khan market – Delhi Food Walks

Posted on June 5, 2015 June 5, 2015

Barcelos

By Prakriti Bhat

Amongst the swarm of eating joints in Khan Market is debutante Barcelos which opened on 26^th February, 2015 under Mr. Costa Maziz. It is situated opposite Café Turtle and is adjacent to the Chinese restaurant Soy, so locating it is not at all a problem. Like the other restaurants in this area, Barcelos too is situated atop a narrow staircase. Delhi has a lot of options for Italian and other such cuisines but this restaurant promises a completely different experience by bringing the Afro-Portuguese cuisine to your plate at a reasonable cost. The food chain which began in 1993 in South Africa has now a strong foothold in over 17 countries and continues to spread its charm worldwide.

Barcelos is named after a Portuguese town. The logo of this franchise is a red rooster which can be seen on the headboard, the dips bottles and even on the miniature flags stuck on the burgers. It is also a famous symbol in this Portugal town. It is called o galo de Barcelos (the rooster of Barcelos). Legend has it that once a pilgrim was accused of stealing from a wealthy landowner. He was sent to court where the judge sentenced him to death despite his repeated protests of innocence. The judge was about to eat a rooster at that time when the pilgrim, as a last attempt to save himself said, “if I am innocent, the rooster will begin to crow”. Just when the piligrim was about to be hung, the rooster started crowing and he was set free.

The ambience is good. Walls are covered with maps, making it look like a scene out of geography class. Potted plants lend a very naturalistic feel. The interiors are quite simple, nothing out of the world as such. The food is presented well and the quantity is quite generous. The most popular dish here is the Black Burger. The black buns are prepared from some special herbs and permissible food colour in the U.S.A. The bun does not taste any different from the other regular ones, it’s just the colour that makes it special. The Chicken Black Burger has a huge and well marinated chicken fillet, lettuce and tomatoes. It is a delicious treat for the soul. The staff notes down your spice preference and makes the burger accordingly.

Chicken Picantte is a dish of chicken breast grilled with Peri Peri sauce. Perhaps one of the best grilled chicken I have had; neither very soft nor very hard. It is served with a bowl of Coleslaw or any other side dish of your choice from the menu, and potato wedges. The coleslaw is prepared exceedingly well. The Vegetarian Trinchado was a dish of yellow rice served with a bowl of vegetable gravy consisting of bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and paneer. The rice had a lemony flavor. Vegetarian sizzler came with spicy rice, grilled vegetables and potato cutlets in a smoky avatar. Amongst the mocktails, Minty Balst is a refreshing cooler. It’s like a semi-frozen version of the regular mojito.

The staff is very courteous and service is quite prompt. They take care of individual spice preferences. African music plays in the background but it’s a bit too loud making it a little difficult to hold conversations. Also they could probably play some popular songs in between which would make the crowd feel at home. “There are a lot of Italian, Chinese and Mexican food joints in the city. Barcelos introduces a completely different range of flavours. The Black Burger is just one of the many surprises that we have in store for our customers. We will be introducing new dishes after a span of every 3-4 months”, says Mr. Kuldeep, manager of the Khan Market outlet. The franchise is expected to expand itself as they hope to open about 8-10 branches by the end of 2015.

With its authentic cuisine and gastronomic delicacies, it seems like Barcelos is here to stay!

Cost for 2- Rs. 1000

Address- Shop 57, Khan Market, New Delhi

Phone no.- 01133105219

Anubhav Sapra

Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on January 28, 2015 January 28, 2015

Market Café’s all-new Winter Menu

By Anubhav Sapra

Recently, I was invited to review the winter special menu of Market Café, a multi cuisine restaurant in Khan Market. Market Café is well known for its Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine. It has a nice terrace where one can bask in the sun, and experience the incomparable view of the lush greenery around.

I started my food journey with a hot piping roasted pumpkin and beetroot soup served with their in-house baked bread, lightly buttered and toasted. The soup was thick and had a nice texture with small pieces of roasted pumpkin in it. I also tasted the zesty chicken soup, which had the right tinge of lemon with some little chicken chunks.

