Restaurant Scoop

What: Polo Lounge has introduced Garden to Glass Concept, where freshly grown herbs, fruits and vegetables are the main ingredients in the cocktails. Ingredients from various plants are on display at the lounge bar.

Lounge highlights -

Polo Lounge offers a collection of whiskeys, cognacs, single malts and handcrafted beers complimented with live jazz performances six days a week. A snack menu accompanies this line-up. The bestselling items from this menu include kebab platters, pizzas and spring rolls.

Where: Hyatt Regency, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi, DL 110066

Timings: 11:00 am to 1:00 am

Contact: 011 6677 1314

Give your kid a real tret with Caffe 9 Kid's Special menu. Now, Caffe 9 have a separate dedicated Kids menu with several combo meal options like pasta, pizza, burgers, noodles, rice etc. Some of the key highlights from the special kids meal are:-

Mini Pizza
Mini Vegetable Burger Meal
Vegetable Chinese Kids meal
Chicken Chinese Kids meal
Indian Mini Meal
Mini Pasta Meal
Mini Chicken Burger Meal

Where: Caffe 9, P-15, outer Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi - 1

Time: 12 p.m - 1 A.M

For Reservations: 011 41509040, +91 9811859324

For the ones who think beer is much more than an afternoon drink, 7� Brauhaus, the German Microbrewery & Kitchen has launched ?The Beer Enthusiasts Club.' The club aims at creating a community of beer lovers who are not only passionate about the drink but also the stories behind it.

Some of the highlights are:

Every Wednesday, the restaurant will offer unlimited beer at Rs. 750/- all inclusive.

20% discount on food & beverage, an experience to learn from the Brew Master, exclusive tasting sessions to try over 100+ Craft beers from across the world, and much more.

Mr. Sanjay Mathur, Managing Director, 7� Brauhaus, said, ?We are overwhelmed to launch The Beer Enthusiast Club, which is an exquisite concept to bring together all the beer lovers to appreciate fine beer. This restaurant is a place that connects like-minded beer enthusiasts over good beer and encourages good conversations. Our idea is to create a new and holistic experience during every visit.?

Varq at Taj Mahal Hotel celebrated its 5th anniversary, where Chef Hemant Oberoi, who has been instrumental since the inception of the restaurant, was present. Varq was voted among top 50 restaurants of the world the in the Eleventh annual listing of The S. Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants held in Singapore earlier this year.

Speaking on the occasion, Grand master Chef Hemant Oberoi said, ?Varq is the unfurling of luxury in all aspects - a combination of sophisticated dining discreet service and exquisite interiors. With Varq, we have retained the secrets of Indian traditional cuisine while presenting in an innovative and contemporary way. We are honored that guests have extended their support to Varq over the years and have become a part of this great culinary journey with us. We are proud to carry on this legacy today and look forward to serving our patrons for years to come?

The unveiling of the new menu by Chef Hemant Oberoi was followed by a specially crafted celebratory Gulab Jamun Cheese Cake. Some of the new dishes introduced by him are Green Chilli Tulsi & Pinenut fish, Kolo kithe, Sunehari Nalli, Masala cord on rice.

The Westin Gurgaon, hosted its first ever ?Wine Dinner' at Prego, a Californian style Italian restaurant. Italian Chef Di Cuisine, Emiliano Di Stefano prepared delectable courses as part of a special menu that was paired with a host of hand-picked wines.

Chicken and Truffle Galantine with an Attems' Sauvignon Blanc 2011, and a Lasagnetta Tricolore ai Funghi accompanied by a smooth Castello Banfi Chianti 'Placido' 2012 were a few of the pairings.

Additionally, all guests had a personal interaction with world renowned Sommelier, Giorgia Nanut, who deftly explained the art and reasoning behind food and wine pairing.

This concept of pairing food & wine may just become a frequent highlight at the hotel.

Where: Prego, The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi
Contact: +91 124 4977841

Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna stormed the afternoon at The Imperial Culinary Club with a live cook out of vibrant dishes from Mumbai. He also launched his book as a tribute to the city of dreams called ?Savour Mumbai.'

