Hi foodies, today I’ll be doing a food review of a very popular restaurant opposite RIMC PJ gate, Garhi Cantt. They are well known for their lively ambiance, elaborate menu & party area.
Come, let’s take a closer look!
Location
12A, Shaheed Kashmir Singh Road, Garhi Cantonment, Nimbuwala, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248003
Finding a good parking spot here might be an issue for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers alike, especially during the restaurant’s peak hours, which are in the evenings and on weekends, as the restro café neither has a dedicated parking space of its own nor does it have too much free space around it to accommodate a large number of vehicles, so please keep these aspects in mind before visiting.
Service Options
Dine-in – Takeaway – Delivery
Timings
Mon – Sun: 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Cuisines Offered
Veg & Non-Veg
Continental, Chinese, North Indian, Street Food, Fast Food, Desserts & Beverages.
Average Cost For 2 (Exclusive of Taxes & Other Charges)
Rs. 800/- approx.
Zomato Rating
Website
Menu
Ambience
The ambience of the restaurant was extremely vibrant and lively, and the premises of the restaurant looked well-maintained and hygienic. It was modern in design, and even though the overall area of the restaurant was relatively compact in size, it was still tastefully decorated with the help of colorful elements like varied seating options, textured wall designs, and drawings, aesthetic lighting options, a stylish display counter, etc., to give it a very distinct yet pleasant and homely feel.
Coming to the dining area of the restaurant, it was divided into two parts, with one part situated outside for customers who preferred a more open dining experience, whereas the more conventional dining space was located inside the building.
Moreover, I liked the fact that they had gone for a milder white color tone to be used quite prominently throughout the area of the restaurant, as it not only helped the other tastefully implemented colorful elements to truly shine but it also helped in giving the overall restaurant a beautifully calm vibe.
Furthermore, the restaurant also had its very own banquet hall by the name, Backyards by Bigway, which was a spacious area located at the back of the restaurant, having its separate entrance. This banquet area was well decorated with the help of lots of potted plants to give the place a fresh and inviting feel. A great option for anyone looking to host a kind of party or ceremony for a large number of people, around 100-150 approximately, as claimed by the restaurant themselves.
Quality Of Food (Taste, Service & Presentation)
The service of the restaurant was relatively quick and efficient. All the dishes that I had ordered were presented beautifully and were served in 15-20 minutes maximum, which was slightly longer than usual, but totally understandable.
The service staff was in the restaurant’s trademark maroon uniform and looked smart. Moreover, they were warm and courteous towards me and were also on hand to cater to any of my needs and queries.
Additionally, I was fortunate to meet up and share various thoughts and ideas with the passionate owner of the restaurant, Mr. Vaibhav Bisht, who was also polite enough to give me a great insight into the workings of their well-established food business, to truly understand what makes their food outlet click on a daily basis and stand out from the crowd.
Dishes Ordered
To begin my meal, from their classic cold coffee section, I ordered one of their best varieties of cold coffee, the Crunchy Caramel Frappe.
From their starters section, I ordered one of their most popular oriental appetizers, the Chicken Satay.
Crunchy Caramel Frappe
First up came one of their best varieties of cold coffee, the crunchy caramel frappe.
The frappe was served chilled, full to the brim in a stylish glass, which had some food art drawn on it as well with the help of some rich caramel syrup. A paper straw was provided with the beverage for the convenience of the guests, but I wish they had provided a long dessert spoon with it too, to help in consuming the drink better.
The frappe was super rich and creamy in consistency and one could clearly get the delectable and distinct taste of caramel running through it wonderfully, giving the drink a sublime taste.
Moreover, it was garnished with a rich, silky-smooth layer of whipped cream, as well as a generous drizzle of rich caramel syrup on top of it, to not only help the drink in terms of presentation by giving it an appetizing and sumptuous look but to also help in further enhancing the flavor of the drink by giving it a delightfully premium, caramelly taste.
The frappe was supposed to have crunchy bits of caramel in it as its name suggested, instead, I got delicious dollops of caramel syrup in the drink, and although they were a tasty addition nonetheless, they were, however, not able to add a delectable crunchy texture to the drink which the crunchy caramel pieces would have.
