Quick Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian

Of the many cuisines I have tried so far, the one cuisine that has a special place in my heart is Indian Chinese a.k.a. Chindian. The food that for many years passed off as Chinese food in India. The chowmein from the roadside seller to the exotic(!) veg Munchurian with gravy, we have all had it at some point or another and we have liked it too. The Chinese may not recognise it but us desis do and sometimes that is all that matters.

So when I picked up a cauliflower in an attempt to include more vegetables in my daily diet, the only thing that popped in my head was to make some really quick Gobi (Cauliflower) manchurian, which teamed perfectly with the winter chill. And all it took was 20 mins. Here's how it goes, lazy cooks:  

For Florets
1 medium size cauliflower, broken into medium sized florets
1/2 cup corn flour
5 tablespoons all purpose flour (maida)
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
Oil, for deep frying
Salt to taste
Approximately 1/2 cup water

For the Sauce
1½ teaspoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons ginger paste
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 small green capsicum, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon chilli sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup or tomato sauce
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons spring onion, finely chopped (for garnishing, optional)
Salt as per taste

Method
For the florets
1. Boil the florets in salted water for 4 mins, drain water and set aside
2. In a bowl, mix all purpose flour, corn flour, ginger paste, garlic paste and salt. Add water little by little and stir to make a batter. the thickness of the batter should be similar to thickness of dosa batter. Add all florets in batter and mix well. Ensure that the batter coats the florets evenly.
3. Heat oil in pan over medium flame and deep fry the florets in small batches of 6 to 8 till they turn golden brown. Drain and transfer the deep fried florets to plate with paper napkin on it to soak excess oil.

For the sauce
1. Heat 2-tablespoons of oil in a wide, thin-bottomed pan or wok on medium flame. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, chopped green chillies, chopped capsicum and chopped onion.
2. Sauté them on high flame for 3-4 minutes to eliminate the raw flavour of ginger and garlic.
3. Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and salt. Stir continuous and cook for a minute
4. Toss in the deep fried florets and mix all ingredients (florets and the sauce) on high flame for a minute.

Voila! it's ready to be plated and served hot with a generous sprinkling of finely chopped spring onions. 

Spicy Andhra Mutton Curry

Some months ago, when I made Mangalorean chicken curry for a charity event at work, I received many requests for repeats. One colleague, however, dropped a special request for spicy mutton curry. I promised her that I'd definitely make some for her one day.

Days turned to weeks, weeks to months and before I knew it, I was already in my final week at my current job. Now that the promise I made the other day was haunting me, I got down to making a simple but yummy Spicy Andhra Mutton Curry. 

Here's how the recipe goes:

• Mutton 500 grams

• Salt to taste 

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 

• Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

• Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp 

• Black peppercorns - 8

• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 

• Cinnamon - 1 inch stick 

• Cloves - 4

• Green cardamoms - 2 

• Oil - 4 tbsp

• Curry leaves 10 

• Onions chopped - 3 medium 

• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp 

• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp 

• Black pepper powder - 2 tsp 

• Tomato chopped - 1 large 

• Fresh coriander leaves chopped (optional) - 2 tbsp

Method

Step 1

Pressure cook mutton pieces with two cups of water, salt and turmeric powder for six whistles. Open the lid when the pressure reduces, drain and reserve the cooking liquor. Dry roast poppy seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves and green cardamoms. Cool and grind to a fine powder. Heat oil in kadai (wok). Add curry leaves and onions. Sauté till the onions are brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and half the black pepper powder and sauté for a minute.

Step 2

Add tomato and mutton pieces, cook on high heat till the tomato is soft. Add salt and the spice powder and simmer for five minutes. Add the reserved cooking liquor and one cup of water and bring to a boil. Simmer till all the mutton pieces get well coated with thick gravy.

Step 3

Add the remaining black pepper powder and stir well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Yum Yum Cha @ Cyberhub, Gurgaon

I have the good fortune of working in a location where there are some top-notch restaurants just few feet away. It is but natural that a lot of the official lunches, dinners and dates happen in this amazing hub of eateries. and after having tried and tested almost all of them in my last 2 years in my current location, I was waiting for a long time for a new restaurant (worth my time and interest) to open up...and my prayers were answered recently.

