A newly-opened lounge at Hauz Khas Village is ideal for those who do not experiment with their food and like to be with the crowd
Considering it was a weekend and Hauz Khas Village, the crowd pouring post 11 was comparatively much more than we imagined. Either some places were shut for the day and those open were packed with people like they are the only joints to party in the Capital. We had heard that newly-opened Elf Café lounge is gaining popularity among club hoppers and we saw the craze live. Divided in two sections, the place offers ample space to party. The rings of smoke from the sheesha filled the air and the music — mix of popular English numbers, was loud.
Ordering food in such a frenzy was a difficult task. The place is known to serve the world cuisine. “The major specialties are doggie style hot dog, sea food meat steak, coriander crusted duck breast, Italian gorgonzola, romesco and shrimp pizza, kebab-e-zafraan, samudri dilruba, Spanish crepes de maiz and chicken espetada,” informed executive chef Bhaskar Juyal and he told us that everything is served authentic. It is only in their starter section they have some tandoor delicacies, apart from the appetisers there is hardly anything Indian on the list. What we could grasp by observing the guests there was that the pizza, pasta and an appetiser platter that served the variety like paneer tikka and spring rolls are guests’ favourite. “It is food that people can have while hopping on and off the dance floor. Even in the main course people prefer pizza caprioscca, barbecue chicken pizza chicken tagine, penne arabiata, gorgonzola pasta and a dish which is a potato pancake that comes with the stuffing of ricotta cheese and spinach,” commented chef Bhaskar.
We were served the famous from the list — appetiser platter, margharita pizza topped with basil leaf and creamy mushroom pasta. After sampling the fare we can say that the place must be crowded and might come up to the taste of a selected few but on days when you are not in a mood to be at your sophisticated best and want to order the tried and tested, this is ideal.