The one with the hole: Dunkin' Donuts, CP

It is one of those weekday mornings when you haven't had any food hitting the belly and in addition, have that extra hour you can squeeze in before the next meeting. As we walk through the doors of Dunkin' Donuts and I notice the name extension in the form of "& more", I smile to myself, recollecting the various ad campaigns around their new food additions, especially the "Heaven Can Wait" burgers. The place is buzzing and the ground floor of this refurbished CP outlet is almost full.

People here are cheerful for a weekday morning, smiling and talking to each other, reminiscent of a typical European or American cafe with the right mix of teenagers, middle aged couples and a few senior citizens adding to the melee. All of them seem to be reasonably satisfied with what they have had of the Dunkin' experience so far. As the ambiance sinks in and we make our way towards the ordering counter, we can see some really tantalizing pictures of food and for once, I feel happy to see that there are almost an equal number of vegetarian as the non-vegetarian options on the menu (not to mention the egg containing food).

The display cabinet is full of colorful and inviting doughnuts which by themselves can complete a menu and make you drool. As we are busy taking all this in and deciding our order, we are greeted by the server behind the counter with that cheerful yet professional smile, something that tells you that she is going to be nice and yet quick and effective, something which we take to immediately. She helps us through our order of one Heaven can wait burger, one veg chef's special burger, a snacky cupwich and a couple of doughnuts (classic glazed and death by chocolate). We are informed that if we order beverages (which we were about to, anyway), we will get the doughnuts free and we readily accept the suggestion, ordering a couple of iced teas.

As we find a place for ourselves on the crowded floor, we can't help but overhear some of the conversations around us. We see the teenager on the table next to us drooling over the dripping chocolate from her doughnut as she feeds some of it to her friend sitting next to her. The early-thirties couple next to us is busy digging into the burgers with a pretty satisfied smile playing on their faces. We are talking about the origin of Dunkin' as the server comes over with our food, a big smile, and a sincere sounding "what else can I do for you".

The food, in one word, is delicious. The burgers are juicy and cheesy (pun unintended) and the beverages potent (some may not like it but the distinct tea flavor in the iced tea does it for me)...and the doughnuts... Just a moment ago, I was benignly smiling at the foolishness of today's yuppie generation and the way they exaggerate when it comes to anything, even a simple doughnut...and there I was, sucking the last drop of molten chocolate dripping from mine...simply divine.

If there could have been a more cheerful start to the day, I haven't been fortunate enough to witness many of those. A buzzing ambiance, some really genuine (apparently at least) staff, and some finger-licking food, Dunkin' has it all to make it big in the Indian market.

The old warhorse: Swagath, GK-2

Image courtesy www.swagath.in

Swagath or being welcomed to the world of good food is what I had expected as I walked into the GK2 outlet of this now-famous chain of Delhi NCR restaurants. Spread over three floors (including a terrace), the promise was aplenty but sadly the delivery not really there.

It is a place that welcomes you to a hopefully pleasant dining experience with its comfortable seating, appropriate lighting and non-overbearing staff. However, when it comes to the real deal, which is the food, there was a lot to be desired.

We ordered a lahori mixed veg taka tak and a dal tadka along with some malabari paratha and rumali roti, a safe choice by any standard. However, what arrived was far from what we wanted. Spicy and oily curry and dal were accompanied by hard and dry breads, that too when what we had ordered should have been particularly soft.

I liked the place but what it stood for was not getting reflected in what came across. I can understand this place being a heaven for people who dig non-vegetarian or coastal food but there are some basics that you can not go wrong on. For the ambience and service that turned out to be charming as expected, I would rate them highly but Swagath at GK2 didn't impress me with its food.

Stairway to Heaven: Escape, Galleria

As you walk up the stairs and pass the guards and the managers, in front of you is an expanse of empty space...something that is rare to even think of in a place like Galleria, choc-a-bloc with its myriad cafes and restaurants, not to say the many shops selling their wares. In the middle of this empty space wafts the music..music of the sort that you have grown up on. Hits of the 90's dominate the playlist and one number after another reminds the 30-somethings of their hey days.

As you make your way to the outdoor couches, you don't cease to wonder about the sheer size of Escape Terrace Bar & Kitchen, given where it is located in the prime of prime locations of Gurgaon. With some 40-50 people possibly getting accommodated outside, there is an air-conditioned space good enough for a similar number if the need so arises. You can see a wood-fired clay oven on one side for the pizzas while you have, on the other side, a banner announcing live music nights (I have been witness to one of those and it is quite something, I must say).

On this occasion, I happened to visit Escape with three others on a Ladies' Night....not one of their busy nights and there were enough and more people to attend to us and the choicest of seating places that we could have for ourselves. Since we were in the mood, we made way for the loudest part of the open-air enclosure and sat down right below the speaker (which honestly they could change since it seems to have seen better days).