On Mr. Ajay’s recommendation, the restaurant manager, I was served Asparagus Cigar Rolls and Mumbai Street Sandwich. The Mumbai Street Sandwich was stuffed with potatoes, peas, cucumber, onions, and tomatoes. The insides of both the breads were wrapped evenly with coriander and mint chutney. I loved the way the Mumbai Street Sandwich was made, with sweet and savory chutney, which was a nice combination indeed. It seemed that the chef made it the way I liked. The other starter, the Asparagus Cigar Rolls were a bit of a disappointment. The oil overpowered the crust and cheese seemed to have mixed itself well with the oil.

In the main course, I was served the London fish and chips, which consisted of crumbed fried fish fillet served with tartar sauce. Although fried, it was light and delicious, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The taste was simply awesome. Chicken parmesan was another dish. The sight of it was heavenly. It seemed to have a breaded base and a fried chicken breast layered with tomato sauce, further topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The chicken was juicy and soft with all the ingredients in right amount. Till the time I could taste another dish, I was quite full but could not resist my carnivore instinct and straightaway, asked for lamb chops with three pepper sauce. The grilled lamb chop was tossed with cayenne white pepper, paprika, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Yet another dish served was the Pesto Delight, a pizza with my favourite pesto sauce. The aroma of it was enough to feed my senses. Thin crust pizza was wrapped in pesto sauce, served with farm vegetables, and was topped with mozzarella cheese. However, the crust being thin was also crispier.

I rounded off my food journey with the all the three signature desserts of Market Café – Tiramisu, Philadelphia Cheesecake, and Gooey Chocolate. It was indeed a great treat for my taste buds.

Also included in the winter menu is the barbeque on the terrace. The winter menu has a wide array of other delectable dishes and is available till March 31^st, 2015, everyday from 12 noon to 12 midnight. Bask in the sun this winter. Go on to have a wonderful lunch on Market café’s terrace!

Address: 8, Khan Market

M-40, FF, GK-2, Main Market.

Cost of meal for 2 – Rs. 1400.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on September 20, 2014

Cocktail Magic at Mamagoto

September 20, 2014

Cocktail Magic at Mamagoto

By Aisha Bhattacharaya

A warm September evening, good company, food and innovative cocktails in glasses crammed with ice cubes. That’s when you realise that life is good. This was the scene last evening at Mamagoto in Khan Market.

As a brand that is associated with fantastic food and has been around for 4 years already, it is safe to say that Mamagoto is here to stay and has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. They are well known for the wide spread of Asian food that is always cooked to perfection and maintains a consistency of standard. To add to this they are now experimenting with various new cocktails. I was lucky enough to get an invite for a Bloggers meet to try out their exciting new cocktails and give feedback.

There are 5 new cocktails on the menu:

1. Mama Gymkhana (359): honey, fresh ginger, hazelnut essence and orange juice mixed with blended scotch (Black & White)

2. The Botanist (399): Gin (Tanqueray), light coriander, muddled cucumber with sugar and lime

3. Oriental Pop (359): basil leaves muddled and balanced with white chocolate syrup, white rum (Bacardi), sugar and lime

4. Ohjay (359): cinnamon essence, spiced rum (Captain Morgan’s), orange juice, orange chunks and lime

5. Passion fruit mojito (359): the classic Cuban cocktail of mint, lime chunks, sugar and white rum (Bacardi) gets a nice tropical twist with some passion fruit puree

The first drink I tried was the Ohjay – the idea of Captain Morgan’s spiced rum with orange and cinnamon was rather exciting. The drink is visually appealing and was served in an Old Fashioned glass on ice and was garnished with a lovely orange spiral. Initially, I couldn’t get a strong enough flavour of the spiced rum and the orange juice was overpowering mostly because of its typical Real packet juice flavour. I felt the rum travel down my oesophagus and leave its distinct burning trail but other than that it didn’t pack a punch. The marketing manager for Azure hospitality, Priyanka Shangari was present at the event and came over to me and asked me what I felt. I told her and she called the bartender and asked him what could be done to make the drink more suitable for me. He asked me why I didn’t like it and I told him I prefer the taste of fresh OJ over tetra-pack OJ. He offered to remake the drink with fresh orange juice and I agreed. The fresh orange juice version of Ohjay was absolutely delicious! The fresh orange juice enhanced the cinnamon flavour which in turn added to the spicy flavours of the rum. This version hit all the right spots.

