Though there is nothing too surprising about the menu at Storm Bar and Grill, well-planned interiors and an option to save your half-finished bottle of alcohol for your next visit are appealing, says Trisha Mukherjee
It is interesting to note how food spaces have diversified into cafe-cum-workplaces, lounge-cum-corporate seating and so on. Restaurateurs in town are coming up with smart ways and utilising the space available in such a way that it caters to varied interests. One such smartly conceptualised place is Storm Bar and Grill at East of Kailash. Keeping in mind that the area is frequently visited by corporates, students and families, the huge space is neatly divided into a dim-lit lounge and a relatively brighter dining area with a bar comfortably placed in the centre. “located in one of the business hubs of the city, the crowd is either corporate or families,” said Shamit, the owner of the place. As we waited for the starters and got chatting, I was served a chilled glass of pomegranate mojito. Appropriately garnished with mint leaves, the drink was refreshing. Shamit informed, “Along with the place, we have revamped the menu for the season.”
The menu has been crafted carefully to offer ample choices to both vegetarians and non vegetarians. As recommended by chef Sunil, the head chef, we started our meal with gahloti kebabs, cigar rolls and dahi ke kebab. “Gahloti kebabs are from lucknow, they usually are served with crispy varki parantha.” Dahi ke kebab was succulent. While you might expect a spongy batter beneath the cornflour crust, the hung curd immediately melts into your mouth with the very first bite. “Cornflour is added to the hung curd along with a variety of Indian spices. The curd batter is then doused into cornflour and deep fried,” said Sunil.
Cigar rolls are a must-have for cheese lovers. Smoked cheese filled in small rolls and dipped in sweet and sour sauce in tequila glasses will surely leave you asking for more. The fungi pizza will also cater to your cheese cravings. Thin crusted and topped with molten cheese, the pizza is another must-have.
A glass cupboard of half filled liquor bottles caught my attention. It’s called the alcohol library. “When a big group comes to dine and orders a bottle of alcohol, there are times they fail to finish it. In such cases, we keep the bottle under the customers’ names, so that they can consume it the next time they visit,” Shamit informed. While the starters were picked up from across the globe, the main course had more Indian variants. Served on a huge platter were jannat-e-numa, paneer lababdaar, firangi Patiala handi and daal storm along with butter naan. While jannat-e-numa and paneer lababdaar had familiar tastes, the daal storm and Patiala handi were a delicious surprise. “Vegetables like baby corn, broccoli and three coloured capsicums are prepared in a desi handi with myriad spices,” said the chef. “Daal storm is our USP. It is nothing like the daal makhani that is available elsewhere,” added Shamit.
To end the meal perfectly there was fried ice-cream.