The Yum Yum Tree @ Community Center, New Friends Colony‏

I was thinking about how my idea of a good restaurant has changed over the years. In the beginning, it was limited to the places my parents took me to and then by how much my meager pocket change of student days could get me...cheap BUT good places ruled the roost. Now I am at a stage of life where I can afford to shell out a few Ks for a good meal and not feel the pinch and that has changed my restaurant experience forever. By now, I know where I some of the best places around Delhi for specific foods; for example, for a good shawarma, head to Al-Bake at New Friend's Colony and that the Momos and Thukpas at Chanakyapuri remain unbeatable. Now my focus is not just on the food but also on the service of the staff, how pleasant they are, how helpful they are in aiding one in choosing the right accompaniments. Très much? Not really. The way I see it, there is no point in paying for good food and lousy service.

There are a couple of places that really won me over. The Yum Yum Tree at New Friends Colony is one of them. And, yes, I did not let the fact that they serve gorgeous sushi cloud my judgement. I was very objective in my quest of searching for a wholesome reastuarant.

I went there twice with a gap of barely 1 week between the visits (good spy work is important) and both times I was highly pleased.

Starting with the best item on their menu, SUSHI! The sushi platter we had ordered was a beautiful boat containing 24 pieces of some of the best sushis I have had in a long time. Look how gorgeous the platter is!

Yum Yum Sushi

While most of us chose to have Mojitos, a teetotaler amongst us ordered a "Strawberry Creme," which we all happily drank up and he had to order one more. Needless to say, the girlie me loved the way it looked (and tasted)!

Strawberry Creme

Oh! did I mention that we were seated next to the conveyor-sushi? It comes close to my idea of paradise where I'm eating sushi and more sushi keeps passing by me doing a tantalizing dance on the conveyor belt. 

For my second visit, I was determined to try other items (after the sushi and the strawberry creme, that is) and that's where we faced a little problem. We did not understand what went best with what. So, I ordered a Kir Royale (superb wine-based drink) to calm my nerves and ask for assistance. Our waiter was a lovely young man who had a nice warm smile (as opposed to the fake smile) and was very helpful in helping us hone in on our meal, which included the following:

Sichuan garlic noodles (chicken)

Chicken and egg rice

Kung Pao chicken

Shredded coriander root lamb

Chicken dumpling (made non-spicy for my baby cousin)

By the way, the manager that evening saw my mother receiving flowers and gifts and asked me if we were there celebrating an occasion. when I confirmed that it was my parent's anniversary as well as my mom's birthday, he asked if he could arrange a cake to mark the occasion. I of course said, "Yes!" and, so, a beautiful little chocolate cake joined our table as our dessert that evening.

Since my baby cousin has always had an interest in cooking like his father, I wanted to show him the sushi corner, which was sadly silent as no one occupied the seats there; however, when the manager saw us there and me trying to explain to my brother was sushi was, he not only switched on the conveyor belt for us but also invited us to watch how sushi was being made.That, according to me, was the highlight of the evening.

Overall, the evening felt like a relaxed meal in a fancy place rather than a stiff restaurant experience. The staff was not only friendly but also very patient, well-trained  to assist the guests and seem to have to problem in going an extra mile to make your trip there worthy. 

Avg. cost:  Rs.1500 per person
Rating: 4.5/5