The second drink was the Mama Gymkhana – I was very interested to see how hazelnut would pair with honey, ginger and blended scotch. First off, visually similar looking to the Ohjay in terms of the glass and colour but on closer inspection you see the ginger slices on top. This drink is well blended and extremely smooth. If I didn’t know there was supposed to be hazelnut I wouldn’t guess off-hand that there was any. One of the other bloggers got his drink changed and said it was better with more hazelnut and less honey. I liked it anyway. It’s a brilliant drink and would go down well with men and women even though most people think women don’t drink scotch.

Next we tried the Oriental Pop – here again some interesting combinations of basil leaves and white chocolate syrup. I tried some of the syrup separately and it was pretty good. Visually the drink looks like Limca with basil leaves. The taste is interesting. A little sweet for me and the Bacardi has a strong hit. But an innovative concoction deserves credit and they’ve managed to pull it off.

The Botanist was being served to someone else and it looked good. Similar to the Oriental Pop in terms of colour but the clear distinction of the coriander leaves was there. So, I asked if I could try some and a sip was had. Not much was clear in that one sip. A very light flavour that is quite neutral. Maybe more could be done to the drink in terms of giving it that extra punch but I’m not so sure. I didn’t have enough to judge it in a real sense.

Last but definitely not the least was the Passion Fruit Mojito – unlike any other mojito you’ve ever had. The first mix they gave me was sharp, sour and the Bacardi was overpowering. The passion fruit and lime accentuated all the sour notes of the drink and the Bacardi being particularly strong just made it very hard to drink. I walked up to Priyanka and asked her if some changes could be made and she kindly agreed. I asked the bartender to go easy on the lime and put a little extra sugar syrup and to add some of the fresh orange juice that had been squeezed for the modified Ohjay. He topped the drink with Soda this time and Wow! The right balance was needed and this went straight to the top as my favourite of the 5 drinks on the new menu.

Mamagoto has been in a constant endeavour to give people a fantastic food experience and that achievement has led to the quiet incorporation of an innovative drinks menu that will give your taste buds a real kick and get the party started for you whenever you want. The new cocktails are tasty, innovative and definitely worth a try. Another thing which should be mentioned is that they are not stingy with the amount of alcohol in their cocktails. You can taste the liquor and you know you’re paying for a worthy drink. Their ability to take feedback and implement it immediately is amazing. Most places say, “It’s made like this here”. But not at Mamagoto, if they can make something better and improve your culinary experience they will. This is not to say that every person who says something is bad just for the sake of it will be accommodated but to say that if you have a genuine problem they will try their best to sort it out for you.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on July 20, 2014 September 20, 2014

Mamagoto

Mamagoto

By Akshita Singh

Sought for its wide array of Asiatic cuisines, Mamagoto has brought in another fascinating element to its miscellany, centering around the Vietnamese Banh Mi. In the sultry, near searing early monsoon afternoons, multiplicity and diversity in breads and beverages is precisely what we all yearn for. In light of this, it won’t be wrong to say that Mamagoto has brought in the right variation at the right time. Walking into Mamagoto is synonymous with walking into a pool of vibrancy and radiance. Thankfully, a late afternoon visit toned down the hustle and bustle to the level at which neither were we disturbed by the usual clamor nor were we dulled by the relative quietude.

An ensemble of mocktails – connected by the common thread of two fruits per drink and a strong flavor of tea – arrived with loads and loads of ice cubes. The multitude of ice, which is quite appropriate in this heat, literally made it impossible for us to stir the drinks! Beside that, the mocktails were generally refreshing and the mint helped a lot with that. Every sip had an initially fruity succulence to it that quickly vanished so as to be replaced by the longer lasting tea flavor. Tropical Twist, a mango and pineapple blend with the usual tea, was a stimulating drink which fell short of perfection by the overpowering tea blunting the sweetness of mangos and pineapples. This drink, which is a mutated version of ice tea, had a stinging bitterness which should be looked into. Lesser tea, shorter brew, a milder version and many other little changes could help with that. The presentation could have been much more impressive. A thin slice of mango, hastily pushed into the mocktail, wasn’t that engaging a sight. It merely camouflaged with the rest of the drink so you could just barely see it. A more craftily cut mango or pineapple, induced on to the rim would have been much more interesting and noticeable.

