Barbeque Nation, Sohna Road

Barbeque Nation never fails to live up to expectations of foodies.  And this valentine’s day, they do it again, winning hearts, and etching sweet memories in mind forever. The visit was to BBQ, Sohna Road.

This was my second visit to BBQ, post the first one with colleagues in 2014 at Sushant Lok, Gurgaon. The day was special- 14th Feb, calling for a lunch celebration with hubby. Free parking for BBQ guests and valet parking service by BBQ staff relieved us from the parking woos. (Mind you, parking space in Gurgaon is a nightmare). 

We spend around 10 minutes in the waiting area for our table and the manager apologized to keep us waiting. Apologies were not required, but it shows the level of professionalism and hospitality (Unlike TAMASHA in CP where the staff or manager were least bothered to inform us about the technical fault that caused delay in serving). The accurate height of tables and chairs is suitable for all age people, which shows a great planning by the BBQ team. Commendable job! Perfect lighting and spacious place it is!

The entire staff attended all guests courteously, paying full attention to every detail, to the point of customizing dishes. Viku, the amiable and energetic staff served us with a cheerful smile on his face. Before the snacks arrived, a heart shape cake was presented to mark Valentine’s Day. A pleasant surprise it was.

We began with complimentary drinks of lemon ice tea and lemonade coupled with grilled malai paneer, crispy corns, cajul potato among veg for me and fish, chicken among non veg for hubby. The live grill of mushroom, capsicum, tomatoes, juicy pineapple, peri peri chicken, tandoori tangri and moroccon seekh kabab along with a variety of sauce is very enticing. All items were superbly marinated and well cooked. The chefs asked for feedback or weather to customize the spices. They cared for the guests, making them feel at ease and any complain or discomfort was taken seriously. Full points to hospitality!

The impressive starters was followed by a large spread of main course. Among vegetarian items I had- Paneer lababdar, dingri makai keema paneer masala, paneer methi masala , matar kofta and salad.

With almost full appetite post snacks, I had little portions of all above along with plain rice. I had no space to accommodate daal makhni, veg Manchurian and noodles so skipped them. The meal was worth it! Dishes had the perfect balance of spices and I could taste every flavor. None of the gravies tasted similar. Hubby enjoyed his non veg course of Chicken Dum Biryani Masala, Burani Ghost, Nimbu Makhan Ka Murg, Fish and Hot Garlic Sauce.  

Phirni

Pan Kulfi with khus and gulkand

The heavy lunch left us with no space in our tummy. However Indians NEVER say no to desserts! From a single plate we tasted bites of mango pastry, chocolate brownie with peanuts, vanilla ice cream and gulabjamun. We repeated phirni since it tasted so good. Desserts were not loaded with sugar, unlike the usual Indian sweets. The best among sweets were phirni and PAN kulfi with gulkand and khus syrup. We ended having two helpings of each.

While paying the bill, the manager took a picture of ours, which we assumed for their wall display or guest book. As we waited for our car to arrive, the manager gave us the framed picture. What a lovely memoir to take home! We also got the half finished cake packed for home.

Cost for two- 1600 (One veg, one non veg pus service tax)

Service- Excellent- 5 0n 5, Staff was quick, polite, well mannered

Food: Variety- 5 on 5, (Ample variety for vegetarians like me) Presentation- 4 on 5

Ambiance- 5 on 5, Superb décor, lighting, seating

Hygiene- Good- 5 on 5

Repeat visit for us? Definitely YES

Informal Bar- Review

Food bloggers' meets are always unique and this time I was invited to an equally unique place named INFORMAL in Connaught Place, Delhi. The newly opened restro bar cum club is easy to locate on Tolstoy Marg, just few blocks away from British High Commission.

Lockers@Informal

Against all expectations of a dark place buzzing with smoke and loud noise, Informal made a pleasant

 impression. With wooden floor and rustic walls, the place has its own charm. A well-lit ceiling instantly gets your attention. The rugged looking lockers, as explained by the staff, was for guests to store alcohol if they are unable to finish the same. The lockers are tagged with the guest name and the bottle is given to them the next time they come. A great way to relationship building with the unique personalization!

The ground floor is spacious enough for 40-50 people at one time. The staff directed us to first floor where half the floor was indoors and rest half on-looking into open terrace bar. The aesthetics are beautiful, very charming and do not look overdone. Not to forget the staff, who is super friendly and very courteous. They did not leave us unattended even for a minute. I am impressed indeed.

Informal has a large variety of food & beverages.

I started with Dahi k sholay and it was incredible. Crispy outside, tangy and soft inside. The dahi sholay left me asking for more. I coupled the snack with Virjin Mojito and it was bang on! Fresh, tangy and sweet, the drink was refreshing indeed with minimal fizz. Unlike other eating joints, Mojito wasn’t full of aerated drink. I loved it!

The second specialty dish was served in no time after we finished dahi sholay. Loved the presentation of Turkish caviar olives with lavish bread. Bread was crispy. The caviar did not suit our taste buds so we left it half eaten.

Fruit Mocktails

On the first floor, we dined in the terrace bar soaking the warmth of sun. The staff brought us basket bread with herb butter, barcelona tumaka and extra virgin olive oil. The bread platter had a good variety from soft buns to lavish bread and soft flat bread. The presentation was excellent, but the breads not that exciting. I ordered Curvature, a drink with orange chunks, lime chunks, passion fruit and peach, topped with apple juice. Hubby’s drink was a similar kind with lemon chunks replaced by apple chunks. He ordered chicken bites in charcoal with cilantro and spice parmesan sauce. Looked yummy! Hubby’s feedback- The taste was excellent but the smoky flavor was missing.

Mushroom rolls

Smokey chicken

Vodka on flame

As the day progressed with a huge variety of food on display and interaction with bloggers, we gorged on the Madrid specialty croquetas with mushroom. Deep fried and crispy, the golden rolls were loaded with cheese. Sinfully heavy but delicious.

I eyed the thin crust pizza but was too full to eat any further; though I did not miss chocolate coated lavish breads in dessert.

Informal put up a great show to mark the end to the meet with their “Vodka on flames” activity. Inverted glasses full of vodka at the base were lit up. The guests were to blow at the base of the glass to light up the flame. It soared high! Loved the activity.

My rating to Informal-

Staff Service- 5 on 5, courteous, helpful, friendly, quick

Food- 3.5 on 5 Great quality, less on quantity

Food Variety- 4 on 5 Nice experiment with food

Innovation in beverages- 4 on 5 Nice variety and mix n match

Music- 4 on 5 Not the annoying loud one but peppy, lively, new

Ambiance- 5 on 5 superb, spacious

A repeat visit for me? Definitely yes!