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Whenever I’m asked, as I was the other day, “for a good sushi place, not too anal, and not bank-busting,” I direct people to this snug, refreshingly unpretentious Sumo Sushi that has got eyeballs rolling with the quality, consistency and bangin flavours. Packaging is ergonomically done up, simple, to the point ensuring that the sushi remains intact and isn’t a mess of dripping sauces and raw fish in a box. 

Neat compact sections ensure that the sushi remains in place, looks fresh and inviting with small containers of Gari and Kikkoman 

Traditions are held dear,however, a bit of experimentation is also at play in the menu that offers a wide range of this delicately rolled artsy food. 

The better news? These guys serve up a sushi storm even post midnight which is awesome for people like me who don’t most often realise the time and place of erratic sushi cravings. 

I’d put my buck on the not so healthy but oh so wonderful Las Vegas Roll, huge in size, crunchy, spicy and creamy made with juicy tuna, what a medley of flavours! 
Dynamite Roll is my most standard addiction and these guys delivered well in terms of the fresh cure of salmon, crispy prawn Tempura in creamy spring Mayo. Yum. 

Amaya is delicate and interesting, salmon in the centre with soft cream cheese, wasabi peas and avocado bringing out a stellar flavour, much different than anything you have tasted before thanks to those nutty peas. 

Vegetarians will equally go bonkers over the indulgent sushi offerings. 

Spicy Mushroom 

Crunchy Asparagus Tempura 

– The former is gooey in the centre with bold Shroom flavours, spiced, with a bit of heat and the latter is nicely crunchy in the centre, bags of flavour there, exorbitantly assembled, both are straight winners even for a carnivore like myself. 

Verdict: The sushi is fresh, humungous, the menu is exciting and any sushi lover falls in love with a celebrated creative sushi menu. The prices will not leave you in regret because the food defined complete value for money! 
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Here’s a chance for you all to have a taste of authentic regional cuisine of Indian because let’s admit it, we often get bored with mainstream monopoly of Indian food and sometimes it’s good to indulge in something that’s essentially Indian but different from our familiar palate preferences. 

Latest Recipe in Le Meridien Gurgaon has the perfect clean break for you all, where you can indulge in extravagant regional cuisine along with a host of other global dishes which is a part of their regular buffer menu. 
Coming down to the regional highlight, the Uttarakhand Food Festival brings to you the real traditional food of the Garhwali and Kumaoni gastronomic affair and you will be transported to the state on just the mere sight of the grub. 

Uttarakhand offers a culinary treasure of deliciousness which is well delivered by the Sous Chef Manoj Rawat here in its most glorified manner. 
The food is richly prepared, yet you will be happy to know that it’s most flavourful yet devoid of grease which is what stood out for me. 
The aromas of the fresh chutneys ready to be dunked on by assorted Pakodas will leave your palate not only satiated but wanting for more! 
Hold your breath till you move over to the next courses, or don’t, sit back and immerse yourself in redolence of idiosyncratic spices and flavours. 

Signature dishes include Shikar (Mutton Curry) Phaanu (Mixed Lentil Curry), Deep fried Catfish dabbed in spices, Mandua Roti (Buckwheat flour roti), Bal Mithai (Khoya fudge coated with sugar ball) and much more. Check out the feast for yourself. 

Venue : Latest Recipe, Le Meridien Gurgaon
Time: 1900 hours until midnight 
Date: 19th April,2017-30th April,2017
Cost: Rs 1999++

Ps- If you are a foodie like me then I bet you must have tempted your jaded palates with most of these dishes.

Darzi, the new gastronomical “tailored” experience in Cannought Place is everything fun, quirky and delicious. 

Sprawled across two floors, a terrace and a rather funky ambience, Darzi offers a fun fusion menu rooted in Indian conventions and adapting to popular cuisines, hence formulating an exciting menu. 

The interiors are ever enticing with murals of tailoring items on walls, hangers, sewing machines and several drawers popping out of animated walls, plenty of sewing paraphernalia!

