Indian Grill Room

The desolate facade of Gurgaon's Suncity Business Tower, on whose top floor the restaurant is perched, can be quite deceptive when you go over to dine on a weekend.

With the lights out in most offices in the compound you get an eerie feeling taking the elevator to the third floor. But once you emerge, it is a beautifully lit foyer complete with woodwork exhibiting candles in glass stands among other artefacts.

Taking time out from a frantic day, master chef Madhu Bhandari came up to greet us, and share with us the idea behind this unique fusion of kebabs. Says he, "My specialisation is kebabs and curries, and I thought of fusing the prominent Indian cooking styles on a single platter, and that's how you can find a Tabak Maaz of Kashmir being served alongside Karuveppilai Meen of Tamil Nadu."

Over here you get to see interesting paintings by anonymous artists of village women cooking in charcoal oven or going about their daily chores, besides a fine line-up of black and white pictures of the same theme, stained glass candle holders, earthen vases, and light spilling from every nook and cranny.

If already impressed, wait until you get to 'The Terrace' area. Interspersed with dimly lit pools, the space is dissected into two; one with seating on a sprawling lawn, the other in a large cabana.

Candlelight dinners make perfect sense in a setting like this. On a muggy summer evening, it is definitely saner to cast romance to the wind and settle for a seat indoors in the pleasant air-conditioned atmosphere.

While you still soak up the ambience, call for a cup of the refreshing Kahwa tea of Kashmir garnished with almond shreds. As the evening wears on, the music - a combination of Sufi and Retro - gains tempo. The activity picks up around the interactive grill station as guests and staff busy themselves with filling and refilling plates.

Grills here can double up for main course, and you never learn to say 'no' while they are being served to you, one delicacy after another.

So, this large assortment, if you are a meat eater, on a given day includes Gosht Galawat Kebab, Karuveppilai Meen (a Tamil Nadu specialty), Tabak Maaz (from Kashmir), Murgh Achari Kebab, Murgh Gilafi Seekh, and Jheenga Hara Masala. While vegetarians can take a pick from vegetarian Galawat, Hindu Kush Kebab, Panch Phooran Aloo (a Bengali preparation), Paneer Seekh, Bhuni Chaat, and Soya Tikka.

Taking time out from a frantic day, master chef Madhu Bhandari came up to greet us, and share with us the idea behind this unique fusion of kebabs. Says he, "My specialisation is kebabs and curries, and I thought of fusing the prominent Indian cooking styles on a single platter, and that's how you can find a Tabak Maaz of Kashmir being served alongside Karuveppilai Meen of Tamil Nadu."