Cafe Torque is an ideal place for bikers who love their chicken with a desi twist, says Trisha Mukherjee
Super-bikes, a World map made of nuts and bolts, banisters propped with chains, guitars made of heavy metal and a bar mural paying tribute to the intricate design. All this lend a grungy, garage look to the interiors of Cafe Torque in Vasant Vihar. Its interiors are likely to remind you of the scenes from the classic, Pulp Fiction.
The cafe is the latest in the list of ‘biker cafes’ in the city. It caters chiefly to the interests of those who are fond of biking. Bikes on display and related accessories are on sale. Even the menu is designed keeping in mind the choice of the bikers. The consultant chef of the cafe, chef Arun Chanda said, “Bikers love their meat, so we have all kinds of meat — from chicken and lamb to beef and pork. There is an interesting list for the vegetarians as well.” Even the dishes in the menu are listed with gears, suspensions, shockers and tiers. “Everything here is customised. The names of the food items have the bikers’ jargons and the installations have been designed by an Indore-based artist,” said the chef.
Torque is extremely American in concept but the cuisine is global. “The cuisine is a fusion of food from across the globe with a touch of Indian flavour. For example we have African cuisine but it is spicy African,” added Arun.
Our delectable drive began with fruit smoothies choco-bana and mango tango. Made with fresh mangoes, yogurt and cream, mango tango is one of their bestsellers. Served in a tall slender glass garnished with a mango piece at the top, the drink was indeed the king of smoothies. Asian paan mojito is the cafe’s signature drink.
As starters, crispy chilly poppers filled with cheese are a veggies’ delight. However, non-vegetarians have to make a difficult choice between chicken and bacon suspensions and prawn stars, for both are equally irresistible and filling. As we moved ahead in the evening, the platter only diversified. Although nachos belong to the American cuisine, kidney beans that they are served with, retain the Indian flavour. The dish is topped with molten cheese and garnished with sour cream on the side.
For the main course, we were offered lamb chops and three cheese pesto pizza. While cheese pizza might sound regular, its taste was not. Garnished with rocket leaves and black olives, it was perfectly crisp. “Along with flour, we also use semolina to add crunch to the crust,” the chef said.
The lamb chops are coated with Indian masala and served with mashed potatoes on the side with mint jelly. The chef informed, “Mint goes very well with lamb. It is one of the best combinations. That is why in Indian cuisine the lamb kebabs are mostly served with mint chutney.”
The chef recommended us his another specialty, zucchini rolls. Zucchini is a Mediterranean vegetable belonging to the family of squash. “The vegetable is rolled and stuffed with cheese from different countries and is served with the African sauce harrisa,” the chef said.
Mustard and sprouts used in the dishes are grown in the Torque’s kitchen. “We call them micro greens. We usually use them for garnishing,” said Arun.
To end our meal on a sweet note, we opted for French caramel pudding, crema catalana.
“The pudding is made with eggs, and the crust is made by burning the sugar on the top with a torch,” informed the chef. Next in line was the classic English dessert — freshly fried apple rings served with scoops of vanilla ice cream.