Also these guys have tiny cabinets which are up for renting at the price of Rs5000 a year! You are free to use these cabinets (that come with personal locks) at your disposal, to store items, or just simply get parcels delivered or use it at a PO Box. 
How cool is that?

The restaurant is mercifully free of any scientific cooking alias molecular gastronomy, relying instead on fun yet traditional menu and palatable food. 

The starters deliver more in reality than you’d expect, they’re pretty well executed and incorporated. 

Thai Tandoori tikkas are textbook — soft and well spiced but not spicy — best had with the zingy green chutney served alongside.

Cheesey Spinach mushrooms come golden fried, enrobing a mantle of gooey spinach filling, lending each crunchy mouthful a silken finish. Delicious. 

Curried Calamari was the highlight of my meal, that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really prefer calamari because of its tough texture. However this variant was fried to a crunchy spiced perfection with bags of flavours just begging to be moped up and munched upon. 

Aloo Khoobani ki tikki is a crispy chaat amalgamation of delicious spicy sweet flavours and soft tikki spiced on point of addictive eating. Really good. 

The starters set a rather aspirational tone to the rest of the evening by being most surprisingly Indian yet adventurous in more ways than one. 
The main course maintained the momentum by a close shot though. 
Dal Makhni, Darzi Mutton and Desi Chicken Curry were made rich and indulgent with bags of balanced flavours, the right amount of spice and very little grease, which made me extremely happy! No layers of glistening crimson oil over any dish! Even the mutton curry was devoid of excessive oil which was a relief. 

I’d avoid the Kolhapuri Vegetarian cannelloni. It’s confused and unpleasant on the palate. Probably the only item I didn’t quite like! 
Still having room for some dessert, we gorged on the Gajrela Pie which was experimental indeed, however not too sure of the extreme richness of the Gajrela and the pastry. Well, that didn’t stop me from spooning out creamy gajrela and licking it clean from the pie! ^guilty 
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Give this guys a visit for a funky dining experience complete with culinary awe, familiar flavours and definite satiation! 
 

A modern Indian kitchen where the familiar is made to work with the unfamiliar to give the diner a taste of most comfortable conventions nestled in innovation. 
We have been moaning about Indian cuisine being frozen in time and not evolving or pushing frontiers at all, Well Zora will change that thought for you, atleast in terms of the city of Pune!
As you walk into this surreal space, you notice how the interior elements are a mix of solid grandeur which is evident from the indoor area and a easy breezy outdoor section which is beautifully curated in earthy tones keeping it simple, near monochromatically white, reminiscing of a European cafe thanks to a certain plush vibe. 

Well, there are no shocks when I say I much preferred the spatial outdoors in the gorgeous Pune weather because we not have this easy flowing airy vibe in Delhi’s burning summers! 

The staff is extremely warm and forthcoming in terms of helping out with the order and making sure everything is served quick and efficiently. 

Coming down to real business which is the food, Zora delights with food that may be a mix of the old & new but is made with a distinct focus on flavours and presentation. 
Starting off with Spicy Okra Salad was the perfect choice because boy, this was a straight winner and obviously raised our expectations in the first bite! 

Crispy fried okra tossed in spicy tangy vinegarette, these little crispies were addictive but deep fried so I forced myself to stop. Recommended. 

As the spices settled onto our palate, we moved onto the Beetroot tikki which melts in the mouth before we even have a chance to understand the stupendous flavours. The creamy gravy atop lends the much contrasted texture and balance. 

We moved onto the Prawn Balchao Theplas which explode like a bomb of spice richness paired against the soft textural pancake like theplas. 
Some elements use not so usual pairings to coax surprise, taste, texture from it’s dishes.
Butter Chicken Lasagna with Masala Naan was the real winner for me with the quintessential butter chicken layered onto soft pasta, a wonderful fusion of the beloved dish executed with penache and richness. 

The masala naan deserves a sonnet or two for just being super flavourful, so well seasoned, I am just salivating in its memory at the moment. 

Dal Makhni faired equally well with just the right balance of spices and finished off with soft buttery goodness  

Baby Potato Curry in Methi Masala is richness embodied in full flavours of creaminess and earthiness. Break some crispy lacha Parantha with this, and it’s the perfect little meal! 

