The California Boulevard- a piece of sun kissed California right here in Delhi!!

Evoking California through the ambaence, food and music, is the California Boulevard which opened its second outlet few months ago in Sector 29 of Gurgaon. The brainchild and second avatar of seasoned hospitality professional Rajan Sethi it is a world-cuisine restaurant, that offers 300 delicacies from 30 countries. 

 

Ambiance:

The front of the building displays huge palm trees with golden lighting so that the place is visible even from a distance. Shining yellow Harley Davidson(the most famous and signature brand of US in India) parked at the entrance welcomes its patrons who can’t resist a selfie with the beauty. The bar is fashioned like a bright red colored tamp . From Hollywood posters to the  walk of fame (yayy…i finally got to walk the walk of fame right here in gurgaon…what more do i want!!) to designer furniture to fabulous music, everything falls into place in a harmonious manner.

The interiors of two floored California Boulevard are chic yet ooze out elegance, charm and luxury. The furniture is classy and comfortable. The walls have video panels that play lives and times of Hollywood stars and starlets whose birthdays fall in that specific month, trivia regarding the same. This is indeed a very nice touch since you won’t see the same thing on the walls again. They even host a big regal cinema display featuring old black and white movies on mute, on their wall that leads to the staircase for the first floor.  The restaurant has an al fresco seating at the back which can be used for small parties. Don’t miss the specially imported, original Californian surf boards hanging on the wall, and the famous LA Lakers.

 

Service:

I was welcomed by the manager, Mr. Sandeep Kumar, a very warm and friendly person with a welcoming smile on. The staff is well groomed and trained….and the service is spot on.

Be prepared to be pampered here as you are in for the white gloved service by smart and crisply dressed servers who are well versed with the dishes on the menu, are suggestive and courteous. They begin by placing a bowl with a minion cylinder of wet tissue which expands when hot water is poured atop. Thereafter the service is smooth.

 

Food:

 

 

 

Chef Karen Rawat has poured her love and passion for cooking in each every dish this place has to offer. What a mind blowing take on some of the dishes, be it the presentation or the flavor combo, she is bound to take you by surprise, special applause for her creative and immaculate work of art, wherein she actually presents the world on your plate(rem. they serve 300 dishes from 30 countries!!) and palate!!

 

 

i went to TCB with a few of my foodie friends and we were in for a feast, the food kept flowing from the kitchen, over stuffing or bellies…..but were we to complain….of course not….who would if one is enjoying an array of mouth watering delicacies!! 

 

we began with a round of drinks:

the cocktails consisted of Harley, Knuckle head( both on jack daniel base, served in a martini glass ; 

TCB wild liquid: an amalgamation of vodka, basil leaves & ginger, cranberry juice and soda…. ; Bubble champanska (made of sparkling wine, vodka and lemon juice) ; Grass hopper and for mocktails we had virgin mojito, caribbean beach (both the drinks were fizzy, with loads of mint….the latter comprised of orange and green apple hint as well) and ;

chilled blueberry soup: its called a soup but infact is a spectacular beverage made of blueberries, yogurt and kiwi, super light, fresh, chilled and perfect for the summer kinda drink….absolutely loved it….

all the drinks(cocktails and mocktails were great….loved ’em).

 

coming down to the variety of food we munched on, we began with:

dilli ki chaat: a very famous street food from the heartland of India, presented with the TCB take on it!! crispy deep fried super thin spinach leaves laced with cold yogurt, tamarind & mind chutney, loaded with crispy golden vermicelli!!

 

peri peri crispy chicken: perfectly breaded with corn crumb, super crispy, hot & fiery chicken tenders served with chipotle mayo dip…from the Portuguese cuisine this dish impressed us right away!!

 

bruschetta: an antipasto from Italy, a crisp garlic bread topped with cold dices of tomato, onion and  artichoke sprinkled over with rocket and cheese was refreshing with the dominant taste of tomato!!

 

thai wok fried chicken: from the streets of Thailand, morsels of tender juicy chicken tossed in soy, garlic, basil leaves and fresh chili, topped with spring onion was delicious!!

 

prawn spring roll: again a Thai dish, thin crispy pastry sheets filled with diced prawns, rice noodles, strips of carrot and shitake mushroom served in a sort of shot glass lightly dipped in mayo was tasty though the taste of prawn was overshadowed by other ingredients!!

