THE COMMON ROOM
By Prakriti Bhat
With the mushrooming of several cafes in the capital, sometimes things become a bit monotonous since most of them offer the same dishes, more or less. However, places like The Common Room are a breath of fresh air. It is a fusion of your regular college cafes, and a pub. On 8th October, the restaurant hosted a Bloggers’ Meet. Owned by Dinesh Arora, The Common Room is the latest entrant in the ever bustling B.K. Dutta Market and is a walking distance from the Rajouri Garden Metro Station.
The ambience has elements of both, a café and a bar. It’s a delightful combo. It has the casual and cosy atmosphere of a café with funky posters and bookshelves. A vintage radio sits atop one of the shelves while the restaurant logo rotates on a disc on the wall. On the other hand, the minimalistic décor, furnishings and bare brick walls combined with a sassy yet gorgeous bar incorporate the Pub factor. Industrial lampshades illuminate the place. Even the bar counter has a rustic exterior. And icing on the cake? Live band everyday!
We began our culinary ride with beverages. Litchi Caipiroska was average. It tasted more like a litchi flavoured soda as fizz overpowered the Litchi juice. Peach Iced Tea was good but did not stand a chance in front of the Kiwi Cucumber Sparkler which was marvelous. The blend of Kiwi and Cucumber rejuvenates your senses. A juicy slice of Kiwi enticed me from within the jar. Chocolate Fudge Brownie Shake had a smooth texture and was simply bliss. Every sip made me thirstier even though it was heavy!
Kalegee Pao, as the name suggests was a dish of chicken kidney (kalegee), flavoured with spices. It was definitely a spicy start to the meal. Kung Pao Chicken was a bit of a disappointment. Though the chicken was saucy from outside, the spices and sauces did not seem to have seeped inside. Moreover, Shinchan would definitely not be happy with the quantity of capsicum put in! It was too much with respect to the amount of chicken. Spiderman Sausage Racing Car is a hot dog with wacky presentation (though I don’t remember Spiderman ever having a racing car!). Mustard sauce and Tomato ketchup create a web of sorts over the hot dog. However, the bun was too thick for the sausage. So even though there were lots of sauces and a delicious sausage, the taste of bread conquered it all.
One can never go wrong with the classic combo of fish fingers and tartare sauce. Their Fissy Fingers had a crispy coating and thankfully did not crumble. A platter of Onion rings was served with an assortment of sauces and dips. Kanda Bhajji ke Pao was simply onion rings in a Pav bun; nothing exciting. Arabian Nights was a wholesome Mezze Platter.
Among the main course, Mutton Keema Curry Pasta scored high on concept. The combination of keema and pasta was quite different but the sauces weren’t sufficient. Similarly, Basil Pesto and Cream Pasta failed to impress; it wasn’t as cheesy as it is supposed to be. On the other hand, Chicken Caesar Pizza was loaded with cheese but was quite bland. For dessert, we tried Spiderman Cigar which were oven baked crunchy rolls. The filling was brilliant but the covering was too feeble to hold the chocolate and nuts. Nevertheless, full points for innovation and presentation.
The menu has been crafted in a very innovative manner with quirky names being given to each dish like Raste ke Omlettes, Melting Umbrella, Moglee Ka Chilly Paneer, Bruce Lee ke Tandoori Dimsums. But unfortunately, options for vegetarians are quite limited. The highlight of the menu was their Beer Cocktails which is something relatively new in the market. To all the budding singers and bands (and bathroom singers!), this is the place to showcase your talent. Sit back and unwind with the music as you gorge on their delicacies.
Address- J2/6B, 2nd Floor, B.K. Dutta Market, Rajouri Garden
Cost for two- Rs. 1200
Contact No.- 01133105041