38 BARRACKS: A CULINARY EXPERIENCE AT A COLONEL’S HO– USE
38 Barracks revolves around a very interesting concept. The manager narrates his encounter with a colonel in a train journey. He was highly impressed with his experience and one day decided to revamp his café into 38 Barracks, a living room and a balcony of a retired army colonel.
The décor of the place defines colonel’s journey of the military background and his personal likings.
The place has splendid atmosphere. Just at the entrance, there are beautiful vases and fresh flowers, a cage and decorative lamps. A wall is purely dedicated to the medals and certificates he earned in his journey. Since he was a sportsperson also, his golf kit and gloves are assembled near the entrance itself. Replicas of guns are also showcased on the walls.
The ambiance in general has maintained his essence and preserved the things he cherished, his cap, vintage radio, his uniform and missile boxes.
After exploring the whole area, we ordered mocktails for ourselves. I tried the fresh lime soda and Sergent Mocktail. Fresh Lime Soda was invigorating and served in an innovative way.
Moving towards the starters, we tried Corn Tart which were laid on a banana leaf. The tarts were crumble and filled with cheesy corn filling with a tangy salad to compliment.
Beetroot Galauti Kebabs were displayed with utmost professionalism. They were crisp on outside with a soft sweet filling of mashed beetroot inside. The mint chutney was superbly compatible with it.
Paneer Tikka seemed beautiful. Perfectly and delectably marinated from outside, it was extremely moist. They were cooked near to perfection and was sprinkled with coriander on its top which increased its ethicality.
Veg Dim sums was another exquisite dish. Served in a typical style bamboo container, the dim sums were very delicate. Filling was a mixture of paneer and other veggies, perfectly sautéed and flavourful. 3 dips were served out of which chilly dip was the best due to perfect balance of chilly in it.
Spankopitta was another off centered and a colourful dish. It was basically a puff patty with filling of Fetta cheese and spinach. It was served with a tangy tomato dip and sour and sweet veggie salad. Just take a bite of it and drool in its scrumptious Indian flavours.
The Chicken nuggets were juicy with a crunchy coating. They were presented ingeniously in the back seat of a toy truck. Mango mayonnaise was something new that I tried and they were perfect to go with these crunchy chicken bites. We also tried Dahi Ke Kebab which were satisfactory.
Moving towards the main course, we ordered Dal Makhni, Khatta Baingan, Paneer Makhni and Chicken Gravy with garlic breads. The food spread was a treat to the eyes.
Dal makhni was served in a beautiful golden pan. The quantity was a bit low but flavours were tremendous. It was flavourfully cooked. Khatta Baingan was the best dish served. Brinjal isn’t a dish one would order in a café, but trust us, it was fabulous. The gravy was scrumptiously made, brinjal was moist and soft. The tangy flavor of this dish with garlic bread and some mint chutney was a treat to my taste buds.
Paneer Makhni was palatable, just like a usual plate of marinated paneer with indian spiced capsicum of all colours and sauted onions and garlic.
Chicken gravy was a delicacy. The chicken was utter tender and accompanied the naan well. The gravy was very distinguished from all other dishes, unlike that of any other café.
Overall, the main course was zestful.
Even though we were quite filled up, there is always a room for desserts! We ordered Rasgulla pie with vanilla ice craem and chocolate sauce. The presentation was yet again superb. The pie had a sugar coated crust and a soft filling like that of a rasgulla, overloaded with almonds. The vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce jelled with the pie amazingly.
Visit to 38 Barracks was a booster pack. Beautiful ambiance, luscious food and courteous staff all bundled together at one place, it’s a must visit.
WRITER: Nimisha Dutta
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