A couple of months ago, I saw a banner announcing that Yum Yum Cha was opening up at that location soon. I was super excited, to say the least. I had been waiting FOREVER to try their much publicized dumplings and sushi.

Once the restaurant opened, so did the stories about the loooong wait to get a table. I was able to beat the lunch crowd by reaching at Yum Yum Cha for lunch at 12:30 pm. Perfect timing.

The restaurant is clearly a small but the decor and good lighting (natural and artificial) makes the place bright and spacious. Not to mention their bright origami (metal) decorative items that I absolutely adored.

And the Menu has good range of items and nice pretty pictures of what we could expect and their description. For a visual person like me, and those who were not very familiar with more authentic Japanese and Chinese flavors, this is a very safe place to start. 

My friends and I immediately got down to business. We ordered their Crystal Duck dumpling (Peking duck, hoisin, cherries), Rainbow Vegetable sushi (I know. I cringed too at the thought of vegetarian Sushi but it was for the vegetarian friend who had never tried sushi) and Red Thai curry and rice.


I had some concerns about the dumpling, I mean cherries and duck as a combination didn't exact conjure the best images but once I look a bite of it, I was stunned by how much I loved it! The balance between the salty pieces of duck and the sweet ripe cherries merged beautifully. Each bite was flavorful and the sweet-salty juices burst through the thin dumpling skin. Look at those beautiful dumplings below:

Moving on to the vegetarian sushi, quite frankly, I have had better and I have had it at Yum Yum Tree. I think  the joy for me was a little less since it was vegetarian sushi and there is limited magic that wasabi can do here. Nonetheless,  the sushi novice was thrilled by how wonderful it was. I will be going back for more sushi (non-veg, this time) to make up my mind about it.

The Red Thai curry was one of the best I have had in India. The spices were balanced just right with the coconut milk such that the spices didn't overpower the dish and neither did the coconut milk hijack the same.

One thing we did not anticipate was the good helpings. the 3 of us found ourselves feeling full but we just HAD to have something sweet at the end of a very satisfying meal and hence we ignored our newly acquired muffin tops and daringly ordered a New York Cheesecake.

I think I fell in love when I saw the Cheesecake accompanied by some sweet mango pulp. Once I had a bite of it, I was ready to write an Ode. No kidding! The smooth slightly sweet cheesecake and the rich mango pulp had me dreaming about it for days afterwards.

What tried the entire experience together was the very friendly bill that we received for a very filling and satisfying meal.

My ratings:
Price for 2 : INR 1500
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Food: 4.5/5

Yummiest baked carrots ever!

In a quest to undo some damage that my "hobby" of trying new restaurants does, I've started experimenting low-cal ways of eating my veggies. I'm always looking for flavor, even in my boiled veggies. Last night, I felt a little bolder (and lazier) than usual and decided to bake my carrots to accompany some pieces of grilled chicken breasts for dinner.

A quick internet research on how to best bake carrots, I found myself yet again on the page of one of my favorite people...Jamie Oliver! knowing how simple, healthy and, most importantly, yummy his recipes have turned out in the past, I tried baking the carrots like he suggested. Try it out but please remember that I love this guy so don't come back to me with comments like, "I love Jamie too!" I do not react very well to real or imagined threats to inaccessible men I love...especially when that particular crush is a divine cook.

Okay, here we go:

• 750 g young bunched carrots, different colours if possible, washed and scrubbed
• olive oil
• Vinegar (or red wine vinegar if available)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
    

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Toss your carrots with a good lug of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs and the garlic cloves. Place in a roasting tray or earthenware dish, cover tightly with tinfoil and cook for 20-30 minutes until just tender. If you like your carrots browned and caramelized, remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes.

See how simple that was? it took 2-3 minutes to prep and shove the carrots into the oven  and in the meanwhile I grilled my chicken.

Guppy by Ai @ Lodhi Colony

Birthday dinners are a family tradition in my house and on my birthday, we always  wind up in a Japanese restaurant. Fortunately for me, my parents are quite experimental with food and once I introduced them to sushi, they too loved it. As a person who has explored most Japanese restaurants in Delhi, I was looking for a new place to go to and fortunately, 'Guppy by ai' had been making news for all the right reasons it seemed (also because I loved their logo). We decided to check it out for ourselves. 