Reshmi Chicken Biryani was one of the most memorable dishes I have had this year! Excellent preparation of succulent tikka imparting richness to every grain of wholesome rice and abundantly sprinkled with sweet fried brown onions that elevated the whole dish into a magical culinary symphony. 

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We did lose all inhibitions at this point but couldn’t make any more room for dessert so we sadly skipped it. Leaving some things for another time. 

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Verdict 

Zora is serving up some cerebral shenanigans, some bestsellers, Sure! 

Keeping the tone progressive, the food is exciting yet close to a certain homeliness
There is a mature equilibrium between what’s merely edgy and what’s truly tasty, so give these guys a shot if you already haven’t. Chances are you won’t be disappointed! 

Rating:4.5/5

Let’s face it, you cannot deny the culinary powerhouse reach of Farzi Cafe with exceptional molecular gastronomy on your plate which is overturning traditions to give you quintessential illusionary flavours.

Food is no longer about pleasing the senses alone; the culinary experts are going all out to present innovative dishes to arouse your curiosity and make you delve deeper in thought about their creations.
Incorporating scientifically savvy cooking techniques like liquid nitrogen flash freezing, spherical liquids, and carbon dioxide foams, Farzi is creating an innovative, mouthwatering menu unlike anything you’ve ever tasted and a spectacularly sensory experience.

Spread across a grand single floor, pervasive swanky woodwork, the restaurant is divided into several sections, one bathed in ample sunlight and others lit dimly for a quaint evening experience with an island bar dispensing drinks from all four sides, a hookah corner and a majestic stage fixated in the center of the restaurant.
There is a happy vibe in the restaurant that is forever bustling with flocks of eager diners and the service is efficient, keeping in mind that this place is always packed. The staff is well acquainted with the menu and food arrives fairly quick.

The food gimmickry and pomp begins with the Swirl Apple Foamtini, their proud lipsmacking cocktail that comes in packed with dry ice smoke, theatric in aesthetics & extremely delicious for a cocktail.

Their modern take on traditional food conventions shows a vision beyond its years.
Dishes like Margherita Naan, Smoked Bacon Kachori & Raj Kachori with crispy okra salad with chutney foam is a clever, bite-sized version of the original.
The gooeyness in the mini naans and the meaty sweetness from the bacon kachoris still has me salivating with a remembrance of popping flavours.

Losing our inhibitions at this point, we go ahead and tuck into extremely inviting Braised Lamb Tacos and Delly Belly! The former is a beautiful balance between soft spiced lamb cooked with peppers encased in crispy taco shells and the former is probably the juiciest and the most decadent pork belly I ever sunk my teeth into. It deserves a sonnet or two for the brilliant balance of roasted russet apples & tangy murabba glaze, finished off with micro greens and marinated shallots.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Tangri was exotic, as expected with familiar favours, very tender but nothing out of the box. Pulled Rogan Josh sliders quickly made up buy being intensely flavourful and spicy inside soft red slider buns. Sharp and delicious.

It’s the Prawn Chettinad with Rice that walk away with the honours. Large,fabulously textured and bursting with pepper garlic flavour flavour,the dish is a textbook example of how prawns ought to be cooked.
This is followed by equally well cooked
Bheja Fry with Cumin Appam which is a magical alchemy of tradition imbedded in modern presentation right on your plate.
It tantalizes the palate yet never leaves it overwhelmed.

Shamelessly we move to dessert and call for a Chocolate Dirt Pile. A medley of decadently rich truffles,crunchy chocolate soil piled on a plate with edible flowers, juicy red grapes poured over by soft hot ganache,this one reminds us why there’s always room for dessert. It’s so darn decadent and addictive and the portion size will leave you in pain because you won’t stop till you finish this sweet treat till the end.

This is why you should visit Farzi Cafe at the soonest because this is the kind of magic you do not want to miss out. Imagine eating all your childhood faves but in a highly artistic modern twist with elevated flavours! That’s Farzi for you, keep an open mind and expect to be floored!

Cost/ person: Rs 1500
Will I visit again? Yes.