Banh Mis, or the Vietnamese baguettes, served with a plethora of different stuffings, was a truly novel experience in itself. The symmetric display of all the various kinds, amusingly contrasted with the heterogeneity in the surroundings. Little bowls of mango salsa, chili sauce and a salad along with potato wedges served with all the baguettes provided the compelling consistency.

The vegetarian segment, in particular, was possibly an untested experiment by Mamagoto as well considering vegetables seldom find their way into Banh Mis.With regards to that, it is all the more laudable that they tried making a decent number of vegetarian choices available to their customers. The first of those to come our way was the the Santosa Islands Sub. You can only speculate that this bread is a delicacy in the Santosa Islands. A largely shiitake mushroom filling, typical in East Asian nations, along with caramelized onions, red bell pepper and a mint layering was a delightful melange. Its appreciable that they were careful to choose the specific variant of mushroom that is eaten in the Asiatic part they represent. Eating the bun could be a task altogether, what with all the shiitakes slipping down and jumping off the bread from all sides. If thats an issue, then a similar salad that they prepare, by basically parting with the bread and keeping the rest of it about the same, could be a better alternative. The multi grain bread was another good effort on their part to make the meal healthier. Now, how healthy it actually is, hinges on how much oil is spread on the inside and on how many potato wedges you gobble down. This sub was on the spicier side so if you want to alleviate that spiciness, dip the bun further into the mango salsa and keep the sauce aside for the wedges. Oh, and about the mango salsa – trying it without anything at all is terrific idea. The fascinating piquancy, along with the little bits of mango themselves was an amazing thing in itself.

The next vegetarian sub was the Veggie Thai Ball. The balls were anything like the rougher, hurried takes at corn and Paneer Koftas or the vegetable manchurians. That said, this surprisingly was a very agreeable dish! Whether or not it blended well with the usual mango salsa, chili sauce or the salad in debatable, but just the bun with the kofta- like stuffing was a delightful merger of two unlikely components. The salt was on the higher side but the the mintiness of the interior came out stronger and better. The basil, like in the thai herbs previous sub, kept the Thaish chunk of the baguette alive.

An attentive bunch of stewards and pretty quick arrival of drinks and dishes made the experience better. The chef attempted and almost succeeded in answering our queries about the ingredients . One slight error on part of one steward – his calling the Veggie Thai Balls the Santosa Islands Sub – was quickly corrected by another stewardess. Entertaining conversations transpired with the Managers all through the course of the meal – concerning Mamagoto, its food and numerous other things. They extended genuine interest and concern toward our intermittent, impromptu feedbacks and offered to interact with and take suggestions from any dissatisfied customer.

A compact seating arrangement, like in many other Khan Market joints, was made captivating with the eclectic graphics of and from different Asian people and cultures. There was a poster of someone like cheerful Japanese wrestlers on one side, striped tigers on the other, Vietnamese women on another and playful Thai girls on yet another. The sunglow yellow internal partition and the electric crimson walls complemented the rest of the colorful artistry. Some nagging flies, circling every glass and bowl that was placed on the table, were the only obstacles to an otherwise perfectly well kept place. The reddish shade emanating from all side, in the dim lit restaurant could provide for a very romantic dining experience for couples.

Mamagoto’s innovation is a nice effort that has a few rough patches presently which could disappear soon enough, to pull off a fantastic food adventure for all those who try banh mis. One visit to Mamagoto, and one try at both the Banh Mis and the tea flavored mocktails, is highly recommended. A new effort definitely merits another chance. So, go there and mamagoto – play with food!

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on July 18, 2014 September 20, 2014

Sub or Salad?

Which way do you swing – Sub or Salad?

By Aisha Bhattacharya

How do you say something new about a place that has been around for 4 years? Simple,” Mamabuns”.

