How would it be you could relax yourself post a stressful day at office and bid adieu to those corporate-life blues? Cool enough?
How about having the liberty to do so at any given day of the week, not lingering on with the wait for Friday only? Cool enough?
What would your reaction be then, if I told you that you could do so in the heart of Delhi, in Connaught Place itself?
The same team that had fuelled the concept for An Upside Down "DR∀M∀" has the answer to laying such taxing professional woes to rest in the form of their newest kid on the block - Office Canteen Bar a.k.a. OCB.
My visit to this themed restaurant came about as a consequence of an exclusive invitation extended to me by the team that brought OCB to the fore for its patrons. It is a beautifully done place with a gorgeous rooftop that gives a hawk's eye view of the hustle and bustle that Connaught Place is known for.
There are old-school artifacts like typewriters and rotary-dial telephones, PCOs, and confectionaries thrown in along with a modern touch.
Even their cutlery is shaped like tools at the ends - wrench, screwdriver, or pliers for a fork, spoon and knife, please! On the other hand, the nomenclature of dishes is unique, quirky and fun while their taste and the hospitality factor lends a feel-good factor to the experience altogether.
While their Bar resembles a shop with its shutter drawn, the shamiana of leaves that marks the entry to the terrace lends an aesthetic appeal.
We had the following appetizers from their extensively done Menu:
- N/Y/P/D Soup, short for New York Potato Dumpling, a steaming hot bowl of creamy broth with flavorful chicken chunks - perfect for the nippy chill. It was served with a topping of a chicken and potato skewer.
- Mast Limca Bhel, which was a modern take on Bambaiyya Bhel perhaps. with puffed rice, peanuts, chips, and a tangy dash of lemon thrown in, topped with a whole red chili. Liked the tang.
- Salli Mulaga Podi Soya, which was a retouch on the popular Soya Chaap and was layered with Bhujia Sev and served along with a mint dip.
- Masa Leek Cigars, some cigar rolls comprising of corn and melted cheese, served in a file-style container from OCB कार्यालय.
- B.C. Full On, short for Butter Cheese rice dumplings served with Naan slices topped with mint dip and a separate cheese dip paired along with.
- Two States Tikka, essentially flavorful cottage cheese chunks served alongside chargrilled bell peppers and french fries.
- Kochi Curried Chick, which was OCB's take on South-Indian style chicken, slightly high on the spice factor, though.
- Janta Chicken Janardan, which was served tiffin-style and was a one-pot meal because it came with fried poppadoms and onion rings.
- M & M Murg, chicken leg pieces marinated in cheese gravy. Quite smooth and flavorful on the palate.
- M/M/S, which is short for Methi Mascarpone Murg chargrilled with Fenugreek and Cream Cheese, served atop lolly sticks.
- Chinatown Fish Fillets, essentially soft fish fillets fried in honey basil sauce, once again a bit spicier than others from the lot.
Also sampled a few of their mocktails which had a unique choice of ingredients:
- Pomtini
- Melon Punch
- Pineapple Ginger Splash
The appetizers were quite delicious and filling too, so I decided to skip Main Course even though many of the enticing curries like D/B/C (Dilli Butter Chicken), Paneer Kalicharan, Karmchari Dal et al were on offer. As I said, the spread was quite inviting and extensive. Lest, I should leave some items for my next visit to OCB, shouldn't I? :)
For desserts, savored their Brownie Rasmalai, which was a Ras Malai slice atop a brownie slice layered with hazelnut sauce.
Wrapped up the meal with a nicely prepared hot cuppa of Doodh Chai.
Here's wishing Team OCB greater success for New Year 2017... :)
Also, keep a lookout for my next post which would be about the time I had at Tourist Janpath, which is yet again the brainchild of the same team behind these two brilliant restaurants that I had mentioned in this post. They are aiming for a classic hattrick with Tourist, for sure. :)
