From a beginner to an enthusiast to a whisky connoisseur, there is something interesting in store for everyone. By Team viva
Taking on progressive cooking and fusion cuisine, Whisky Samba in one word stays with the millennial. Enter and behold the beautiful bar that showcases premium scotch and you would be smitten. The place has a beautiful outdoor and a very comfortable indoor seating where the staff is at your beck and call and the presentation of the dishes is on point and avante garde.
located in Gurugram’s new food hub One Horizon Centre, this uber cool lounge was launched recently. And with a full-blown whisky lounge — it’s finally time to rejoice. From beginners to an enthusiast to a whisky connoisseur, there is something interesting in store for everyone.
The menu specialises in chargrilled meats. It is creatively designed and pairs up amazingly with all the drinks. As soon as we sat down, we were served with a welcome drink called boarding pass. This whisky-based cocktail had ginger ale, Red label whisky and angostura bitters. Along with it we were served the amuse bouche which was called the parmesan basket comprising ricotta, parmesan and gouda cheese. The parmesan basket was a burst of flavours. The tanginess and the creaminess of the dish, enhanced by the crisp tiny toasts with a pungent taste, and accompanied by a decadent sour cream made this light appetiser perfect. Next came achari chicken on a parmesan biscotti topped with pickled gherkins, sour cream and chives. The subtle flavours of chicken spoke something of the chef’s ability to lend the bird an entirely different character. This bite-sized dish would leave you asking for more. It is highly recommended.
The palate cleanser before the main course was an art piece. It was whisky sour ice shavings topped with fermented lily and passion fruit bubble covered with chocolate. The dish had simple sweet and sour flavours with a twist of whisky sour. The fancy presentation of the dish and the ice shavings made the dish all the more appetising.
It was now time for getting our heads light. It was cocktail time. We started off with A Good Thyme. The cocktail was a blend of vodka, fresh ginger syrup, passion fruit and burnt thyme. The aromatic drink was perfect after a workday. We headed next for Secretoes. This gem was a blend of gin, limoncello, infused with mogra, triple sec and grapefruit juice. Not too hard, not very light, it was a perfectly balanced drink with lime flavour.
For the main course, we asked for goat cheese ravioli. This scrumptious new dish had sweet and tangy blend of flavours with saltiness of the goat cheese. Up next was mushroom risotto. The rice was cooked to perfection and was rich in flavours and creamy. Different textures of mushrooms were incorporated in the dish, one being pickled and the other being charcoal mushroom crisp. Both the vegetarian options in the main course are not only palatable but should be ordered and not had out of compulsion.
Moving on to the desserts, we must mention that the options made us feel like that these are future of sweet offerings. First we had Samba Style After Eight, which has a Magnum style ice cream bar made with fresh mint, no syrups or sauces happening here. And even more intriguing was the five textures of flamed pineapple, crisp fruit on top with a generous pouring of coconut cream. The coconut is not overpowering and the flavors of pineapple are spot on. We think that it is safe to say that we have found a paradise for all the whisky lovers out there, with a posh fine dine in the business park of Gurugram.