To bring in their 4^th Birthday, the latest offering from Mamagoto has everything you could want and more. The menu is peppered with heaps of options for their new Asian sandwiches. This includes subs, burgers and for the health conscious an option to turn your sub into a salad. Just look for the asterisk next to the name of your desired sub and it can be made the salad way. It’s a veritable playground for non-vegetarians with various combinations of meats and dressings. There are prawn, chicken, lamb, pork and fish options. And yes a substantial vegetarian selection with Tofu and Mushrooms among other things. We were lucky enough to be invited to the outlet in Khan Market to sample this menu and I have to admit that I’m now an even bigger fan than I already was!

We started with the ‘Cheeky Seoul Pork’ which I chose to have as a salad instead of a sandwich because, like every other girl my only aim in life is to eat what I want without getting fat. Unfortunately, my body doesn’t grant such wishes so salad it was. The pork is marinated in a Korean style chilli marinade and is cooked to melt-in-the-mouth perfection. The salad is a combination of fresh lettuce, caramelised onions and succulent pork bits. In a city where I have never found really well cooked pork in a restaurant, this Korean style pork was a revelation. It is a generous portion of salad that would make for a perfect guilt-free lunch.

The next dish to arrive was the ‘Singapore University Canteen Chicken Burger’. A burger is not a burger till there is a bun and I succumbed to the idea of a juicy chicken patty sandwiched in a bun. The patty is juicy and lightly spiced. The buns and patties are made at Mamagoto and taste absolutely fresh. It is such a relief to get a burger bun that is made in-house. The taste and texture are definitely well worth the extra effort.

‘The Asian Prawn Cocktail’ came highly recommended and did not disappoint. This was another sub turned salad that we ordered because it just sounds better as a salad. The prawns are steamed and tossed in a chilli mayo dressing. It was mildly flavoured and very light on the stomach. The salad leaves were a mix of Rocket leaves, Iceberg lettuce and Green leaf. The rocket leaves were a tad bitter but the salad was pretty good overall.

One of us was vegetarian so we ordered the ‘Sentosa Island Sub’ for her. I had a piece and it was delicious. Filled with sautéed mushrooms – shitake and button mushrooms mainly. Beautiful flavours that brought out the goodness of the mushrooms and the Asian inspiration behind the dish. The mushrooms are chopped so it is a little messy to eat. But, that shouldn’t deter you because it is definitely worth a try.

All Mamabuns come with Chilli Mayo, Potato Wedges, Mango Salsa and an Asian pickle.

Mamagoto has also introduced some new flavoured iced teas and we tried a few – the Blood orange was not available so I opted for the Easy Peezy Strawberry. A strawberry and kiwi infused tea that is refreshing on the palate. The only curious thing about it is the mango yellow colour. The restaurant uses Basilur tea leaves for the decoction, a premium tea from Sri Lanka which lifts the flavour of the entire drink.

I ended up ordering dessert as well because it was offered to me. I know, I shouldn’t have but, this is the only life I get and I don’t want to live regretting that missed opportunity. The ‘Crunchy Nutella Mousse’ is oh, so good! It hits all the right spots and makes you discover new ones. Not overly sweet and a portion just right that leaves you feeling satisfied.

A lot of thought and experimentation has gone into creating this new menu. The team travelled to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam for inspiration that is displayed clearly on the plate. If you love Asian food, this is a must-try menu for you!

P.S: Mamagoto has a competition on Instagram: Take a photo of your Mamabun before you start eating. Use the hashtag #Mamabuns and tag @mamagotofunasian. The best photos will get 50% off on their next bill. Hurry up!

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on April 19, 2014 April 26, 2015

Play With your Drinks

April 19^th, 2014

Play With your Drinks

By Aisha Bhattacharya

Hello Boozy Birds,

I love impromptu invitations to tastings of new drinks menus (alcoholic). I mean, who doesn’t? I was fortunate enough to have received a fun invite to Mamgoto in Khan Market last evening. Now, when someone tells me to play with my drink, I’m not quite sure what to make of it? Because we were told as children not to play with our food, so this concept unsettled me.

I reached at 7 pm and was sent to a table reserved for a Bloggers meet at the terrace. I was the first person to be seated and had to wait for all the other fashionably late Delhiites to arrive. The event started at about 8 pm. One of the Co-founders Rahul Khanna introduced himself and the concept of ‘Play With Your Drinks’. Mamagoto will let you be your own bartender for the night, bringing out the hidden mixologist in you. This interactive bar allows the consumer to choose from a massive spread of alcohol, mixers, glassware and garnishes to help you make your own unique Cocktail. The best part is you even get to name your cocktail. Hence, the Play part of the theme for the evening.