In terms of sweetness, the frappe never came across as too sweet in taste, as I found it to have just the right amount of sweetness to it, moreover, I also liked the fact that they had stayed true to the distinct taste of drink by giving it a lovely bitter aftertaste as well.
At the end of the day, if you’re someone who enjoys their beverages to have an intense taste of caramel in them and doesn’t mind it being slightly on the sweeter side as well, this frappe might be a great option for you to have from their menu.
Chicken Satay
Next up came one of their most popular oriental appetizers, the chicken satay.
Three skewers of chicken satay were served on a textured black plate and looked extremely appetizing. To help complement the dish better two accompaniments were served with it too, with one being a rich mint and curd green chutney, and the other a slightly runny, white-colored, peanut-based satay sauce.
For the sake of presentation, some food art was drawn on the textured black plate with the help of a green-colored sauce, as well as some finely sliced vegetables like carrot and cabbage, to give the dish a better, prettier appeal.
Starting with the chicken pieces, they were well marinated with a flavorsome Thai marinade, containing lots of aromatic Asian spices like turmeric powder, coriander powder, fresh lemon grass, ginger, garlic, etc. to give them a truly authentic Thai flavor.
Furthermore, the pieces were then nicely grilled to such an extent that they had developed a deliciously charred exterior to help give them an intense smokey flavor, but unfortunately, all their good work was undone since the chicken pieces were well overcooked and extremely dry on the inside and not at all juicy and moist, as they were intended to be.
Moreover, due to being well overcooked, the chicken pieces were also unable to absorb any bit of the delicious Thai marinade, giving them a slightly bland flavor, which was a real pity, as in terms of capturing the overall essence of the dish, they had got all the delicious Thai flavors of the dish to be close to perfection. Maybe the chef was having an off day, but it is certainly an area the restaurant must look to improve upon if they are hoping for more customers to order this particular dish from their menu.
Coming to the accompaniments served with the chicken satay, starting with the mint and curd chutney, it was thick and creamy in consistency and had a delicious flavor of fresh mint to it which helped it complement the robust, aromatic flavors of the chicken satay very well.
The peanut-based satay sauce on the other hand was equally good in terms of flavor, but sadly, since they had prepared it to be slightly runny in consistency, which was unlike the traditional preparation of the same sauce, the overall flavor of the sauce was slightly underwhelming. If I had to pick my favorite among the two accompaniments to go with the chicken satay, I would choose the mint chutney as it tasted fresher and had more flavor as compared to the satay sauce.
[More to follow…]
To Eat or Not?
With its compact yet lively ambiance, good food, courteous service, and elaborate menu, this restaurant serves as a good option for anyone looking to enjoy a wide range of dishes from across varied cuisines like Italian, North Indian, and Mexican, etc., with your loved ones, but don’t mind paying a slight premium for each of those dishes in the process as well, as I found their prices to be slightly on the steeper side.
Their crunchy caramel frappe was one of the very best frappes I’ve had in a long time and it is a highly recommended beverage from my side. On the flip side, there are definitely a few aspects which the restaurant can try and improve upon like firstly, trying to improve the overall upkeep of the walls and tables present inside the restaurant, as I found them to be in need of some much-needed touch-up, to help give the entire dining area a more inviting feel. Secondly, I would also like to see them get the preparation of their chicken satay spot on, as I currently find it to be lacking finesse in some critical areas.
Overall, I had a reasonably enjoyable time visiting this well-known, vibrant restaurant and I’m eagerly looking forward to visiting them again soon and trying out a few more popular dishes from their well-curated menu, but hopefully next time, with a few important tweaks to their ambiance and food, I’ll have a much better experience.
Food Critic Anmol Rating
Ambience
Quality Of Food
Value For Money
And that’s it, folks! Thanks for reading and I’ll see you again later with another in-depth food review tailored just for you! If you have any feedback or suggestions regarding this review, feel free to mention them in the comments section below!
Take care & Happy eating!