FLYING SAUCER CAFE

Driving in to Epicuria, I enquired about the parking for Flying Saucer Cafe—which derives its name from the Greek custom of breaking crockery after a good meal—and was told the 16,000 sq feet alfresco restaurant provides guests with valet service. Impressed, I drove up to the entrance and walked into the spaceship-theme property with a mammoth bar. After all Priyank Sukhija is the undisputed food czar of the nation and is adept at imbuing culinary trends with high energy and style—the grunge-chic wooden interiors is accentuated by mood lighting and lively music though what arrested my attention were coasters and posters with quirky taglines like 'I'm gonna lick that plate café'.

As I waited for a friend to arrive, I scrolled the menu and skipping the soup and salad sections, ordered 'Lynchburg Lemonade'—whiskey blended with lavender and cinnamon, topped with lemonade. This was accompanied by platters of 'The Crumbed Mushrooms' and 'Calamari Fritti'. The cocktail was the first to arrive and the long first sip proved the mixologist really knew his stuff—it was refreshing and smooth as silk!. Up next, the food presentation was a visual tour de force. The calamari fritters served with lemon mayo was fresh and flavourful while crumbed mushrooms stuffed with mozzarella, cheddar and jalapeños was melt-in-the-mouth delicious, with the accompanying tangy jalapeño and tomato salsa imparting taste textures of its own. Heaven in a platter! At this point, my friend arrived and we dived into the entrees. While she chose 'The Arancini' the sea-foodie in me was lured by 'The Grilled Basa’. The tender basa—served with mash and greens—retained its moisture and each forkful evoked a satisfied glint in the eyes. It sure took the luncheon up a few notches to another level! My friend mentioned she is a regular here and always orders the crumbed risotto balls stuffed with shitake mushroom and served with spicy plum sauce. Stuffed to the brim I skipped dessert—I'm sure I'll be back soon to indulge in lamb chops and the vast assortment of burgers and then I'll leave room for something sweet!

Reflecting on the meal, though I've eaten at Priyank Sukhija's restaurants in Delhi NCR, I'm always impressed with the consistency in providing prompt service and quality food. The philosophy at Flying Saucer Cafe is surely based on his beliefs in ensuring guests gets their money's worth of good, freshly-prepared food in a hi-energy modern ambience. I’m not the only one who says this—observing adjacent tables' diners' facial expressions when their plates were set in front of them I saw widened eyes, satisfied grins and lips being moistened in anticipation of eating! Bon Appetite!

— JASMEEN DUGAL