The restaurant is in the main market of Lodhi Colony. Among the few white washed shops in that market, Guppy manages to grab one's attention with its simple red window that gives a peep into a magical world. 

Since we had landed there without prior reservation, we were led to the lounge area that had very interesting decor...pretty heart cut outs on the wall, manga comic prints on the sofas and origami shades on harsh lights to soften the mood. The decor was cheap but tastefully put together. If bizarre and class married, guppy was their baby. 

The staff was not only pleasant but friendly and accommodating as well. We were told that all tables were occupied and it was not certain when it would be free, however, they would be happy to serve us our drinks and snacks till a table was free. Once we settled in the tiny space they called the 'Lounge', we pretty much decided to continue sitting there.

We started our evening with their mocktail (no liquor license there yet!) 'Sip Sensation.' The drink was nothing sensational but the sushis, 'Spicy salmon special roll' and 'California roll' were excellent. That set our hopes high.

The mains we had were:

1. Ai signature pork belly: beautifully flavored but very small helping for something priced at INR 900!

2. Garlic fried rice with bacon: mildly flavored and decent dish but no great shakes.

3. Karashi chicken and bacon: a type of stew in mustard sauce (the waitress informed us that Karashi means mustard in Japanese). The chicken pieces were minuscule and the stew was lightly flavored with no overwhelming flavor from mustard. I think this would have tasted better with plain rice.

4. Tiger prawn tempura udon: think of this as a Japanese thukpa. Light, flavorful broth containing very slippery noodles and fried prawns and vegetables served separately. This dish did not inspire me in any way.

We skipped dessert (for cake at home! Yay!).

The conclusion for the evening was that the food is worth a try but are quite pricy for the serving. The mocktail section could be made more interesting with a wider selection at least until they have a liquor license. 

Avg. cost per person: Rs. 2000 (no alcohol)

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Tamura @ Green Park

On a rare occasion that I ventured into the Green Park area of Delhi, my friend informed me that there was a nice Japanese restaurant nearby and being the sushi-loving creatures that he and I are, we walked through the market till we found the barely noticeable board of "Tamura."

We walked in and found a fairly nice setting that had the usual "Chinese restaurant" feel to it that bizarrely had a billing and bar counter that looked like it belonged to a pub. Ignoring that, we proceeded to order our meal. We had:

1. Salmon roll (sushi)

2. Fried prawns set (ebi fry bento)

3. Pork cutlet on rice (katsudon)

The sushi was DRY and slightly rubberish. The fried prawns set was served with a small helpings of soup and salad. Considering that the rice had absolutely no flavor, the soup and salad helped push down the meal. The pork cutlet on rice was a much better dish, thankfully. It came in a pretty little box and they were generous with the quantity. The rice was mildly sweet and pork was done just right.

I seriously contemplated smuggling the box my lunch came in. It looked so pretty! And it would have been a serious upgrade of my usual lunch box. Let me not digress!

The staff was not very helpful, I add. The waitress seemed too be busy arranging and rearranging cutlery no one was asking for and was not interested in helping us decide on what to order. Only a couple of tables were occupied and so it seemed very strange when we were presented with a bill even before we had finished our drinks. That was just in poor taste, I felt. The general feeling I had was that my friend and I had probably interrupted their afternoon siesta. I do not plan to visit the place again. 

Overall, it was a very average experience.

Avg. cost: Rs. 1000 per person (with beer)

Rating: 2/5

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

Sarvana Bhavan, Janpath, CP, New Delhi

This comes as shock to most people that despite being a malayalee, I am not a fan of south Indian cuisine. Since my mother had spent a good part of her growing up years abroad and my father growing up in Haryana, we always had a wide variety of cuisine at our dining table. Rogan Ghosht one day, lasagna the next and aviyal and olan the day after; so, no, my dislike for south Indian food had nothing to do with ennui of eating the same/similar things day-in and day-out. And it does quite put off my mood when my north Indian friends decide that they all want to have south Indian (south Indian food is limited to idli and dosa for most North Indians). There is one place that I go occasionally and willingly and that is Sarvana Bhavan, Janpath, Connaught Place, Delhi. The proximity of this place to my office always makes it a good option for a quick bite and food is almost always really good. Like most south Indian restaurants, this place is NOT meant for dining leisurely. Sure, nobody is going to fling you out if you are waiting for your meal or for the bill but there is always an undercurrent of hurried business. It’s a place you eat and leave and if you want pretty décor, go eat elsewhere.