The live cook out included recipes like Kaju Kothambir Vadi from Maharashtra, Khubani Ka Shahi Tukda from Lucknow, Guava and cottage Cheese salad from Allahabad, Kacche kele ki Asharfi from Hyderabad and Chicken Cafreal from Goa. Find these recipes here.

On the book launch and the culinary session, Vikas Khanna said, ?If you cannot make a food pilgrimage to Mumbai soon, here is a piece of Mumbai we have created for your kitchens.?

?I travelled to Europe and the most famous red-light district, De Wallen caught me by surprise. That's how I thought of Amsterdam Kitchen and Bar, where I decided to juxtapose the spirit of the lively street with a fantastic gastronomical experience.

Quirky fun colors dominate the color scheme and it is packed with special features like Dutch hand painted ceramics, the wooden clog wall, where guests can scribble on the wooden shoe on their birthday, virtual show doors, windows and street lamps.

For me, more than concentrating on alcohol which is a standardized product available everywhere, I concentrated a lot more on food, the presentation, display, quality of raw materials and hygiene?, says Sanuj Birla, owner.

The menu is the brainchild of Abhinav Sharma, head chef, and consists of crispy comfort food, grills (yes, they serve beef), burgers and pizzas, among other things.

Having had a taste of food here, it doesn't disappoint. The lamb shank packs in flavour and falls off the bone. The Ravioli is stuffed just right with spinach and cheese. The vegetarian starters give stiff competition to the non-vegetarian ones. Also, they have a whole range of drinking games starting from Rs. 1500-4500, every Thursday and Sunday.

Situated on the top floor of Shoppers Stop mall, Aanch is an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant that houses five different ambiences under one roof with a common menu. It's divided into a family restaurant, an English bar lounge, a private dining room, a hookah lounge and an open air restaurant.

Apart from Indian, Aanch offers Chinese, Continental, Arabic, Mexican and Italian cuisines.

To perfect dal makhani and butter chicken, which make the two main dishes in an Indian restaurant; the Aanch team went around Delhi to taste these recipes and tried to make them better in their own kitchen. Finally after about 30 trials, they were satisfied with the results.

Meal For two: 1500/- ++

Address: 4th Floor Terrace, Shoppers Stop Mall, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi

Phone: 011 - 30146022

Located at Greater Kailash-2 market in South Delhi, The French bistro - Rara Avis celebrated its first anniversary.

Mr. Laurent Guiraud of Rara Avis made a special announcement, ?In response to our ground breaking accolades, from critics and foodies alike, We at Rara Avis ?Delhi' are proud to announce our most recent enterprise, opening soon, in the beach-side-paradise of Goa ? Rara Avis ?Konkan'

See who all attended the anniversary celebration in the next few slides.

In photo: Mr. Shashi Tharoor at Rara Avis

Ambassador of Mexico H.E Mr. Jamie Nualart

Ambika Pillai with Vijay Arora

Gautam Kalra, Hirathi Rebello, Ambika Pilla and Joey Mathews

Gunjita Dhawan with Anita Bajaj

Hosts for the evening - Laurent, Chef Jerome with Rajiv

Madhavi Kapoor with Sonny Walia

Ravi and Bintio Bajaj

Ramola Bachchan

Editor-in-chief & publisher of Tehelka magazine, Tarun Tejpal

What: It's time for you to eat your heart out with Loca -la-Zona's big fat range of messy Bum Burgers. The Bum Burgers have an option of a fat chicken or vegetable patty in a triple decker bun with heaps of lolzslaw (inhouse variation of colslaw) filled in with veggies along with a cone of fries.

Where: Lolz: Loca La Zona Cafe, K 124,Sector-12, Pratap Vihar, Ghaziabad

Price: Rs 145

Timings: 11 am - 11pm

Choose from a variety of party cakes, tea treats, brownies, muffins, pies and other desserts. The products here do not contain any added preservatives or artificial coloring agents. Pippins can also whip up healthy oatmeal cookies, wheat or ragi and sugar free cakes.

