Starbucks

Location: Block A, Hamilton House, Connaught Place, New Delhi When Starbucks opened its doors I went straight there to try out their coffee but I could not because standing in a queue for 45 minutes for a cup of coffee from Starbucks (which I have tried abroad and avoided because it is VERY STRONG by default) did not seem worth it. Anyway, I am a foodie and I could not not review Starbucks because everyone is talking about it so I decided to visit Starbucks today. I chose to reach CP at 10 at night because I was very hopeful that I would not have to stand in a long queue and I was right. We went straight in! This was nothing like the Starbucks in England, this was rather posh for a coffee shop and because I was in my pyjamas (Yea, I really did not think people would want to get a cup of coffee at closing time!) so all of us couldn't stop laughing! Anyway, the ordering system resembled an assembly line and man were they rigid with their system, why you ask, well, I'll tell you in a second. So, a server stood at the first counter waiting for us to order. He smiled and asked us what we would like. I said I would like a Grande Latte in Skimmed Milk, a Tall Signature Hot Chocolate... I then asked them if they have any kind of chicken sandwiches and all they were left with were egg sandwiches. So, we decided to order a Cheesecake and a Burger. Now we were handed the huge piece of paper where our order was taken and we were asked to pay at the next counter. As the crowd cleared the shelves of food became visible and we decided to add Croissants to our order but guess what? It couldn't not be done because apparently the staff at the billing counter are only capable of billing, if you deiced to add a new item to your menu, they can't do it! What a waste, don't you think? Anyway, so we were directed to the 3 counter where we were asked to collect our food and drinks. We waited to be served and when my food finally arrived a server yelled: "SHIVANGNI"! Why can't anyone spell or pronounce my name right I thought! Wow! So I went to the counter and collected everything. The restaurant was so crowded that we decided to take everything away. The moment I took the first sip of my Latte I remember why I hated Starbucks in England. I hated it because their coffee is super strong by default! Unlike Costa, EAT., Pret, etc. who serve coffee that is not too light, not too strong.... just right! I wonder why is that so difficult for Starbucks to do. I do not want to walk in every time and tell them that I want lesser espresso in my coffee. I want a good cup of coffee without giving them so many instructions.... short, tall, grande, venti, skimmed, full fat, 1 shot of espresso, whipped cream, decaf... so many decisions to make!!! I really wanted to take my coffee back to them and ask them to make it with lesser espresso. I have done it in England once, so I thought maybe I shouldn't do it again. I will just not come back here. The cheesecake was good, quite good actually and the burger was fine too. The Signature Hot Chocolate was toooooo sweet, it choked me! I would only go to a cafe if it serves good coffee because I adore coffee and I have like 8 cups a day! I cannot stand a cafe that cannot make their basic coffee properly! So I doubt I would go to Starbucks again for a very long time.

Raas

Location: 9 A, 1st Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi My dining experience can be called fun only when the restaurant I'm at delivers exactly what I am looking for and that includes: Great Tasting Food Raas surely has really great food but eating here just made me miss Punjab Grill a lot because the number of spices Jiggs Karla's restaurant uses cannot be replicated by any other restaurant in Delhi, nonetheless I still had a great time here because its food was quite flavoursome and great tasting. We started with the "Peshawari Burrah Kebab" and the "Galouti Kebab". I would have expected the "Galouti Kebab" to melt in my mouth but then the "Peshawari Burrah Kebab" melted in my mouth too I was very pleasantly surprised. I really loved how tender the mutton was. The "Hydrabadi Biryani" was one great smelling biryani but I really did not enjoy the taste much as I think it is hard for a person who loves Basmati rice to like a different variety of rice and the rice that was used for the "Hydrabadi Biryani" was quite thick. We also tried the "Pakistani Chicken Korma" and I liked how moderately spiced it was. However, I would say I have definitely tasted better gravy. If you read my reviews you will know how much I love cheesecakes and I was really looking forward to ordering the "Strawberry Cheesecake" from the dessert menu but they were out of cheesecake which was disappointing on so many levels, I was literally shattered... sounds like an exaggeration? Well, you only think that because you don't know me. I eat main course only because I know it will lead to the dessert! Anyway, I had to leave for Whipped from Raas which has the best "NY Cheesecake" in the world btw! Sufficient Quantity The food might be absolutely delectable but if the portions are pretentiously tiny then I can never feel satisfied and Raas's passed the quantity test 100% as the portions were quite big and we had to get most of it wrapped to take home! Courteous Staff I can never stand grumpy people around me and if you are eating at a restaurant you surely do not want to be served by someone with an attitude like most restaurants, "Dimsum Bros", for example. The staff at Raas was great, especially the maître d' who came up to us after our meal to check if we liked our dinner. Raas and "Out of the Box" belong to the same chain and we were having a tough time which one to go to and the staff was very helpful in getting us to make up our minds about where to eat. Comfortable Seating and an Intriguing Ambience Quite comfortable and where we sat there was a great view of some ancient fort relics, the garden was quite dry and patchy which was a mood kill. Anyway, the table we were sitting at was made of marble and had a crack and could do with some fixing. Entertainment The restaurant had live music that night. A singer was supposed to be singing Sufi songs. My partner wanted to move to the other level because he is very passionate about Sufi music and what Raas was playing was not really Sufi music. The singer surely could sing but most of the songs he sang were popular hindi film songs as opposed to Sufi songs. FINAL RATING The staff helped my partner with a print out we needed urgently and they also asked us if we would like to dance to the music. I loved their involvement and help and I think based on my experience I would like to rate Raas 4/5.

