The Townhouse Café: Food Review

Town House Cafe

Décor: Restaurateur Priyank Sukhija with Akshay Anand bring forth the latest uber-chic restaurant in town—The Townhouse Café. Standing at the heart of Connaught Place with much poise, this restaurant flaunts luxurious décor. Vintage inspiration runs through the place and makes the entire atmosphere very classy. The bar is one of the largest in New Delhi and the fun part is that—you can hop on to the bar and don the hat of a mixologist; yes, you are allowed to make your own cocktails.

Town House Cafe

Reflecting aesthetics of Gothic architecture, this restaurant looks old school but very plush. Décor elements like moldings, carvings, cast iron and rich velvet have been inculcated to cast a royal appeal. The eatery is spread across an expansive space; one whole stretch has black leather couches kept neatly; while, another section has been turned into small compartments with oxblood red velvet walls and dim lamps hanging above lazily, painting the dining table copper-ish. The furniture used are rusted or withered, which strikingly contrasts some very polished stuff to radiate an imperfect sense of style; perhaps things which are too perfect, might not be beautiful anymore. I certainly find beauty in perfect imperfections.

Town House Cafe

The lounging area is so comforting; Chesterfield’s leather and some animal prints are thrown in to create a contemporary style statement; soft textured wood-work has contoured the whole length of the flooring to give it a royal feel. The ceiling is tall and arched with mirrors placed in strategic locations to magnify certain décor elements.

Town House Cafe

Food: This restaurant brings to you a joyful ride of culinary atlas! Name a place, and they will serve you the specials. The lounge and café opens for you a whole new world of some scrumptious platter. The menu offers you to choose from best of authentic oriental delicacies, continental selection, nutritive salads, soups, spicy Indian, Italian pizzas, pastas and more. The bar flaunts some of the world’s finest spirits. The wine boasts of some thoughtfully put together names, along with an excellent range of whiskey selection.

Town House Cafe

I started with the mouth-watering cheese croquettes, it was crispy and well-fried, and it broke into molten lava of cheese; pure deliciousness! Also, this was served with cocktail sauce. I also ordered a portion of ajwaini fish tikka—it was served with mint sauce and onion rings. However, my favorite remains the mutton galouti kebab; mouth-melting baby kebabs served on mini Malabar parantha. For main course, I tried their grilled fish steak with lemon caper olive; it was served with house mash and lemon on caper sauce—an absolute gastronomical delight! I must say hats off to chef for this one.

Town House Cafe

I would recommend this place to people who love dining with panache. This place has a rustic yet opulent sense of eccentricity and is sure to create buzz amongst food lovers. You can find them at N Block, Outer Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

The Ancient Barbeque (aka TAB)—serving delicacies in a loving platter

The Ancient Barbeque

Situated at the heart of Noida, The Ancient Barbeque aka TAB, serves a delectable assortment of American, Mediterranean, oriental and Desi cuisine. And let me tell you one thing—if you like the idea of buffet, this is your go-to option!

The Ancient Barbeque

Ambience: As we entered the restaurant on a rather balmy Sunday afternoon, I was much taken by surprise to see the bustling crowd. Birthdays were being celebrated at one corner; groups of women laughed together, while sipping onto their mocktails, youngsters savored upon a rich assortment of kebabs and skewers, and colleagues sat together extending friendships beyond workplace, dipping their fingers in rich curries with much joy.

The Ancient Barbeque

Décor: The décor was a beautiful mélange of rustic and contemporary notes. The area was huge; it could probably house 100 people at one go. The tables were neatly placed in a linear order. Charcoal fired grills were mounted on each table for the starters. And one of the walls flaunted a huge map that looked ancient and worn-out – going perfectly well with the embodiment of the restaurant.

The Ancient Barbeque

Food: The food was undoubtedly mouth-watering. The buffet menu was varied and brought forth a blend of Indian and international cuisines. Although, the menu is fixed, they keep bringing in daily specials to keep you interested! I relished upon the live-grill serves that also come with an assortment of sauces to suit different palettes. The murg tikka surkhlal, tawa macchi, paneer tikka Jalandari and subj malai kurkuri were notably delicious. However, I would like to make a special mention here—the mutton burrah they served is by far the best I ever had; it was soft, succulent and down-right delicious.

The Ancient Barbeque

Now, they had a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian salads and soups; but, like I said, I literally relished upon the starters way too much. So, I decided to move directly towards the main course section. Over there, I can promise, you will be spoilt for choice, which in turn leaves one hungry and confused. After much scrutiny and eyes rolling, I finally decided to try Hyderabadi chicken biriyani, mutton kundan kaliyan and paneer rara multani; they were truly magical. Lastly, my day was made after I tried the beetroot ka halwa—it was warm, slightly moist, dark red in colour with a sticky texture and it melted in my mouth, lovingly.