Contact: 9868896912/9999493767

It's time for a lavish indulgence as Hilton, New Delhi brings to you a delectable new menu at Zune. Savor a fine selection of all-time favorites from cuisines that are specific to Delhi, Punjab and Kashmir.

Indulge your taste buds an extensive range of rich vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes such as pakhtooni jheenga, murgh malai kebab, roti pe soya boti, kukkar achari and palak ka halwa (in picture), among others.

Meal for two: Rs 1800 plus taxes

Where: Zune, Hilton New Delhi/Janakpuri hotel, Janakpuri District Centre Complex, New Delhi- 110058

Time: 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm

For reservations: 91-11-4123-4123

Actors Emraan Hashmi and Kalki Koechlin were spotted at Cafe Ludus in Saket for the promotion of their new film, Ek Thi Daayan.

The event also saw the launch of FHM app, FHM MyPurpleMartini's Club Card and fashion designer Jaya Mishra showcasing her latest collection.

Located at MGF Metropolitan Mall Saket, Cafe Ludus has been divided into a laboratory, a library, a cafeteria and an amphitheatre, and the food at Cafe Ludus has flavors from around the world. The outdoor seating is reminiscent of a Greek courtyard with white drapes and wooden bleachers.

Address: 24 & 25, 2nd Floor, MGF Metropolitian Mall, Saket, New Delhi

Timings: 12 Noon to 1 AM

Phone: 011 30146022

Uber Lounger is a Bar?Caf�?Lounge. Suited for morning tea, brunch or late drinks.

D�cor: Divided into two floors ? the ground floor has been made to be laidback and relaxed while the lower ground floor has been made into a lounge with warm lights, a dance floor and cabin rooms.

Music: A special ?Sufiyana Shaam' every Wednesday. Musical nights every weekend.

Food and contact details in the next slide.

Food:
A casual dining space with a multi-cuisine menu. Some of its signature dishes include ?Uber Chip & Dip', ?Grilled Basa Fish', ?Classic Grilled Chicken' and ?Soya Azwani Chaap.' Pair these with their collection of draught beers, cocktails, spirits, fine wines and champagnes.

Adddress:
M-42, M Block Market, Greater Kailash 2, New Delhi

Contact:
011 - 30146022

Nostalgia at 1911 Brasserie known for classic European evenings with old world western fare and live music, unveiled The Grand Steinway S-155 - synonymous with the finest pianos since 1853. It is now the only five star deluxe hotel in India to be a proud possessor of this legendary piano.

Sharing his views on the proud occasion Mr. Vijay Wanchoo, Sr. Executive Vice President and GM said: ?Nostalgia imbues reflections of the era gone by with exquisite specialties flamb�ed on tables, coupled with vintage and new wines in a picturesque setting. The launch of The Grand Steinway S -155 will enrich the Nostalgia experience and will throw spotlight on unmatched piano music, unearthing the soul, while enchanting diners.? He further said ? Steinway at Nostalgia represents a unique marriage of classic cuisine with classic music?

The glamorous evening saw the presence of Karl Lutchmayer ? the renowned concert British pianist who enthralled the audience during the unveiling and his dynamic recitals and numerous sequences inspired the gathering.

Website: The Imperial India

Chopsticks, located at The Village Restaurant Complex next to Siri Fort Auditorium, recently underwent a radical change with the joining of Chef Amit Gurung.

In picture: Chicken satay
Restaurant interiors

The new menu at Chopsticks serves some authentic delicacies like spicy wok tossed lamb with galangal, tender squid, and crispy calamari chilli mayo.

In picture: Crispy calamari

Chef Amit Gurung's passion for innovation has led to the introduction of a variety of cuisines such as Indonesian, Malaysian and Japanese to the Chopsticks menu.

In picture: Laksa soup

The restaurant has won the Hotel & Food Service award for its oriental cuisine three times.

In picture: Thai red prawn curry

This 150 seater fine dining restaurant came into existence in 1983 and initially only specialized in authentic Chinese food.

In picture: Tri pepper prawn dim sum

Get a sneak peek of restaurant interiors, the food they serve and their menus, all packed here, in one place.