It may be that the Tamilian cooking appeals to my senses a bit more than Malayalee, but one can order almost anything from the menu sans fear. My favorite, however, is the Onion Rawa Masala Dosa *slurp* that teams up very well with the dhaniya, tomato and coconut chutneys they serve along with sambhar. The only item that appalled me was the dahi vada. The dahi vada they serve is sweet and not salty like it is in other parts of the country. I initially thought they got the wrong order but the “replaced” order tasted exactly the same :(

A tradition that most people who stop for a meal here follow is to end their meal with a nice cup of filter coffee…served in a small metal tumbler on a small metal bowl. For those who are not aware of why it is being served so, one is supposed to pour a bit of the sugar-less, piping hot coffee into the bowl, add sugar and then pour it into the glass and back to the bowl and then back again to the cup till the sugar dissolves. It’s an experience that most of my colleagues from other countries find fascinating and happily practice on their second trip to Sarvana Bhavan (see proof below).

Ok, I’ll admit. I agree to eat there just so that I get to play with my yummy coffee later. Judging by the behaviour of those around me and by the fact that I don't really mind the food there, I suppose others would love to eat there for some south India "fast" food. For approx. INR 200 for a  nice filling meal for 2, it is a deal you don't want to miss.

Lodhi - The Garden Restaurant

Having moved to Lodhi Estate recently, it was but natural that we decided to go into the famed Lodhi - The Garden Restaurant when we had a good reason to celebrate. It serves European and Mediterranean cuisines, for those who may not already know.

So we stop our car right in front of the restaurant, submit the key for valet parking and take a token---an unnecessary exercise, really, because when we came out after the dinner, the car was right where we had left it---at the curb of the main road right outside the restaurant gate. Valet parking, my foot!

Moving to more pleasant things, as soon as you enter through the restaurant gate, one automatically relaxes and it is very easy to forget that the busy main road runs right outside. To be blunt, I thought I was entering a garden of my dreams. It might have seemed spectacular because it was nighttime, the lighting was just perfect, and there was just the right amount of chill to make one want to enjoy their meal outside. We were then informed that no alcohol would be served outside so if we were planing to order drinks, we had no option but to sit indoors. Buzz kill! We tried to salvage our moods by ordering drinks first.

A little wait later the drinks arrived --- Gooseberry Margarita, Apple Mojito, Apple Sangria, and a Whiskey (that's my dad's usual at any restaurant. Boooooring!).

(Left to right and back to front) Gooseberry Margarita, Apple Mojito, Apple Sangria, and Whiskey

Ok! So the cocktails are so-so and not memorable. The menu card was very limiting and so we ended up ordering a Mezze platter for appetizer, which will not be discussed any further since it certainly does not deserve any attention.

For dinner, our order consisted of 2 Seafood Paella, 1 Chicken Paella, and 1 New Zealand Lamb Chops.  Each dish was more than adequate for 1 person and the food was good too. It would be right to mention here that I did think that the Seafood Paella was a tad more interesting in flavors than my Chicken Paella and the Lamb Chops were succulent and mildly flavored making it quite likeable.

For desserts, we were shown an array of desserts of which we chose a Strawberry mousse and a chocolate mousse. Our server returned to our table after 5-6 minutes to tell us that the chef refused to serve the Strawberry mousse because he was not happy with the way the latest batch had turned out and so could we please order something else? The strawberry mousse was promptly replaced by my ever favorite Blueberry Cheesecake. The desserts were good but I have had better.

When the bill arrived, I did blink blankly at the receipt a few times because I could not wrap total bill figure round my head. It was ludicrous! The food was good, I admit , but I have had much, much better food at a fraction of the bill I was staring at. And I do go often to so called "expensive" places to eat so I know that the 5-figure bill was grossly disproportionate to our satisfaction of having what we just had. I was almost tempted to ask them if they would take my kidney (or two) instead of cash. I was also in a mood to slap all those who wrote in their reviews that the average cost was "Rs.2000 to 2,500 for two." Sniffing food does not count in a food review! Hmmmph.

