New In Town: The Junkyard Cafe, Connaught Place

Another addition to the ever-so-bustling food scene of Connaught Place. The Junkyard Café is by Umang Tewari, the same person behind Public Connection and Garam Dharam, among many others, and Junkyard is his best venture by far according to me. Innovative, quirky, modern and fun- that’s how I would describe this place.

Everything here is made of junk. Junk, something that doesn’t hold any value for someone, but may so for someone else- that is what the concept is. The décor, the utensils, the presentation, everything is made of junk material, but it doesn’t like the common conception of junk; it instead looks brilliant! Drawers, old typewriters and recorders, tyres, metal, glass bulbs- you name it and they’ve made something out of it. The bar looks fantastic with the light (was told it’s the longest bar in CP), one side of the restaurant has a ceiling made of hundreds of bottles, a robot made of junk metal, a dinosaur made of junk, walls made of tyres, drinks served in bulbs- there’s just too much intricacy in these fine details. The place has colour in everything! It looks so vibrant and appealing!

Spanish beer brand Mahou launches 'Clasica', a premium Lager beer in Delhi!

Launching their latest beer in the India market, Mahou, a Spanish beer brand launched in 1890 in Spain, comes out with Mahou Clásica. The beer that is the number one selling beer in the Spanish market launched its two other variants in India before Clásica- 5 Star and Dare Devil. Clásica, a premium lager beer was launched in India in September this year, and is available at quite a few wine and beer shops and bars/restaurants. And oh boy, does the bottle look amazing!!

With both other variants of Mahou being a hit, Clásica is a version that’s a little milder when compared to the other two, and not very grainy in texture too (just how I like it). With fruity flavours and a slight sweet tinge, the beer doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

The event at Pint Room where Clásica was launched, saw the Master Brewer of Mahou, Jose Julio telling us about the beer and how they incorporated the kind of taste they wanted. He showed us how beer should be poured in a glass and did so with such finesse! The CEO of Mahou India, Erik d’Auchamp was also present at the event and spoke to us about the pricing of Clásica and the logic behind it, and about their vision for the Indian market. 

Jose Julio

Eric d'Auchamp

Mahou Clásica is available both in the size of a pint and a bottle. The brand has a brewery in Rajasthan, and the light yummy beer is a perfect choice for beginners and for people who don’t like extremely bitter beers. The beer is delicious to the core and has now become one of my favourites! Went and purchased a few pints for myself after the event too!! Very smooth in texture and extremely refreshing, this one’s a promising brand for sure.

Mahou, along with its beers, brings a concept of Tapas nights with them. Beers in Spain are meant to be enjoyed, and tapas, which is food to nibble on while you drink, is something the Spanish simply adore. With a thought and a culture Mahou would like to imbibe, they are partnering with a lot of bars and restaurants where they will have 'Cañas n Tapas’ Nights and people can enjoy Mahou, Tapas and tap to some Spanish music too. Quite a concept that is!

Mahou Clásica is currently present in 6 states in India, and the brand will expand soon based on the response they receive.

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New In Town: Imly, Rajendra Place, New Delhi, dishing out street food from all across India!

A 250 feet long train that has an engine, wheels, the right colour of paint to give it a vintage feel, shelves with suitcases and bags over your heads, and televisions that show you the scene of how it is when you’re travelling in an actual train and looking out of the window. This is Imly for you- a restaurant that provides you an entire experience, and not just a meal.

Opened in the Hog Market of Rajendra Place, Imly has a hugeee area in front of the restaurant, and that is what makes it all the more attractive to passers-by. The restaurant is built in length, just like a train, and the seating is that of chairs and tables. The lighting is shades of yellow and the servers have really quirky outfits. Everything from the cutlery, the way it is packed, to the interiors, the menu in the form of a newspaper, and the whole essence of the restaurant- it really lives up to its concept.

I started my meal with a complimentary drink- Shikanji. Tasted the Kokum, Mango and Ginger flavours. Very refreshing with masala inside it, and served in a banta bottle, the Kokum flavour was my favourite!

A Lovely Sunday Brunch at Tamra, Shangri-La's - Eros Hotel, Delhi

I simply loved Tamra when I went for their dinner buffet a few months ago (read here), and I was sincerely hoping their Sunday Brunch would be even better! And better, it certainly was! Their Sunday Brunch has a different theme every week, so you're in for a surprise when you go. But the regular counters remain the same every Sunday.

The place is done up with utensils of copper and use of browns and shiny objects for the glint everywhere. Copper because Tamra means copper. Very plush seating with comfortable chairs and sofa chairs and the lighting suited perfectly for every meal of the day (dim at night and bright and sunny in the day).

Their Sunday Brunch has something for everyone- an Indian section combined with Coastal/Chettinad cuisine, an Oriental section with Thai, Chinese and Asian selections, a Sushi and salad counter for the sushi lovers and health conscious, a lovely European counter with the bakes and a live grill, a seafood counter to indulge yourself into, a chaat counter with dahi bhalle, gol gappe, papdi chaat, and lastly a very very impressive dessert counter that makes you want to skip to the last course almost immediately!