 

sushi paneer: TCB version of indianised sushi, with chessy mushroom, ginger, mint rolled in coyyage cheese covering to make it look like a sushi, soft rolls served with 4 different dips: 2 of which stand out…garlic jam, onion jam( yes they had thick and sticky  jam like consistency and were super yumm!!

 

ganderi kebab: a Punjabi specialty, crispy minced chicken kebabs wrapped on a sugarcane stick( which if you take a good bite of and sink your teeth into with release the sweet sugarcane juice, which in turn perfectly complements the chicken mince, served with a trio of dips again in sort of a shot glass….super yummy!!

 

beer batter fish: fingers of river sole marinated and crispy fried in a beer batter to add up to the crispiness was perfectly cooked with moist fish inside and crispy coating outside, served with tartar sauce!!

 

after stuffing or bellies with this delicious mix of foos from various countries, we wanted a break from the food, during this time we were taken on a guided tour of the place and we again fell in love with the same!!

 

after a little conversation, a deep appreciation we were back to try the main course and of course the much awaited…desserts!!

 

to begin with, we were served two tasty salads:

Som tam: a spicy and tangy thai green papaya salad thinly diced, with palm sugar, roasted peanuts, cherry tomatoes and lime dressing was sweet, spicy and acidic…..a combination of all….. 

 

Classic chicken caesar salad: fresh ice berg lettuce, tender chicken strips, crispy croutons tossed with parmesan cheese and americano caesar dressing was creamy, light and perfectly well balanced!!

 

Californian taurus burger: being a taurean it got my attention, here they serve the bun along with lettuce and tomato separately and the lamb patty separately!! the bun was fresh and soft, the bbq lamb patty was super juicy and moist,,,,so juicy it was practically dripping from every bite, topped with melted cheddar cheese which made it so damn delicious and hard to resist, served with crispy fried potato wedges!!

 

TCB greek vegetable moussaka: a Greek delicacy, comprised of eggplant, zucchini, peppers layered and served on cinnamon spiked tomato based sauce!! topped with melted cheese and succulent eggplant!! full of flavors with well cooked veggies…a great delight for vegetarian people!!

 

Veg hakka noodles: non oily, tasty veg hakka noodles, though a street food of china, were tasty and flavorsome!!

 

stir fried garden greens: snow peas, bakchoy, broccoli, and chinese cabbage was vibrant in color, tossed in olive oil and lightly seasoned was a perfect accompaniment with the heavy yet mouth watering main course!!

 

spinach and ricotta cheese kofta: in the lines of sushi paneer, spinach wrapped over flavor packed and soft cottage cheese served with creamy saffron infused makhani curry!!

 

accompanied by gourmet naan: crispy naan with oregano, chipotle and fresh red chili, generously buttered went perfectly with the koftas!!

 

seafood thermidor: it was the show stopper!! enclosed in the canvas of a lobster was this French classic dish!! morsels of prawns, squid, lobster etc. cooked in white wine with mushroom and lemon was the highlight of it all!! perfectly balanced and cooked this dish is not only pleasing to the palate but also soothing to the eyes!!

 

finally after eating so much we arrived at the deserts department!!

three beautifully presented desserts with flavors that play magic on your palate and textures so exquisite are the perfect end to the fabulous food journey!!

 

Baked New York chocolate hazelnut cheese cake: a super fluffy, light, airy, perfectly baked new york style chocolate hazelnut cheese cake which was creamy and the base crumbly, served with a berry compote!!

 

chocolate nutella torte: a decadent dessert….a chocolate/nutella sin that am ready to commit over and over again!! multi layered cake with cookie crumb dust and nutella ganache is so chocolaty and full of textre and irresistible flavors that you just cant have enough of it!!

 

TCB kulfi gazzak:  this is the chef’s special wherein gazzak flavored kulfi/ice cream scoop is mounted with a cold and crispy chocolate cup, which is blow torched by the chef himself at or table was a beauty in itself….the now slightly warm and melted chocolate cups with a spoonful of chilled gazzak infused ice cream fills your mouth with a burst of flavors and textures!! the crisp chocolate and creamy ice cream works wonders!!!

 

TCB is a place where you can come with your loved one, or family or even a group of friends…they have something for everybody…..not a single aspect you’ll come across where you are not satisfied and pleased with this place, absolutely in love with the ambiance, music, decor, food, presentation, staff…..highly recommended!! would def. be back to try rest of the dishes!! This place screams perfection…