Next time, I plan on just walking in, ordering a glass of water, and leave. The location is fabulous but I know better places to eat. :)

Avg. cost:  Rs.3000 per person
Rating: 3/5 (the "3" is SOLELY for the location and ambiance).

List of street food of Delhi

One of my readers requested for a list of places to eat in Delhi. I still think that no matter how swanky the restaurant you go to, one has not experienced the city if you have not tried the street food. Here are a list of things to try and places to try from in Delhi. (Please note: The credit for this list goes to indiamike).

I admit, I have not tried all but I'm working on crossing it off my list. If the foodie in you does take you to the places listed. And let me know how the experience was!

1. Kulfi at Dulichand, Chawri Bazaar
2. Kallu ke Nihari: Chatta Lal Miyan, Chawri Bazaar
3. Chatpati Biryani, of Mota Biryaniwala. 701 Haveli Azam Khan, Chowk Chitli Qabar, Chawri Bazaar
4. Israeli cuisine: Sam's, Paharganj
5. Maas Tenga and Thali at Jakoi, Assam Bhawan, Sardar Patel Marg
6. Khurchan and Tomato Paranthas: Parantha gully, Chadni Chowk
7. Firni: Balimaran, Chadni Chowk
8. Bortz and Kompot: Bline Russian Restaurant, Shop 15, DDA Market, opp C block, Anand Niketan. Nearest Metro AIIMS
9. Biryani: Haji Noor Mohammed Biryaniwale, Elaichi Wali Gali, near Turkman Gate. ALSO Manpasand Turkish Kebops and Doner: Anatolia K39 Central Market, Lajpat Nagar II
10. Kashmiri Wazwan cuisine: Dilli Haat
11. Pork extravaganza: Naga Stall, Dilli Haat ALSO Rosang, Safdarjung Enclave
12. Kale Baba ke Kabab: Chawri Bazaar
13. Lemon Bunta: Pandit Vedaprakash Lemon Wale, near Town Hall, Chadni Chowk
14. Rabri Falooda: Giani's Church Mission Street
15. Korean food: Dokebi Nara, Paharganj
16. Chole Bature: Sitaram Diwan Chand, Paharganj
17. Ustaad Moinuddin ke kabab: Galli Quasim Jan, corner of Lalkuan Bazaar, Chawri Bazaar
18. Kulle ki chaat: Hira lal Chaat wale / Jugal Kishore Ramji Lal, Chawri Bazaar
19. Kheer: Bade Miyan, Chawri Bazaar
20. Beef fry, meen (fish) fry: Kerala Hotel, INA Market
21. Haji Noora ki Nihari: Bara Hindu Rao, near Pool Bangash Metro
22. Cakes and such: German Bakery, Paharganj
23. Mutton Curry: Ashok and Ashok, Paharganj
24. Mutton dal, butter chicken and burra: Moti Mahal, Daryaganj
25. Chota Samosas: Scindia House lane, CP
26. Continental lunch: Metropolis, Paharganj
27. Cheesecake: Yum Yum Tree, NFC
28. Mutton Curry and Pulao: Sardar's Meat Shop,
29. Chole Kulche: Lotan ke, Nai Sarak, Barshabulla chowk, ALSO Scindia House
30. Sindhi Thali: Annapurna Bhoj, Church Mission Road
31. Mutton Curry: Moti Dhaba, near Amba cinema, Adarsh Nagar metro
32. Multani moth: Gali number six of Multani Dhanda,near Sheila Cinema, Paharganj
33. Mughlai curries: Al-Zahid Nemat Kada, Sadar Bazar
34. Jalebis: Old Famous Jalebi Wala, Dariba Kalan, Chadni Chowk
35. Kababs: Urdu Bazaar, near Jama Masjid gate 1
36. Milk froth chat: Daulat at Kinari Bazaar
37. Kashmiri kabab: Bulbuli Khana, Bazaar Sitaram
38. Poori-Aloo: Chaina Ram, Church Mission Street
39. Beef Biryani: Jama Masjid gate 1
40. Afghan meal: Krishna Market, Banphul Marg, opp Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Jangpura Metro

Knight Rider @ CP, New Delhi

When out on a casual night out and when one is hoping not to spend too much on a "just hanging out" evening, Castle 9 in CP is usually where Delhi-ites head. Erm...so, not really. Now it's an ideal place for couples looking to be left alone and a those stretching their pocket money/salary.