Nando's

Location: 315 & 316, 2nd Floor, DLF Promenade Mall, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi Not so long ago, the only places worth eating at in Delhi were the good five star hotel's fine dining restaurants among a bunch of others but it is good to see that restaurants from all over the world are opening their doors in Delhi, truly making it the food capital of India. I have been to Nando's in London, Coventry and Birmingham which is why I was ecstatic when I found out that one of my favourite restaurants from England is finally opening in India. However, since I was away I finally got to try Nando's only last night! I thought we were the last ones there as the Maitre d' said they are closed. However, I said if there is anyway they could accommodate us it would be great and they did. However, they did let a party of 5 (two good looking young women and three men) in an hour after we got in and a minute after they refused to let in a party of 4 (a family of four with two children). Don't know what to make of that? Perhaps, dress better when you go out? When we got in we waited at one of the tables at the entrance for over 40 minutes before my partner asked if we should check what's going on and then finally one of waiters took our order. We ordered "Diet Coke" (which was not available), a "Portuguese Lemonade" (instead of which the waiter got us a regular coke) and when we told him we do not really want this, he said it's all right you can have it !? Anyway, we only found out during our meal that the "Portuguese Lemonade" was not available either! We ordered the "Chicken Breast" (hot & the one with lemon and herbs), which delivered just the right amount of heat via its lovely cooking sauce but there was no difference in the size of a "fino?" side and a regular side. So I was thinking I would have been better off ordering two regulars like my partner instead of one fino. The "Coleslaw" was too dry and the "Spicy Rice" was disappointing on multiple levels. The quality of the rice used was no where like the one we used to have in England and the rice was a tad too soggy. The chicken arrived almost immediately but the sides took ages to arrive. We were really hungry so we ordered the "Hummus and Pita Bread" but what we got was not Pita, we got white bread buns. I have to stop here though to appreciate the Hummus which was absolutely delectable and definitely the best part of my meal. I am "dessert crazy" and I was really looking forward to trying their "Cheesecake". The cheesecake, with a digestive tart-like crust, served with Caramel, seemed like an unnecessary topping to a rather dry cheesecake, which would have benefited from being heated before being served. I frequented Nando's in England for it lovely bottomless fat-free yoghurt which wasn't on the menu in India and the diet coke wasn't bottomless either. I don't think the restaurant serves any alcohol which was very disappointing as I love my wine. When the Maitre d' later asked if I enjoyed my experience, I couldn't tell a lie but since I loved the Hummus and the Peri Peri sauces so much, I nodded in affirmation. The four stars here are for the Maitre d' and the front-of-house team, who are charming, friendly and efficient. Why would there be so much confusion in a restaurant with a shocking number of waiters, is a baffling mystery. I could see that people were waving around all over the place waiting to be served. Like much else here - service, interior, ho-hum drinks list - it's perfectly pleasant and warm but lacks necessary organisation.

Joost Juice Bars

Location: Ground Floor, Fortis Hospital, Sector 44, Gurgaon I was at the magnanimous Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon for a Hospital Tour for work and I went down to the food court where I saw Joost. Joost looks exactly like the Australian juice bar - Boost! The mugs, the decor the staff costumes, everything was the same! I really love Boost so I really wanted to give Joost a try and I did. I asked for their Mega Mango Magic and their Raspberry relief, both low-fat smoothies. I love "Innocent Smoothies" and a real smoothie to me is something exactly like that but Joost isn't quite that. It is fresh and natural but it does come from frozen gelato. Both the drinks were really refreshing, cheap and chilled and were prepared right in front of my eyes but were were watery for a wholesome smoothie which really disappointed me. Would I recommend it? Yes, why not - it is a good alternative to a fattening milk shake or a cold drink but would it contribute to your 5 a day? It says it would but I don't believe it!

Starbucks

Location: M 33, Greater Kailash (GK) 1, New Delhi I have always found Starbucks coffee too strong for my liking but the other day when I was at the M Block market with my family. My partner decided to get me a Starbucks coffee with just half a shot of espresso and it tasted wonderful. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised because I hate customising my coffee too much. It reminds me of that episode of friends where Rachel says, "Let see if I got this right. So, this is a half-caf, double tall, easy hazel nut, non-fat, no foam, with whip, extra hot latte, right? You freak." In order to avoid feeling like a freak I let my coffee be the way the cafe best does it. With Starbucks I was always disappointed but not the other day, so I guess there isn't much harm in asking, is there? I liked the seating. It was chic & turquoise and the service was prompt. It wasn't as crowded or noisy as the other Starbucks I've seen but still busy. I sat there for a couple of hours working and sipping on my coffee. I would recommend Starbucks in GK.

Defence Bakery

Like scientists attempting to identify the deal behind Black Holes, I wander from bakery to restaurant in an attempt to find the perfect cheesecake to mark the beginning of my book on the "best places to eat desserts in Delhi NCR", the focus being on Cheesecakes. Defence Bakery was recommended to me by a fellow foodie and hence it had to be tried. When I'm at a bakery or a restaurant nibbling on something I've just ordered, I occasionally nick bits of food off the plates of my friends and family in an attempt to taste as many things as I possibly can for my reviews. Sometimes I glance at the restaurant's menu for hours. I'm constantly thinking. My eyes wander from dish to dish in at attempt to learn as much as I can about it by reading about it, asking questions and finally by tasting it. Writing about food is hard work. I'm always trying to work out what I can say differently about the same cheesecake, the same chocolate truffle and the same pineapple pastry. I am lucky though, because most of the time what I taste is so different to what I've already experienced that writing about it becomes easy. There was a moment during my visit to the Defence Bakery when I stopped, my spoon held aloft, and stared incredulously at my most favourite thing the the world, "cheesecake" and felt rather dismayed. It was rock solid!! I was given a frozen cheesecake. I got it packed, waited 30 minutes and made another attempt to eat it - still frozen! When I finally ate it there was no dismal wow factor but there was some woah. Defence Bakery was established in 1962 and has several branches in Delhi. It is one of the oldest bakery in Delhi offering all kinds of breads, cookies, pastries, confectionaries, snacks, chocolates, cream cakes, dry cakes and customized gifts. It is probably the Def Col version of Wenger's but with distressed edges and looks like a wholesale store, its stuffed with baked goods. The portion sizes are teeny. I have never seen a smaller Chocolate Truffle in my life (and I thought I woundn't have anything new to say for this review). The Blueberry Cheesecake too, besides being frozen was small. The Chocolate Truffle tasted fine but did not blow my mind - I believe it would have tasted better if it was microwaved for 30 seconds - ah well! The place has Sandwiches with creamy chicken and fresh bread and Kathi Rolls that taste good but are not exactly Kathi Rolls they are actually minced chicken pieces in sauce rolled in home made paranthas and are quite dry. I felt like I was consuming the healthy version of a Nizam's Kathi Roll. It didn't taste bad , however, I just did not imagine a Kathi Roll to be 100% fat free. Location: 34, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi The bakery has no place to sit so we ate all the goodies in our car because I couldn't wait to try everything. Everything was packed perfectly and other than the frozen cheesecake (sigh!) everything was decent. It isn't food that would stop me from eating for a moment and close my eyes to savour each bite but I did take a lot of pictures so you can decide what you would like to try when you are at Defence Bakery.

Jing

Location: Vatika Towers, Sector 54, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon The grass is always greener on the other side, so, whenever I'm at dinner at a restaurant I am always beleaguered by the fact that there is bound to be a better restaurant than the one I'm dining at. I want to try them all - the good, the bad and the average. My unmatched obsession with food took me to Jing. I would never have known about this restaurant if it wasn't for Zomato. Vatika Towers on Golf Course Road is very easy to miss. It looks like an office complex so it would never occur to one that such a hidden gem exists in such a place. Jing is quite a spacious restaurant, with a seating capacity of around 150 people it provides a charming backdrop for its guests. The restaurant has an open Barbecue and seems like a delightful place to have a party. Jing is secluded and is a wonderful place to enjoy a candle lit quite romantic night. It has al fresco dining and extremely comfortable patio but we chose to sit inside. In a life sopping with constant guilt owing to the number of restaurants I try in a week, my unstoppable fetish for Chinese food took me to Jing - "Dim Sums", the classic "Chilli Chicken", stir fried "Bacon and Egg Noodles" and "Butter Fried Prawns" with a splash of peanut-rich sauce is as close to China as you can get living in Gurgaon. I love "Butter Fried Prawns", the skin is crisp and delicious and the insides are delicate, soft and succulent. Obviously, I love the "Dim Sums"– delicious filling and wonderful dips. Best of all is the classic "Chilli Chicken" - its flavoursome and has just the right amount of bite. I had to try the classic "Chilli Chicken" as the server swore by it and I wouldn't argue. Done beautifully the stir fried "Bacon and Egg Noodles" was quite good. My favourite fine dining Chinese restaurant still continues to be China Club in Global Business Park on MG Road. Table for two, an elaborate meal, my all time favourites Dim Sums, Noodles, Chicken, Prawns, no rice. Always go low on carbs. We must all eat healthily if we want to continue doing this. However, one thing is always constant - the want for something even better. I don't want a super luxurious and pretentious restaurant. Quite honestly, all I'm looking for is honest good food and a comfortable environment. To be honest, I am always prowling for review possibilities and very recently came across 56, an Italian Restaurant that has a very interesting menu. I tried it and that's how I learnt about Jing. Jing is also run by the same management. The delectable fare is whipped up by Chef Wang Li, from Bejing. I always experiment and I decided to try the "Eggnog Vodka" to keep my experimental streak alive. I have tried Eggnog before but what they did to it with vodka and mint leaves completely failed to fascinate. I could't finish my drink. We tried a couple of other things to be sure, they did not have the wine I wanted but we did try some white wine they recommended - not bad at all. I could't try any desserts so I will have to revisit Jing to rate its desserts shortly. Often after such an elaborate meal, right after I feel like I've just given birth to an alien, I stop and wonder when this all started, when I got so hooked to trying new restaurants and experimenting. I immediately think of Zomato and I'm happy because it gets me to interesting places like Jing.

Beanstalk- The Galaxy Hotel

Location: The Galaxy Hotel, Sector 15, Gurgaon Galaxy Hotel is a part of World Hotels and has won awards like Best Hotel in Premium Category, Most Admired Restaurant Food & Beverage Retailer of the year and what not. Yet, it is definitely not well advertised because I just stumbled across the place when I took a wrong turn and ended up Sector 15. Even though the hotel is well connected via National Highway 8 it doesn't seem to be quite popular. It was quite and secluded in the middle of the day - like a hidden gem. I love secluded places, such places give me time to think and write over a peaceful cup of delicious creamy coffee. Beanstalk is a Café and a Patisserie located at the centre of the shopping arcade within Galaxy Hotel, it is impossible to miss. It is surrounded by beautiful but pretentiously expensive pieces of canvas art that you can admire or buy (depending upon how much money you have). Beanstalk serves freshly brewed coffee made from the famous Italian Lavazza coffee beans. It has a LIVE sandwich counter, which did not seem that ALIVE to me because the chef arrived around a half hour after we had placed our order. We waited patiently as we sipped our coffees (which were very beautifully presented with biscuits). The service was immaculate, couldn't be faulted. The staff was perfectly trained but the place did look quite deserted. At the LIVE sandwich counter we ordered chicken sandwiches (multigrain bread) - good, the sandwiches came with soup and crisps that weren't bad either. The rest worked on that carefully calibrated scale between blah and average. The most blah concoction was their cheesecake (WHAT A DISASTER IN MY WORLD). If you read my reviews you know I love cheesecake and I wasn't pleased. Their ambience is relaxing and the staff is brilliant, the food however is good in parts. As we left I consoled myself with a single thought: this is one Café I will visit only because I loved the tranquility and its coffee.

Moti Mahal Delux

Location: Lower Ground Floor, Epicuria Mall, Nehru Place Metro Station, Nehru Place, New Delhi Moti Mahal was first set up in Peshawar in 1920 by K.L. Gujral who moved to Delhi following the partition of India in 1947 and opened a restaurant in Daryaganj. Gujral is said to be the invented of the famous tandoori chicken and butter chicken. I just love the fat-soaked food of our ancestors and when I was at the Epicuria Mall Food Court at Nehru Place yesterday for a shoot with Rocky and Mayur (Yay!- who doesn't love them), I got an opportunity to enjoy just that. What is better than being surrounded by food and the two greatest foodies of all time. The food court has bright green chairs and a comfortable atmosphere. The room is brightly lit and has a lot of restaurants. It feels like quite an elaborate arrangement. Moti Mahal Delux is all about its interesting recipes. The staff are pleasing and smiley. Even though there's serious competition in the food court, this restaurant certainly has an untarnished reputation to back it. If I were to pretend I live in a post-independent India, I have a bunch of places in which to do so; and Moti Mahal is once such timeless place that entices me every time I am around it.

Chaayos

Location: Ground Floor, Tower B Atrium, Building 5, Near Indian Oil Petrol Pump, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon I was in DLF Cyber City the other day, flogging a client (It can really get exhausting!) After my meeting, I went in search for an evening snack lunch with a fellow foodie. Chaayos had been recommended to me by an expatriate friend who had moved down here to make the Indian retail scene a little bit better than it already is (pun intended). "Sweet Lord," he said, "please tell me you like Chaayos, their sandwich is so brilliant that I can walk back to India for it." So, with a mocking smile owing to my metropolitan backing, I thought it would be interesting to try a cafe that my friend so desperately wants me to sample. The Chaayos motto is "Experiments with Chai". Chaayos offers fresh, gourmet, customised teas in a relaxed ambience. I guess they just don't have a choice owing to the vanguard of our creative industries they are surrounded with whose young employees would have nowhere to go to eat when they come early to work with their Chimayó-induced hangovers. I learnt a lot about Chaayos from it's happy and energetic co-owner, Raghav. His enthusiasm was infectious. I really enjoyed my evening at Chaayos. They use only the highest quality ingredients and avoid using preservatives and artificial ingredients of any kind. The best part is that they offer 25 varieties of tea that can be customised in more than 4,000 ways. With coffee joints everywhere Chaayos is a pleasant breath of fresh air, especially for tea aficionados like me. They serve Indian specialty teas like pahadi qahwa and irani chai, and exotic teas like moroccan mint and camomile tea. They offer a broad range of international and Indian sandwiches, and finger licking street food. With extremely tempting options, Chaayos is a definite MUST TRY. As you walk into Building No. 5 in DLF Cyber City you notice a bright little cafe in the lobby area, it is impossible to miss. I spent a lot of time exploring the menu as I always do and the fact that Raghav likes to bake himself and changes the menu so often really intrigued me. He handed over the new menu to me and I ordered a "Desi Chai", a "Honey Ginger Lemon Tea", a "Green Chicken Sandwich", a "Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich", a "Sicilian Chicken Sandwich", a "Keema Pao" (Mumbai Style) and a delectable "Gooey Brownie". There were a lot of other interesting things on the menu like a "2 Minute Maggi Sandwich", "Eid Special Phirni", etc. We started with the sandwiches and teas. The bread was fresh and the fillings of chicken were quite generous. The chicken in their sandwiches were twice fresh: once from the farm and second hot from the pan. The flavours reminded me of my favourite cafe in UK - EAT, that does these amazing ciabatta bread sandwiches with blanched almonds and basil. Whatever Chaayos used in their sandwiches went down brilliantly well. I have to take a moment to mention their "Honey Garlic Mayo Dip" which was absolutely divine, its creamy and rich texture blew me away. I actually closed my eyes to savour its mouth-watering goodness. What was most fascinating to me was that Chaayos is only 9 months old and they are already expanding to 3 new locations in Delhi NCR - they must be doing something right!. One of their cafes will be opening in the famous Galleria Market. Well, now I know for a fact that I'm definitely going to frequent Chaayos for its fragrant and delicious teas and sandwiches that we rightly recommended to me by my friend. Chaayos sees daily footfalls of 300 tea lovers who realise that it is hard to find a nice, hot and hygienic cup of tea around here, so, if you like tea as much as i do Chaayos is haven and if you don't like tea, I'm sure this place will turn you into a tea lover. © Shivangi Reviews LIKE ME ON Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivangireviews FOLLOW ME ON Twitter: @shivangisinha Food Reviews on: Wix: http://jhenwick.wix.com/shivangireviews Wordpress: http://shivangireviews.wordpress.com Blogger: http://shivangireviews.blogspot.in Website: www.shivangisinha.com E-mail: mail@shivangisinha.com