Since none of us was very hungry, we ordered some starters including Honey Chilly Potato, Chicken Stroganoff, and another dish with chicken breast and some veg salt and pepper. The drinks were mostly alcoholic and except for the lady who tried the Mojito and the Bloody Mary (which were pretty well made, we were told), we stuck to the basics.

The food was not awesome but just fine when it came to the non-vegetarian stuff. However, as on my previous visits to the place, I did not find the vegetarian fare very appealing. There was too much of honey in the honey chilly potato and too much of salt in the Veg salt and pepper. I am sure they can do a better job of their vegetarian menu.

The music, as I said, was wonderful (although a bit loud and sitting right below the speakers did not help) and the service just right, never too far to notice us and never too close to cause discomfort. This is one of the places you head out to when you have had a long day and want to just drown yourself in the numbness caused by loud music, food and drinks. For hardcore foodies who want to find taste in all they eat, this may not be the right place. However, if you are a sucker for experience (as I am), you will have enough to make you happy about this place...the openness of the terrace, the music, the crowd, and the general spirit that Escape tends to carry.

Get your hands dirty: Andhra Bhawan, Ashoka Road

Andhra Bhavan is by far my favorite when it comes to a quick lunch on a weekday and if you are looking for something spicy and filling, you do not have too many other options that can compete. To top it all, if you want to look out for operational excellence and efficiency, you don't need to go farther than Andhra Bhavan.

Located in the heart of Delhi, the restaurant at Andhra Bhavan (the state house of Andhra Pradesh) has food to die for. Authentic Andhra thali with a whole lot of additions in the form of egg preparations, mutton, and chicken curries, etc is all that this place has to offer. However, this is more than what you would want on any given day. Full to the brim on weekdays during lunch time, the very process of getting a seat is a marvel. The Captain is astonishing in the way he remembers the order in which people need to be seated and somehow (maybe he has eyes at the back of his head) knows when a table is getting vacant behind him as he faces the chaos of waiting guests in front of him.

Once you have your seat (a full table if you are lucky or else if you go in a smaller group, sharing it with some other people in traditional community seating), you will SOON be served your thali with 3 different curries, daal, sweet, curd, mini puris, rice, and the famous gunpowder. While you are having your fix, there will be servers running around shouting "currrrry", "riiiiice" and so on. You can also request addition of a drink or a side order of egg or meat along with your thali and relish the same till it is time for you to vacate your table for some other hungry soul.

Overall, this place ranks right up there when it comes to the food but if you are someone who likes to sit in a relaxed, air-conditioned (yes, you only get fans here) environment, order, and leisurely sample his/her food, this is not your kind of place. Go there if you are prepared!

Charms, Spells, and Potions: The Leaky Cauldron, Hauz Khas Village

I am a big Harry Potter fan and the moment I heard the name of The Leaky Cauldron on one of my numerous visits to the Hauz Khas market, I decided that I would give this place a try. Give it a try I did and what I did have in return were mixed feelings.

You need to climb a few stairs to reach this place and even before that, be quite the Harry Potter to find it in the first place. Located towards the back side of Hauz Khas market in the LakeView lane (as they call it), this place is well-hidden for a spook-themed cafe. The overall look and feel of the place, its decor, lighting (dim, could have been a little brighter), and even the menu are all done keeping the theme in mind, with the menu actually getting into the history (made up?) of the leaky cauldron.

The view is outstanding, probably one of the best you can have while eating out in Delhi, especially if you are sitting out in the open like we were. They have cleverly converted one-third of the cafe into an open balcony with seating that is comfortable yet outdoors-ish.

We had heard that the owner normally interacts with the guests herself but unfortunately, she was not around when we went there and the staff that was present did seem a little clueless. I would not rate the service, the knowledge of the menu, or the eventual delivery highly but if left to ourselves, we did well for sure. The food was very nice and that was probably because we stuck to safe choices of some Italian fare (since we had heard of not-so-positive reviews of people who tried to experiment too much with their food here). I must specifically mention the selection of desserts which was quite fascinating.

Having been there about three months ago, I haven't really had the opportunity or inclination to re-visit the place but I did recommend it to some friends and family and their experience was fairly balanced as well. If you are a stickler for nature viewing while having your cup of coffee (like I am), you will definitely fall in love with this place. However, if you are a hardcore foodie and choose your eatery strictly with its food in mind, you may be in for slight disappointment.

Old World Charm (??): Parikrama, Connaught Place

I have been to Parikrama on five different occasions, with the first being some 7 years ago, and the last as recent as the month of July 2013. Since I work in the city's business center of Connaught Place, I and my colleagues keep looking for good places to spend some of those heavy work-after evenings. My last visit however, was when I and my wife zeroed down on Parikrama after rejecting a lot of other arguably better places, since we wanted to chat and yet be able to withdraw if we wanted to.

