Hi foodies, today I’ll be doing a food review of a vehicle-themed restaurant near Balliwala Chowk, GMS road. They are well known for their unique ambiance & elaborate menu.
Come, let’s take a closer look!
Location
1b, Shivalik Puram, Mohit Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. 248006
On most days, finding a good parking spot here should be an issue at all for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers alike, as even though the parking space allocated to the café is not the biggest, it isn’t that crowded, especially during the daytime and weekdays in general.
On the other hand, the café predictably gets crowded in the evenings and at weekends, as that is when the café gets most of its customers, hence finding a good parking spot then could be a slight issue.
Service Options
Dine-In – Takeaway
Timings
Mon–Sun: 12 AM – 11:00 PM
Cuisines Offered
Continental, North Indian, Chinese, Fast Food, Mexican, Shakes & Beverages.
Average Cost For 2 (Exclusive of Taxes & Other Charges)
Rs. 600/- approx.
Ambience
The ambiance of the café was very colorful and lively, and its premises looked well maintained and hygienic, and very tastefully decorated as well.
The owners of the café had chosen to go for a vehicle-theme décor for their restaurant and personally, I felt they had done a fabulous job in implementing it throughout the premises of the café, both indoors and outdoors, in various shapes and forms, like aesthetic vehicle-themed wall mounted decorative elements, aesthetic lighting options, various colorful and equally comfortable seating options, as well as some catchy peppy music playing in the background too, to give the entire place an eye-catching, pleasant & vibrant appeal.
The overall area of the restaurant was segregated into two parts, with one situated indoors, for customers who preferred to dine in a more conventional setting, whereas the other part was located outside on a relatively spacious adjoining balcony, for customers who preferred a more natural, open dining experience.
Quality Of Food (Taste, Service & Presentation)
The service of the café was slightly on the slower side as all the dishes that I had ordered took an unusually long time to prepare, which is not a big issue but it is definitely an aspect they can try and improve upon. Nevertheless, when the dishes did finally arrive, they were presented well and looked great.
The service staff was in the restaurant’s designated black and white formal uniform, thereby giving them a smart and professional look. Moreover, the staff was warm and courteous towards me, and I also liked the fact that someone was always on hand to provide an answer to any of my queries regarding the dishes and the menu.
Additionally, I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the cafe himself, Mr. Saksham Verma, who was super hospitable and polite enough to give me an insight into the workings of their uniquely styled food outlet as well.
Dishes Ordered
To begin my meal, from their beverages section, I ordered one of their most popular shakes, the Black Currant Shake.
For appetizers, I ordered one of their best-selling starters, the Chilli Mushroom (Dry).
For my main course, on the recommendation of the owner himself, I ordered one of their specialty fusion pizzas, the Special Butter Chicken Pizza.
Black Currant Shake
First up came one of their most popular shakes, the black currant shake.
The shake was served chilled in a stylish glass and was garnished with quite a few tasty ingredients like some finely chopped dry fruits like pistachios and almonds, some tutti-frutti candies, and lastly, a modest drizzle of dark chocolate syrup, to help give the drink a more premium flavor.
The shake was quite frothy and thick in consistency, had adequate sweetness, and could clearly get the distinct and delectable fruity taste of black currant in every sip. Moreover, the additional flavors of three garnishes added more depth to an already flavorful shake, while the dry fruit pieces added some much-needed texture to it by giving the drink a nice crunch. The chocolate syrup on the other hand gave the shake a lovely mild chocolaty flavor, whereas the tutti-frutti candies helped in giving the shake a slightly more prominent fruity aftertaste.
Overall, I found it to be a great beverage to order from their menu on a hot summer’s day, especially if you’re someone who enjoys their shakes to be moderately sweet in taste while also having prominent fruity flavors in them, especially black currant, then this shake is a must try for you.
Chilli Mushroom (Dry)
Next up came one of their best-selling appetizers, the Chilli Mushroom (dry)
The Chilli Mushroom was served on a stylish designer, white-colored ceramic plate, garnished with a modest amount of finely sliced cabbage as well as some finely chopped coriander leaves.
It was clear to see that the café had not held back in any way and had tried to incorporate all the necessary flavorsome elements required to make this dish, but sadly, I found the overall flavor profile of the chilli sauce, in particular, to be quite off-balanced, and I also found the preparation style of the mushrooms to be lacking in terms of finesse.
Starting with mushrooms, 8-10 segments of mushrooms were lightly coated in an ultra-thin corn flour batter and were deep fried to such an extent that they had not only developed a delicious thin crispy coating on the outsides but in the process, they had also been cooked to perfection in such a way that they had managed to retain their moist and juicy textures on the insides wonderfully as well.