The Ancient Barbeque

Verdict: I absolutely loved the food; but most importantly, the warmth and hospitality of the staff made my dining experience an interactive one. The service was prompt and they never really stop getting those starters!

Address: H- 27/1A, Sector – 63, Noida

Meal for two: Rs.1000 approx.

Kylin Premier—an exclusive appetizing travelogue

Kylin Premier

Ambience- As I stepped into Kylin Premier at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, warm hospitality and pompous ambience blanketed me with much love—a perfect ending to a rather hectic Friday! Me and my partner were guided to the rooftop of the restaurant, wherein small cabana-sort setups, placed neatly in sync with the layout of the floor awaited us. We chose a corner for us—lit by a candle and enveloped by pristine white drapes. The area was well lit, with balmy breeze adding on to the romance quotient. Music was varied; genres like, house, lounge, soft trance and techno were floating in the backdrop in subtle tones.

Kylin Premier

What I loved the most about this place is the copious presence of greenery. Small pots, nestling plants of varied kinds were settled affectionately at every nook and corner of the space; thus, enhancing its prana. Overall, it was a visual delight for me. As I waited for my steward to arrive with the menu, delectably delicious aromas of sundry cuisines filled me up with layers of gastronomical expectations.

Kylin Premier

Hospitality- Special mention has to be given to the hospitality department at Kylin Premier. Not only were they warm and spontaneous, they always wore a comforting smile on their faces, ready to be at your disposal at the drop of a hat. Not overtly persistent, they knew the thin line between being there for you and giving you your space to have a fine dining experience. My experience was memorable.

Crystal Dim Sums at Kylin Premier

Food- This place serves Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisines. I love Sushi; so the first thing I ordered was a couple of Crabstick California Rolls, made to perfection. This was followed by Chicken Crystal Dim sums. Now, this was a first for me. The name ‘crystal’ intrigued me to order this dish and what can I say—I reached to gastro heaven and back. The dim sums were super soft; the coating was almost feather-like light in texture, the filling had the right amount of spices and it just melted in my mouth. Sigh.

Clay Pot at Kylin Premier

Further to this, we laid hands on the Yakitori and Robata Grill’s section. After much thought given to the rather sumptuous menu, we zeroed down upon Chicken and Leek Yakitori and Chicken Wings. Double thumbs up to the Chicken and Leek Yakitori. Now, for the main course we opted for a bowl meal, called Bang Bang Angry Chicken that comprised of piping hot spicy chicken with peanuts, spring onions and lots of hot chilies served on a bed of sticky rice. This was simply delicious. The chicken was soft and the gravy was slightly spicy—apt for a Bengali palette. Thereafter, we indulged in a Lamb Clay Pot. This is an ancient Oriental cooking style, wherein the lamb is cooked with radish, root vegetables, lotus stem, mushrooms and potatoes. The cooking process is slow and ginger, garlic, sesame oil, hoisin, star anise and rice wine are the key ingredients that make the dish so gratifying. This was accompanied by rice.

Hong Kong Style Mushroom Bay at Kylin Premier

Finally, dessert comprised of chocolate fondue that had hot molten chocolate sauce coupled with fresh fruits, marshmallows, warm and spongy chocolate brownies and some ice cream, placed adroitly in a platter. I loved every bit of the interesting mélange.

Kylin Premier

Recommendations- Do try out the bowl meals and the clay pot range for main course. And, don’t forget Sushi and Crystal Dim sums.

Menu @ Kylin Premier

Kylin Premier, T-302, 3rd Floor, Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
For reservations, call- 011-33105340
Meal for two costs about Rs 2000 for two people (approx.) with alcohol

Atsu Sekhose’s dairy of Oriental trails

Atsu for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer2015

For the forthcoming Spring/Summer2015 season at Wills India Fashion Week, designer Atsu Sekhose’s collection brought forth an array of dresses and skirts in shades of grey and pink.

Atsu for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer2015

His collection revolved around structured pastel silhouettes; this was blended with sharp cuts and minimal accessories to accentuate looks in entirety. The satin-finish dresses with embellishments and flares lingered in my mind for a couple of days! The bow detailing, ruffled sleeves, well-fitted, linear trousers, and perfect inculcation of sheer invited cheer for the designer.

Atsu for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer2015

Atsu Sekhose’s outfits projected a marked oriental influence, which resulted in surfacing a brand new rear of silhouettes and architectural shapes. Gowns, trousers, cropped tops and capes comprised of this season’s choice for the designer.

Atsu for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer2015

Controlled embellishments, detailed embroidery work and intricate surface techniques exuded an overall elegance. The Samurai armour was emulated in many of the garments, with strong shoulders, sashes and sleeves that fluttered out from the elbow. Feather-like corsage units featured on some of the garments, swaying with the wearer’s movement, resembling frail underwater coral.