croquettes - Nice and hot and crisp Croquettes served with a great dip is a great starter with your drink. My rating 4/5

Harissa Cottage cheese Brochette with a spicy sauce - Nice and buttery creamy cottage cheese served with a great spicy sauce stole my heart. My rating 4.5/5

Meat Balls in Chunky Tomato sauce - Ah loved the tanginess of the tomatoey sauce with the meat balls. My rating 4/5

Wasabi Prawn with Mango salsa - Loved the Prawns with a wasabi mayo sauce which had that extra zing and really went well with a Mango salsa. I must complement the Chef for this great dish. A must have at Lutyens. My rating 4.5/5

Paprika Chicken - Nice soft and cooked to perfection paprika marinated chicken was a rock star. Really melted in my mouth. A great Starter. My rating 4.5/5

Ceaser Salad - I always judge any restaurant by the way it makes this basic salad and I am glad they passed my test. Their simple Ceaser Salad has been glamorised by doing away with the usual iceberg lettuce and replaced by the fresh and crisp Romaine Lettuce which by the way tastes divine and better than the usual ceaser salads. My rating 5/5

Poached Pear Salad - I would never have imagined a poached pear to taste so divine. The hint of dijon Mustard did the trick. And a great presentation if I might add. My rating 5/5

Watermelon Cooler and Twins - The beverages are superb whether you have a simple and refreshing watermelon cooler or whether you taste the Twins with the subtle flavour of coconut milk and Mango pulp on a bed ofice with Kaffir lime leaves. Loved the combination of flavours that makes each beverage a completely refreshing and quenching experience. My rating 5/5

Sea Food Paella - The only great Paella in Delhi I have had is at Sevilla at the Claridges and I must say, this one stone my heart. Loved the generous helping of squid, prawns and even a big Jumbo prawn in the paella and the portion if I might add is huge. My rating 5/5

We had eaten so much that we didn't have space left for dessert but the meal was a soulful and divine experience.

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