Talk about eating out in Gurugram, or G-town as the millennials call it, you can't miss out Cyber Hub from the conversation. Jam-packed almost every evening, there's no surprise that the reason behind is the exciting wine and dine offerings at the numerous restaurants and bars that dot the spot. Some may want to avoid the crowd but then again when you get to experience out-of-the-box concepts and playful food and drinks, you land up making all the effort, especially if you call yourself a food lover.
So wondering what's hot and happening at G-town's favourite hub currently? Here's the scoop on the three new restaurants that have been creating a buzz:
1. Pra Pra Prank
From the good people behind Prankster, comes another fantastic restobar called Pra Pra Prank. It bears a different look from Prankster, and offers an upgraded food and wine experience that's twice as more fun, inventive and flavour packed. We have already been there a couple of times, yet we seem to find more excuses to head back for more. That's because chefs Kaustubh Haldipur and Harangad Singh make sure to serve up intriguing food that's beautifully plated and hits the right flavour notes (and nostalgia). We recently tried the Rara Mutton Bao Dog and Pork Belly Skewers, wherein both the dishes showcased the skillful blending of Asian and Indian flavours. While the bao dog reminded us of keema pav, the pork belly had a Bengali spin with the delightful punch of kalonji or onion seeds, spiced up with a raw mango relish. Of course we had to end with PPP's sinful reinterpretation of Ferrero Rocher and the mangolicious take on shahi tukda made more interesting with grated coconut.
Other must-have dishes from the menu includes Hip Hopper, Kulchey Choley Doughnut, Puffsome, Bullet Chicken, Rainbow Sushi Rolls and more. Then there's bar expert Sanchayan Jana, who's heady cocktails made with housemade gins and syrups keep the spirits high.
(Also read: 5 Design Stores In Delhi With Super Stylish Cafes)
Pork Belly Skewers
2. Olly
With Olly, the old Olive Bistro revamps into a charming Melbourne-style cafe that focuses on honest food and clean eating. If you go looking for old dishes, you will realise that they weren't kidding when they meant 'complete transformation'. Right from the look and feel to the food and drinks, Olly offers a whole new dining experience. Chef Jyotika Malik is the one behind the menu, which focuses on good cafe food. While they have the standard pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and burgers, Jyotika has also roped in poplar dishes from across the globe, along with healthy options, to give her diners a bit of everything. Think Buddha bowls, Thai curries, tacos, etc.
We tried a few dishes and absolutely loved the Mediterranean-inspired Lamp Chops that was served on a bed of cauliflower couscous, with spicy sesame cucumber tzatziki to add some zing; Korean Fried Chicken with the distinctive punch of gochujang; and the Sweet Pots, which were perfectly grilled sweet potatoes with a creamy and crunchy feta topping (with celery, walnuts, cranberries and parsley) and chopped avocados. To finish our meal, we had the Caramel Pop - a salted caramel pannacotta topped with caramel popcorns, which is well balanced in texture and sweetness. At the end of our meal, we had to agree that it was good and honest food at its best.
Lamb Chops with cauliflower couscous
3. The Drunken Botanist
The Drunken Botanist is undoubtedly the most bustling bar (with a microbrewery) in Cyber Hub right now. Be weekday or weekend, finding a table here is a task. Styled as a botanical garden, there are different seating arrangements where you can park yourself and turn on your party mode. As the evening progresses, the bar is all about high energy and loud music, with corporates letting their hair down after a hectic work day. The food and drinks options are endless. There's really everything - from Chilli Chicken and Chole Bhature to pastas, pizzas, dimsum, sushi and fried bar nibbles - as well as enough cocktails and beers to pair with the food.
Despite the many options, the food at TDB was a bit of a let down for us. We felt that some dishes were inventive for the heck of innovation (such as the Kataifi Seekh Kebab with excessive dough layers that made us miss biting into simple seekh kebabs) while some came with an overdose of either mayo or microgreens that weren't really necessary (Japanese Salmon Pizza). But there were good dishes too, such as the Pork Belly with sesame seeds and the Dosai Cornetto (stuffed with chicken cooked in South Indian spices) that reminded us of Indian Accent's iconic Duck Khurchan Cornetto.
So here are the three new restaurants in Cyber Hub - a resto-bar with playful food, a Melbourne-style cafe and a garden-style microbrewery.