One thing I did want to mention was that even though the mushrooms themselves were cooked very well, the corn flour coating on them however, could have been a bit heavier, as when mixed in with the chilli sauce, the ultra-thin corn flour coating of the mushrooms completely dissolved into it, leaving the mushrooms with barely any coating left on them whatsoever, making it difficult for them to absorb the sweet, tangy and spicy flavors of the sauce very well as a result, ultimately giving them an underwhelming flavor.
Moving on to the other vegetables present in the dish, they had opted to go with a couple of fresh vegetables like onions and green capsicum, which were cut in relatively large segments, and were then tossed in with the mushrooms and cooked through to such a level that they were able to retain their delectable moistness, while still being quite crunchy in texture and never coming across as mushy at all.
Coming to the chilli sauce, since I had opted to go with the dry variation of this dish, it was predictably prepared to be quite thick in consistency, but thankfully, it was adequate in quantity, as it coated all the vegetables present in the dish comfortably.
Furthermore, as far as its flavor was concerned, even though the sauce had all the necessary tangy, sweet, salty, garlicky, and spicy flavors in it which a good Chinese chilli sauce must have, unfortunately, the chef who had made this dish was quite heavy-handed with the use of salt and vinegar in this dish, as the excessive use of these condiments completely disturbed the overall balance of flavors in the sauce by giving it an unpleasant sharp, salty and citrusy aftertaste, which massively overpowered all the delicious flavors of the other fresh ingredients present in the dish, thereby giving the chilli sauce a not-so-pleasant flavor.
The idea to make a good dish was apparent to see, but sadly their execution left a lot to be desired.
Special Butter Chicken Pizza
And lastly, I was served one of their highly recommended fusion pizzas, the special butter chicken pizza.
The butter chicken pizza was served on a stylish wooden pizza pan and was garnished with a generous sprinkle of pizza seasonings as well for added flavor.
The butter chicken pizza was extremely cheesy in taste and was jam-packed with lots of flavorful toppings in the form of fresh veggies and chicken chunks, to help give the pizza a more robust taste. Moreover, I also liked the fact that they had gone for a thin-crust preparation style for their pizza, as it helped the toppings to be the main focus of attention and shine that much more.
Starting with the pizza base itself, as mentioned earlier, they had opted to go for a thin-crust base for this pizza and had baked it to such an extent that it wasn’t only well-cooked, but it was quite moist and airy to bite into too. Although it tasted good overall, I felt they could’ve baked the pizza in the oven for a bit longer, as it would’ve helped in giving the pizza base a crisper, crunchier texture, as in its current form, it came across as slightly too simple in flavor.
Coming to the toppings, firstly, to give the pizza a more gooey, cheesy feel, a generous layer of delectable white cheese sauce was spread on the crust, followed by quite a few flavorsome fresh ingredients which were topped on it like some green zucchini, butter chicken flavored bite-sized chicken chunks, lots of small slices of black olives & lastly, some finely diced cubes of green and red capsicum as well.
Moreover, a generous quantity of mozzarella cheese was grated on top of it all too, which further added more flavor to the already cheesy, creamy goodness of the pizza. Finally, a little dash of pizza seasoning was sprinkled on top of the pizza as well, to add a more peppy, tangy taste to the dish.
Regrettably, one aspect of the pizza I was not a big fan of was the excessive amount of butter chicken flavored oil present in the dish, as it gave the overall taste of the pizza an oily taste and a very heavy feel to the stomach. It is definitely an area the café should try and improve upon as soon as possible if they want this particular pizza of theirs to make a name for itself in an already crowded market.
[More to follow…]
To Eat or Not?
With its impressive, eye-catching, and unique auto-themed ambiance, good food, extremely courteous service, and an elaborate menu, this themed café acts as a good option if you’re on this side of the city and are looking to indulge in a wide range of dishes spanning across multiple cuisines like Continental, North Indian, Chinese, etc., with your loved ones, but don’t mind paying a slight premium for their dishes in the process as well.
Although I liked most of the aspects of this restaurant very much, especially their well-put-together, eye-catching ambiance, and their deliciously refreshing black currant shake, but one area I felt the café can immensely try and improve upon is getting the basics right in regards to the overall preparation and taste of their dishes, as firstly, I felt the sauce of the Chilli Mushroom could’ve been better balanced in terms of flavor, and secondly, the butter chicken pizza could’ve been handled with more care, as it came across a little too oily in general, and moreover, I wish they had added more butter chicken flavor into it, to help give the dish a more robust and distinct, Indianized flavor.
Overall, I had a great time visiting this auto-themed café and I’ll surely be looking to visit them again soon and trying a few more popular dishes from their elaborate menu, but hopefully next time, I hope they can refine the taste of their dishes further to a more professional level, to ultimately give the customers the best possible 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!