So when my friends and I braved the slightly spooky approach to Castle 9 and found ourselves in Knight Riders (by Castle 9, written right under the sign). Anywho, we went in and saw that the decor was a great improvement, the DJ was playing music that was more dancable than what the nightclubs in Delhi usually play and each table had the menu card as the table mat. Yup, nothing like manu/table mats to bring the whole place fall on its nose.

So lets face the facts, average places = average drinks. The Big Ben (gin, vodka, and tequila in OJ) I ordered for was, well, strictly OK. When it comes to drinks, keep the experimentations for someother place, stick to the basic and do not waste a glace on mocktails and cocktails.

Big Ben

When it comes to the accompanying snacks, I am glad to say that it was a whole lot better than the cocktail I was having trouble sipping. Kung Chao Chicken was fairly good, Chilli Bomb was completely avoidable, but do try the Cottage Chilli Cheese. That was the only great part of the eats and drinks that evening. Another thing worth trying was the potato chips with cheese dressing. Handsliced potato wafers were really good and were great with cheese (though I did painstakingly scoop away the cheese dressing later because I am not a great fan of cheese).

Potato with cheese dressing

There are no particular ratings for this joint just because it was very average AND, as we later realised, was not so inexpensive either. :(

Please avoid Knight Riders unless, of course, you are a pair of lovebirds looking for a place to hangout without pairs of prying eyes staring at you or are bunking college.

Playing with Food at "Mamagoto"

If you are a frequent visitor at Khan Market, you need not be warned that one needs to be prepared for a long wait even to reach the "reserved" seats at almost any eating joint at Khan Market on weekends. So,

despite our reservations at "Mamagoto" for 9:30 PM, we got our table only at 10 PM. Something that I was not very happy about. However, since this was not my first trip there, I know for sure, they make-up the delay with great service and I was not wrong.

Mamagoto serves Asian cuisine with very interesting twists. Thankfully, the "twists" are not very outlanding for those are quite non-experimentive by nature. Besides their food, I have always loved how Mamagoto makes up for it's small and tight space with fun art and colours that somehow takes your mind off the person at the next table sitting uncomfortable close...almost like somebody who was forcing his way into your dinner group.

Nonetheless, the great addition to their menu are some really good cocktails and mocktails; though the list is kind of short. I decided to try out the "Mamagoto Breezer" this time.

Drinks: 

Mamagoto Breezer was vodka with Cranberry and Pineapple juice finished off with Peach essence. It was a tad too sweet but it tasted great after all that ice watered it down by the end of my meal. I would recommend it to others but for those who are not very fond of drinking what tastes like sugar syrup at first go, request the waiter to watch the sweetness.

That's me and my Mamagoto Breezer

Appetizers: 

Water chestnut spring rolls served with chilli-black bean jam. It wasn't bad but I have had better. The Water chestnuts in the roll do add an interesting crunch and texture as you bite into them so it's a good dish to try at least once. The accompanying jam, is well, redundant as they seem to refuse to stick to the rolls and add their flavor no matter how mild.

Mixed vegetables tempura was really nice to just eat as a separate dish since the batter was light and crispy. It would make one feel a whole lot less guilty of choosing this over Indian pakodas any time just by the way it looks. But no. It is not really a healthy treat if you are on a diet.

Dinner:

I ALWAYS order Hawkers noodles when I eat here (it is a habit I'm trying to come out off). The Phad Thai (flat noodles) that are slightly sour in taste are accompanied by crunchy sprouts and a wedge of lemon. It is great to eat with any other dishes or like we did last night, order something to balance the sourness like Schewan Chicken (curry).

This time, my friends and I decided to skip the desserts here and head to our frequent joint. However, since I have tried the desserts here, I do not think anybody is really coming here to satisfy their sweet tooth over their choice of 5 desserts on the menu. You can let the desserts be and not miss it. 

Avg. Cost: Rs. 1100  for meal for two.

Rating: 3.5/5

Location: Besides the now famous branch in the middlelane of  Khan Market, Mamagoto is located on 2nd floor of Select City Walk and a new branch is coming soon to Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden.