Bakery & Breakfast, Continental Cuisine, European, Italian, snack

Sakley’s (Shop no. 93, 1st Floor, Galleria Market, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon)

In a nutshell:

Super tiny & quite a cool place to hang out, retro music, books on the shelf to pick & read, good for catching up with a friend, a quick date (maybe not the first), reliving nostalgic high school moments & so on……. amidst some good food

Sakley’s

Address & other details: Sakley’s

Meal for 2: Rs. 500 onwards

very interesting pasta

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

banana toffee pie

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

The shop board made with Wood reminds of similar eateries up in the Himalayas. The eatery is tiny with a very warm decor. Seating is with simple lightweight & good looking metal-wood combo furniture. Huge retro posters adorn the walls. Retro music plays in the background quite loud – Good enough to let u talk with ur partner while njoying the music at the same time. The ceiling is too curious – It looks like ‘made of logs’. Beyond the super tiny seating area is a pastry counter that showcases some really ‘mouth-watering look cakes’.

the interiors – with the pastry counter in the background

As I mentioned above, the space is small & the seating is packed – so chances that u will hear the debates / discussions of the next table & vice versa but thankfully nothing of that sort happened to us. While people came & went, it was never 100% full & hence the table next to us was empty for the 2 hrs we spent here.

the good sandwich

As we sat, we came across a very cool writeup on Sakley’s – Must admit that after reading this, I remembered my ‘high school’ day romances & I was lucky that the same person I romanced back then, was sitting right in front of me here at Sakley’s 🙂 & over the next 1 hour I watched the sun setting in her backdrop.

the Legend of Sakley’s

The menu card was cool – great concept & good artwork. Someone really used a lot of dimaag while conceptualizing this. Sadly, it was badly physically mangled at the corners – the lamination had gone for a toss. Reprinting / relamination doesn’t cost a lot & is surely due for the menu cards here.

the menu card at Sakley’s

Food was better than I had expected here. Drinks were good but not ‘I have not have it so good ever’ variety. The portions of food were huge. So cud not try much at a go. Will try some more variety sometime later.

Another view of walls & ceiling of Sakley’s

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:

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Afghani, Asian Cuisine, Delhi, India

Kabul Delhi Restaurant (E104, Ground Floor, Lajpatnagar 2, Near Central Market, New Delhi)

In a nutshell:

If u r a nonvegetarian  living in Delhi & haven’t yet been to this place, u have surely missed something.

Kabul Delhi Restaurant

Address & Other details: Kabul Delhi Restaurant

Address & phone numbers

Meal for 2: Rs. 400 onwards

Kabuli Uzbegi – Outstanding Mutton pulao with raisins & carrot

Cuisine Type : Predominantly nonvegetarian but also have vegetarian options.

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

I had read somewhere about food from Afghanisthan – ‘Where the people are tough but the meats are tender’. Never knew I wud get such a hands on experience of Afghan food sitting in Dilli!!!

We started off from home with friends to eat at an Iranian Roadside joint in Lajpatnagar, Delhi. On reaching the place we found out that the shop had closed down 2 months back!!!! Bewildered, we were discussing an alternate place to have a rustic dinner & it was then that a Good Samaritan suggested – Why don’t u try out the Afghani Shops in the road besides the Bata shop?

Cover of the menu card

‘Afghani’food is something that rang a bell – We had earlier quite liked the food at Afghan Durbar, Saket. So we started off towards the new destination. On entering the said road we first came across Afghan Durbar (I guess it is the same Chain – same look). A few steps away was Kabul Delhi Superstore – A full Kabuli Grocery store. Just above it was Kabul Delhi Restaurant & we decided to walk in.

Afghani Grocery store run by the same people

All guests other than us were Afghani – We felt like we were in Kabul!!!!! There were restaurant seating as well as the ‘bed’ kind of sitting. The basement floor also had the ‘bed’ kind of seating.

Afghani decorative pieces on the wall

A huge poster of Camel fight formed the backdrop of the ground floor of the restaurant. Photographs of Kabul, Kabuli decorative pieces & inscriptions on metal adorned the other walls.

The Dining hall with picture of Afghan Camel fight in the backdrop

The guy who came to serve us food, was shy, always had a smiling face & quite smart. We asked for kababs – He said ‘that will take 40 minutes. Do u have time?’ We said – ‘Pls serve us the rest of the dishes & while we eat, the kababs will be ready’. He agreed readily.

Mutton Qorma Afhani style

Food was mindblowing good. The kababs were bursting out with taste & flavour. The pulao was way better than the one at Afghan Durbar & the meat in the pulao was softer than the softest mutton I have ever had in my whole life!!!! The mutton Korma was outstanding again. For Afghani dessert however we had to go to another joint 10 minutes walk away.

Colorful menu card with prices

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:

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Arab, Continental Cuisine, Gurgaon, India, Mediterranean

Flavors of Arabia (Ninex Mall, Sohna Road, Gurgaon)

In a nutshell:

Much above the average Arab food in Delhi NCR –however, almost nothing except one item in our dinner cud be termed ‘outstanding’.

Flavors of Arabia

Address & other details: FOA (Flavors of Arabia)

Meal for 2: Rs. 1000 onwards

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

Outstanding Baklava at FOA

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

I was overwhelmed by Arab Food at Persian Room, Arizona , USA & was looking out for a good Arab meal in Delhi NCR. My friend mentioned this new Restaurant that has come up in Gurgaon & so we set out for it.

The restaurant is situated in Ninex Mall that still has serious footfall issues. As we walked into the mall, we noticed a welcome desk of FOA. The Guy had the menu card (that we had browsed on the net already) & walked us up to the lift.

Zaa’tar Chicken at FOA

The Restaurant had nice interiors, a bit too dark though but not bad. There were lamps on each table that not only illuminated the food but also gave a mystic feel. In fact, a great place to have a candlelight dinner. Seeing the darkness I was thinking that maybe I wud not b able to take good photographs – but nothing of that sort happened. Came up with quite good pics.

The Dining Hall

Beautiful plush sofas with abundant cushions contributed to the cozy setting of the dining tables. I noticed a uniform design of grill on all windows & separators – Typical Arab look. Also saw interesting decorative items on table tops.

Grill on the wall

There is an open air section as well – shud be great during Autumn & Spring. There are two party rooms as well that can be booked- a small one & a large one. We went to take a look & found those to be quite interesting.

In the background they played peppy Arab music as well.

The people were quite warm & knowledgeable. One thing was very irritating though – One guy is placed in the middle of the Dining room (see picture above) with the intent of attending to needs of guests. However, what he ends up doing is staring at the guests constantly. So every time u happen to look there, u might have an eye contact. I was getting the irritating feeling that I was being watched all the time – as if I was under house arrest. The intent is good but the training has been bad.

Open Shawarma at FOA

The Menu card is huge & has more than 10 pages. Lots of known & unknown food on offer. Good place for veggies as there are many options in all sections. There is seafood & fish on the menu as well. Fusion dishes are marked with a ‘*’ on the menu card. Authentic ones do not have ‘*’. I was told that the Restaurant is open since about 3 months &currently has no alcohol license – though expected soon.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:

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American, Continental Cuisine, snack

Crispy chicken T3 (Food Court, International Departures, New Delhi)

In a nutshell: Nice & interesting fried Chicken shop. Address & Other details:Crispy Chicken Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards Description: One fine morning on our way out of the country, we ended up at the food court of International Departures, T3 Airport. We were not very hungry but a bit hungry. We saw a huge poster of ‘KFC look’ buckets of … Continue reading Crispy chicken T3 (Food Court, International Departures, New Delhi)

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Continental Cuisine, Eating outside India, iranian

Persian Room (17040 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA)

An Indian foodie’s experience of Iranian food in USA vs.& comparison with similar dishes available in India. In a nutshell: Excellent flavors & taste of a wide selection of Food from Iran in a beautiful Restaurant whose Dining hall reminded of Palaces described in the Arabian Nights. Address & other details: Persian Room Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian Meal for 2: US$ 60 onwards Short … Continue reading Persian Room (17040 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA)

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Indian, North Indian Snacks & meals, Phoenix, USA

Indian Delhi Palace (5104 East McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ)

In a nutshell: My tastebuds were subjected to torture here for no fault of theirs – a culinary disaster that all Indian foodies shud avoid. Address & other details: Indian Delhi Palace Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian Meal for 2: US$ 30 onwards Short Description – In case u r in a Hurry: Went with a bunch of friends to this place as some of … Continue reading Indian Delhi Palace (5104 East McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ)

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Goan, Guest Blogger, India, Indian, Mumbai

Konkani Rassa (Palm Beach Road, Besides Croma, Belapur, Navi Mumbai)

Contributed by Guest Blogger Rakesh Kumar In a nutshell: Authentic Konkani food and good value for money Address & other details: Konkani Rassa, Vishnu Society, Shop no. 18, Sector 15, CBD Belapur Meal for 2: Rs. 500 onwards Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian Description: Post shifting to Navi Mumbai, was always wondering where to find food at par with famous Mumbai joints – Mahesh, Gajalee, Jai Hind…etc. … Continue reading Konkani Rassa (Palm Beach Road, Besides Croma, Belapur, Navi Mumbai)

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American, Bakery & Breakfast, Continental Cuisine, European, Italian

Phoenix Downtown Sheraton (Phoenix, Arizona, USA)

An Indian foodie’s experience of American & European food in USA vs.& comparison with same dishes available in India.

In a nutshell: Tried eating a whole lot of different things & hit rate of good vs. not good was just too high.

Address & other details: Phoenix Downtown Sheraton

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

Meal for 2:US$ 60 onwards

Description:

A stay in this Hotel for a week gave me an opportunity to eat different kinds of food. Here is the story of those.

First day in the Hotel, we went for the breakfast buffet. A simple Breakfast spread in which each & every item was good – the sauteed potatoes with a strong taste, the crispy bacon with a juicy aftertaste, the outstanding flavorful sausage that was uneven, lumpy & juicy within, the simple yet tasty scrambled eggs that had much less salt than what an Indian wud expect in an egg dish, a bit of salsa & another cool bread called ‘biscuit’. The ‘biscuit’ was flaky from outside & very soft within. It had a good flavor & was good to b eaten on its own.

Loved the breakfast at Phoenix Downtown Sheraton

I tried ‘Cedar Roasted Organic Salmon’. Interesting – not heard of wood grilled Salmon in too many places in India. The huge fillet of grilled salmon was placed on a bed of potatoes & veggies. It was served ‘perfectly grilled’, garnished with aromatic herbs. The fish was flaky & nice within – thoroughly enjoyable.

Cedar roasted Organic Salmon

I also tried the All American Burger with an 8 oz hamburger patty. For filling it had lettuce, tomatoes, onions, Dill Mayo, & Schreiner’s Bacon………all in one!!!!! I enjoyed the burger with mustard sauce on some bites. Interesting &Very Good – I guessthe patty wud have beenjuicier &better if I wud have had it as soon as the patty was made. Room service meant there was a transit time& hence the patty was on the borderline of being ‘dry’.

All American burger

A very interesting food that I had here was the ‘Garden Veggie Thin crust Pizza’. It was thinner than any thin crust I have ever had anywhere. We had this with extra topping of Italian Pepperoni. Unlike any other Pizza I have seen before, this one was square!!!!The crust was super thin – almost like a chapati / roti – crispy towards the corner.

Garden veggie thin crust pizza with extra pepperoni topping

Super loved the taste, texture, juiciness & everything about it exceptthe excessive cheese. Excess Cheese than a normal Homosapean can manage in 1 meal – it being the USA.

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Guest Blogger, Indian, punjabi

Amritsar Da Dhaba (Khar Telephone Exchange, Khar , Mumbai)

Contributed by Guest Blogger Rakesh Kumar In a nutshell: Awesome taste at a great price. Food served off Tawa and directly on your plate. Address & other details: Amritsar da Dhaba Meal for 2: Rs. 300 onwards Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian & Vegetarian Description: If hygiene and great food can be separated …and strictly so, head to this typical street food joint in Khar, Mumbai. I … Continue reading Amritsar Da Dhaba (Khar Telephone Exchange, Khar , Mumbai)

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Bakery & Breakfast, British, Continental Cuisine, Eating outside India, London, United Kingdom

Huxley’s Bar & Kitchen (Terminal 5, London Heathrow Airport)

An Indian foodie’s experience of British food in London vs same dishes available in India.

In a nutshell: Enjoyed the good food here & some of the excellent ones – look forward to revisiting on my next trip

Address & other details: Huxley

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

the facade

Meal for 2: US$ 60 onwards

Short Description – In case u r in a Hurry:

This is one place where grabbing a table always seems to be time consuming – u can mostly see a queue outside the Restaurant. This time we got a chance to get in & try the food without having to wait in a long queue. We chose the basics & not fancy dishes to see how they taste in London vs. say in Delhi India.

Add ons on the table at Huxley’s

The ambience is good inspite of being a bit dark in some corners. There is a bar on one side & one can choose to sit at the bar as well.

Mixed Meat Grill at Huxley’s

The menu card is self explanatory – so one does not need to ask too many questions to the person waiting on. We were lucky to get a very warm & helpful waitress.

Food was good overall & some of it was excellent.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

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