We were divided into teams of two and each team had to make a cocktail. Rahul was watching every step of what alcohol base we used, whether a fresh fruit was being used or just Monin’s syrup, if we used herbs in correct combinations and how the drink was served. He then tasted each drink and scored each team. A winner was announced at the end of the event and the two boys who won got a Goodie bag each of Mamagoto merchandise.

Rahul Khanna is a Mixologist and spent the better part of the evening helping the rest of us get acquainted with what goes into making combinations while mixing drinks. For e.g. Don’t use crushed ice in a shaker as it dilutes the drink, when you muddle ingredients don’t transfer them to another glass but make the drink in that one itself and other such important tips. I noticed everyone listening eagerly while eating huge portions of their dinner that followed. Anything I say about their food, doesn’t do it enough justice. I just know that when in doubt, a bowl of Chicken broth for the Hungry Soul can do wonders or some Rock Shrimp Tempura with a couple of chilled beers on a warm sultry evening will hit all the right spots.

An exciting concept for those who don’t want to drink a cosmopolitan or an LIIT every time they go out, ‘Play with your Drink’ gives you the opportunity to think out of the box and have whatever combination comes to mind, provided they have the ingredients. The only downside being that if the drink tastes terrible, you only have yourself to blame. So, be wise while playing with your drink and have a good evening for just 315++ per drink! If you’re not feeling too adventurous and want to play it safe ask the in-house mixologist to create something for you or order a Cinnamon Whiskey Story pitcher and watch others make newbie mistakes. So bring a couple of friends and come ‘Play With Your Drinks’ at Mamagoto.

You already know what to do on Facebook so take photos of your drink and tag them. Also on Instagram – @MamagotoFunAsian or Twitter – @MamagotoFun. You could also use their hashtag #mamadrinkup

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on August 16, 2013 April 26, 2015

Life is too short, Eat dessert first

Life is too short, Eat dessert first

Mamagoto. What a fun name! Its literal translation is ‘to play with food’; a Japanese social experiment of sorts, involving infants to use their senses to understand the textures and shape of food. Indeed, a playful atmosphere is created by the kaleidoscopic set of imagery that is omnipresent in the restaurant. The illustrations on the walls to the detailing on the cushions really set up a very young first impression in your mind, which is full of energy and enthusiasm. The range of colours used is very wide, yet it does not hurt the eye. Therefore the flamboyant ambience of the place is definitely its unique selling point and is worthy of a 9/10 rating.

Seeing the paucity of authentic oriental cuisine restaurants, and exploiting the same as a lucrative opportunity, childhood friends, Kabir Suri and Rahul Khanna, the co-owners of Mamagoto, have made the idea become a real brand in no time. Mamagoto started its fruitful journey from its most popular branch located in Khan Market, in 2010, and has expanded since not just in NCR, but also has set foot in Mumbai. The restaurant was the first of its kind in terms of attractive and affordable destinations that could compete with the high-end long standing options of Taj and ITC Maurya. The menu is a fine blend of contemporary Thai and Japanese, with some original twists.

This particular dessert property that we went to review is called ‘Mama’s Sweet Spot’. The 4 desserts that we tasted are as follows:

Smoking Panda’s Lemon and Coconut Tart

Undoubtedly the best out of the four, it is an invention of Mamagoto. Its presentation is quite unique and the taste is unlike that of the standard desserts that are so popular in the market. Flakes of coconut whipped with lime, warm and crusty! The breakfast sugar seen in the corresponding picture has been removed from the dish now. Sourness and sweetness are balanced in an appropriate ratio, resulting in a one of its kind, pleasurable experience. The taste of coconut is carefully monitored, thereby preventing it from being overpowering. The outer layer is very crisp. Coconut flakes placed around the dish give it a beautiful appearance. It is definitely recommended to those who like to experiment with tastes.