Parikrama, being the only revolving restaurant in the city and offering views of New Delhi right from its center, is a soothing place. The views that you can experience out here are unmatched and take you to a state of calm that can be matched by very few other places, if any. The staff is non-intrusive to the extent of being unapproachable. What they lack in their pro-activeness and zeal, they make up for in their knowledge and experience.

The menu is pretty standard and you can have your pick of Indian food along with some Chinese and other cuisines. We ordered some noodles and Manchurian along with daal, one paneer based curry and naan. The food had sufficient portions, was good enough to last us through the conversation but bordered way short of greatness or even goodness for that matter.

What does catch your eye and appreciation however is the decor of the place. With direction signage boards dotting the interiors, one keeps looking out for the next landmark, as the floor keeps revolving and you keep facing a new landscape every few minutes. Conversation is free flowing with majority of it being filled of what you can see outside.

Definitely one of the places to try out more for the experience than the food, Parikrama is a must-visit if you want to have a relaxed evening with decent food and more-than-decent ambiance.

Big name, small sight: Chor Bizarre, Delhi Gate

Hotel Broadway at the end of New Delhi and the beginning of the old walled city, is quite a hit with foreigners, primarily because of its closeness to areas of tourist interest like the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk and others. While there, the foreigners can also enjoy the facilities provided by a modern establishment, including a pub called "Thugs" and a restaurant called "Chor Bizarre".

Apparently, Chor Bizarre used to be one really cool place some time back with the decor consisting of completely different and disjointed items (ranging from furniture to cutlery) assembled together as if they were picked up from the thieves' market and brought together. However, they have been through tough times it seems, what with their outlets closing down in Gurgaon and Noida and the look and feel of their flagship outlet having been brought back to normalcy (and dullness). That is not to say that the decor is not impressive...it is, but in a very boring, straight-jacketed manner.

There were eight of us at the restaurant for an office lunch and when we walked in, the place was full of foreigners who were apparently enjoying themselves. Chor Bizarre is known for its Kashmiri cuisine and is one of the few places where you would expect genuine Kashmiri food. Since we had a Kashmiri with us, we were hoping to try some exotic Kashmiri stuff.

However, the food fell far short of our expectations. The beverages (Fresh Lime Soda without fizz and Shikanji without tang) were a let down. The starters were adequate but not great except for the palak ki chaat which was nice and I am saying that despite being a spinach-phobe. We tried to mix the main course as experimental as well as traditional and except for the perennial favorites butter chicken and black daal, nothing else (pyaaz hara khumb, kashmiri dum aloo, kadhai chicken, and the Tarami) impressed...not even the Kashmiri amongst us!

The service was polite but could have been better. When we complained about the fresh lime soda being flat, we were given the option of seeing the opened soda bottle...no talk of replacing the drink or accepting the customer at face value...could have been better as I said.

Overall, I am sure that I am not going back to this place unless there are some "firangs" that I need to entertain and there too, I am going to ask them to take it all with a pinch of salt.

Calm Musings: Barka Med Lounge, GK-2

One of the less known and explored options in the GK2 M block market (probably because it is still new), Barka is one of the nicer places around for you to catch up with friends over a drink or two and some nice music.

With a gravel floor terrace that is perfect for mild winters, you can have the solitude if you so desire or you can come down to the lower floors and experience some very comfortable lounge seating and perfect lighting.

The quality and pricing of food us just right and the staff courteous and non intrusive. They let you be and are yet attentive when you need them. Definitely a place where I would keep going back.

Interesting Cacophony: Uber Lounge, GK-2

The music playing here is just right if you are in the mood to drown out all your worries and get into an introspective or a simply-don't-care kind of a mood. The food us surprisingly quite nice for a place like this and you can actually relish the taste as you watch the buzz that Uber Lounge has on most weekend nights.

A place that sees the fashionable young crowd in droves on a Friday or Saturday night, you will never get bored of the dance floor in the basement or the dim lighting that sets up the mood or the endless chatter around you that allows you to lose focus.

Value for money is perhaps not something that you can expect out of a fashion lounge and you don't get it here as well. It is, all-in-all a nice place to be at over the weekend if you really want someplace hip and happening.

Super Chef: Indian Accent at the Manor

This has to be ranked as one of the best options to dine out if you love Indian food and have the taste for that sought bit of adventure as well. A fusion of Indian food with international cuisine (khandvi ravioli and kesar pista brulee among others) make for the Indian accent on all kind of food.

 The service is excellent and even the celebrated award winning chef has no qualms walking up to the table and asking about the food quality, which incidentally wad quite rocking.

The only thing that I did not really feel happy about was the portion size, especially for the starters. I guess that is the trend though with most of the fancy fine dine places so no real issues.