Al Fresco by ATSB Food Review

Hi foodies, today I’ll be doing a food review of a newly opened café near Ballupur Chowk, GMS Road. They are well known for their aesthetic ambiance, delicious food & delectable desserts.

Come, let’s take a closer look!

Location

Alfresco by ATSB main entrance
Main approach to the restaurant

Phase-I, Plot No.-43, Maharani Bagh Ln, near Ballupur Chowk, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001

The café is located just off the main GMS road, with a small road leading directly to its main gate.

Finding a parking spot should not be an issue here for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers alike, as there is ample parking space available in front and around the café premises, even during the evenings, as that is when the café is most crowded.

Service Options

Dine-in – Takeaway – Delivery

Timings

TUE – SUN: 12:00 PM – 10:30 PM (Closed on Mondays)

Cuisines Offered

VEG & NON-VEG

Fast Food, Continental, Chinese, North Indian, Desserts & Beverages

Average Cost For 2 (Exclusive of Taxes & Other Charges)

Rs. 500/- approx.

Zomato Rating

Al Fresco By ATSB Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Menu

Instagram

Ambience

The ambiance of the café was quite cozy, peaceful & colorful, giving off a very calm and soothing vibe to the place. Although in design the restaurant looked quite simple, the colorful walls, ambient lighting, and beautiful wall paintings added a unique charm to its simplicity.

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Quality Of Food (Taste, Service & Presentation)

The service of the café was great. All the dishes that I had ordered were prepared in good time and were presented beautifully.

The service staff was courteous and helpful, especially Mr. Gobind, who was always available to take care of any of my queries regarding the food and the café.

And lastly, I also had the pleasure of meeting the passionate owner of the café, Ms. Disha Gulani. It was great to share some thoughts and ideas with a fellow foodie and get an insight into the creative mind of one of the budding entrepreneurs in the city.

On a side note, apart from managing this café, Ms. Disha Gulani also runs her very own bakery service of providing freshly baked customized cakes for all occasions. Do try ordering from their ever-increasing range of customized cakes if you’re looking to try something fresh & different. DM her at @Allthatshebakes on Instagram for more details

Dishes Ordered

I ordered their Alfresco Special Biscoff Shake, Chef’s Special Cheese Poppers & a Blueberry Cake Slice, which I believe was prepared by the owner of the café herself.

Alfresco Special Biscoff Shake

First up came one of their specialties, the Alfresco special biscoff shake.

The shake was served full to the brim in a tall glass along with a paper straw. A generous dollop of whipped cream was decorated on top of it, along with some food art drawn with toffee caramel as well, giving the shake a very premium and elegant look. A long steel spoon was provided with the shake too, to help in consuming the whipped cream, which was too thick to be had with a paper straw.

Alfresco by ATSB Alfresco Special Biscoff Shake
Alfresco Special Biscoff Shake

The shake was frothy, super creamy, thanks to a generous dollop of whipped cream, and extremely rich. It was sweet but not too much, and it had a delectable flavor of biscoff running through it. The toffee caramel used to decorate the glass was not only for show. It gave off a very prominent, toasted toffee flavor to the shake in every sip, complimenting the rich and creamy texture of the shake very well.

I’ve had some top-quality shakes at various food outlets during my food journey so far, and this shake is most definitely right up there with some of the best. A superb shake to complement any meal.

Chef’s Special Cheese Poppers

Next up came another highly-rated dish from their menu, the chef’s special cheese poppers.

Six circular-shaped, crumbed, and golden fried mini balls were served on a black, frying pan-shaped serving plate, garnished with some coriander and dollops of plain white cheese sauce and an orangish-flavored cheese sauce. The two varieties of cheese sauce were used to decorate the edges of the serving plate as well and they were garnished with some finely chopped purple cabbage too, or red cabbage, as some people like to call it.

Alfresco by ATSB Chef's Special Cheese Poppers
Chef’s Special Cheese Poppers

The cheese poppers were crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. It tasted fresh and was super delicious. It was a cheese-lovers paradise. The outer layer of the poppers was crumbed with fresh breadcrumbs, giving it a very crunchy texture. The filling was gooey, tangy, and perfectly seasoned. It was made with a combination of quite a few items like finely chopped cubes of white cabbage, green, red, and yellow capsicum, some mozzarella cheese, and some flavored cheese sauce, and they were all seasoned with continental spices like oregano and chili flakes.

The cheese poppers were deceptively heavy but a must-try for anyone looking for something tangy and cheesy to have from their menu.

Blueberry Cake Slice

And finally, I was served a slice of blueberry cake from their daily dessert specials.

A hearty slice of cake was served on an elegant, textured black circular plate along with a teaspoon.

Alfresco by ATSB Blueberry Cake Slice
Blueberry Cake Slice

The cake slice looked pretty, tasted super fresh, and was absolutely delicious. It contained three layers of freshly baked sponge, which were quite dense than what is normally found in cakes in other conventional bakeries but was still extremely moist and tasty. Each layer of sponge had a thin layer of white frosting, along with a thick, sweet layer of premium blueberry filling layered in between them, which gave the dish a natural appeal and took the taste of the dish to a whole new level.

They had used a combination of frostings like a creamy white and a lavender-colored frosting, to coat the outsides of the cake. To top it off, a few blueberry-shaped designs, along with some white edible pearls were decorated on it as well, to give it a bit of theatre. 

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To Eat or Not?

To Eat, absolutely.

It may not be one of the biggest or the most glamorous cafes around the city, but not all cafes have to be. Every food outlet is unique in its own way and I feel this café’s uniqueness is in its simplicity. Combine that unique ambiance with delicious food & mouth-watering desserts, and you’ve got yourself an excellent place to relax and enjoy with your loved ones.

All the dishes that I had ordered were served in good time, presented beautifully, were extremely filling, and tasted delicious, especially the Biscoff shake, which was right up there with some of the best shakes I’ve had to date.

I immensely enjoyed my visit to this newly-opened café and I’m eagerly looking forward to revisiting them soon and trying many more delicious dishes and desserts on offer.

They have a great place going on here and I hope they can maintain the high standards that they have set for themselves.

FOOD CRITIC ANMOL RATING

AMBIENCE

4.5 – EXCELLENT

QUALITY OF FOOD

4.5 – EXCELLENT

Value for money

4.0 – GREAT

And that’s it, folks! Thanks for reading and I’ll see you again later with another amazing food review tailored just for you! If you have any feedback or suggestions regarding this review, feel free to contact me anytime!

Take care & Happy eating!

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