Price(Rs)	Presentation	Taste
175+taxes	8.5/10	9/10

Country Style Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Peanut butter and brown sugar set with chocolate and cream. This dessert consists of 3 layers. The top layer is that of chocolate; the middle and bottom layers contain peanut butter, crackers, assorted butter, different types of cheese and almond essence. The bottom layer is harder and has a stronger flavour of peanut butter as compared to the middle one. Slicing the cheesecake vertically and then having it would make you realise how the taste of chocolate is lost, how it is engulfed in the peanut butter taste of the second and third layers, thereby making it almost non-existent. With consequent bites, the peanut butter taste grows stronger .All this results in a bit of disappointment for the customer as there’s not much speciality in this dessert for which he’ll be willing to pay about Rs 250. However peanut butter lovers will like this dessert for sure.

Price(Rs)	Presentation	Taste
245+taxes	7.5/10	7/10

Crunchy Nutella Mousse

As the name describes, the dessert is a blend of ingredients mingled in three layers, comprising of classic nutella hazelnut and chocolate sauce with biscuit crumbs and praline. Presented in a bowl, with nuts sprinkled on top, encompassing bifurcation of the three layers, easily visible to the eyes, the dessert tastes surprisingly salty in the first bite. However, as one moves on to finish the first layer, and pulls out a major chunk of the second layer, which is predominantly nutella, the dessert turns “too sweet” for the taste buds. The top most layer, boasting to be crunchy, loses its aura as it amalgamates with the nutella portion in the adjacent layer. But again, the astonishing part is the third layer, which also is in the same amount of contact with the second layer as the first one, remains as crunchy to the expectations of the brawling menu card. Having fiddled in with the intrinsic details of the constituents, the dessert includes within itself Amul milk chocolate, Philadelphia cheese, cracker, dry nuts and predominantly the before mentioned ingredients. . The dessert is undoubtedly a change from the routine affair that you’ll come across in various places, giving a somewhat justification to the unique conceptualized sweet eats, introduced by Mamagoto. However, if asked to choose among the four options when I visit again, this wouldn’t be topping my cloying craving, for the price portrayed doesn’t seem economical with the quantity offered.

Price(Rs)	Presentation	Taste
175+taxes	7.5/10	7/10

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Soft, smooth and dwindling as you take a bite, within seconds, like a molten lava cake. Yes that’s the classic chocolate brownie winner for you! A necessity that every bakery showcases, this dessert is definite yes for those who like to play safe when it comes to relinquishing their taste buds. Chocolate brownie cake sprinkled with chocolate chips, is a classic favorite, enjoyed by all. However, to add a bit of difference to it, a scoop of ice cream, chocolate leaves (as portrayed in the picture) or whipped cream can be included. The price, being not justifiable to the quantity offered, could be reduced catering to the simplicity and normality in taste. Overall, the cake does taste flawless, if not flourless!

Price(Rs)	Presentation	Taste
175+taxes	8/10	8/10

Apart from the desserts, we also tasted few of their starters and mocktails. Both starters, Bite Size Corn Fritter Balls and Hot Basil Chicken Cups were a class apart. Hot Basil Chicken Cups is a masterpiece pulled off in a blend of lettuce, bird eye’s chili and crushed pepper, is a non-veg starter to die for. The decoration is beautiful and unique in the form of cups cut out of lettuce and stuffed with a delicious mix of the aforesaid ingredients, on the spicy side though, but with a unique crunchy feel to it. Bite Size Corn Fritter Balls, the vegetarian starter was an absolute delight, with the crisp outer layer of the corn balls and an array of droolworthy sauces/dips that came along with it. The quantity was good, more than what is normally expected of a starter. Our joy was further enhanced by the accompanying mocktails, ‘Kiwi+Mint Collins’ and ‘Watermelon Beach’, to name a couple. The colour of both the mocktails was gorgeous and very attractive. Refreshing, delicious and of suitable quantity, the mocktails are sure to leave you in a state of ecstasy.

Taste	Presentation	Value for money
9.5/10	9/10	8.5/10

So Mamagoto is a fun place for sure; even though the desserts disappointed us at some level, the amazing starters and mocktails more than made up for them. They are going to launch 4 new desserts in the coming time and surely the launch is awaited by us!

Ayushi Teotia and Gopal Seth,Foodie Correspondents

16th August,2013

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com