Tag Archives: Ambience Mall

Food that I miss

Below is a list of food that I miss dearly, because I can no longer eat them.

01-Chicken Cutlet

Chicken cutlet PC bongeats.com
Chicken cutlet PC bongeats.com

Perhaps one of my favourite foods. It is simply minced chicken with spices crumbed with bread and deep fried. I don’t even remember when I first had it, but my earliest memory is eating it at one of my aunt’s house in Kolkata. I have had various kinds over the decades. Some of them have a bone sticking out of the corner.

Growing up outside Kolkata, it was rarely found anywhere, even at Bengali restaurants. Hence, I looked forward to my annual trips to Kolkata in those days.

It is best served with sliced onions, carrots/beetroot and cucumber with mustard sauce. I hate it that modern places have now started serving it with Lemon and Tartare sauce, equating it to a Schnitzel.

02-Juicy Lucy Burger (Cafe Delhi Heights)

Juicy Lucy Burger, Cafe Delhi Heights, PC : bornofweb.com
Juicy Lucy Burger, Cafe Delhi Heights, PC : bornofweb.com

I normally don’t like eating mutton, but the Juicy Lucy burger, Cafe Delhi Heights’ signature burger was an exception. This burger was famous for being too big for most people and I would often go to eat it with my friends to compete with them on who can finish one.

PS: K & Rajat could always finish at least 1.5. I think I can now, too.

It was served with breadsticks and butter.

03-Chicken Stroganoff (Bisque)

Chicken Stroganoff, Bisque, Gurgaon
Chicken Stroganoff, Bisque, Gurgaon

Bisque is a little known bakery in Central Arcade, DLF Phase 2, Gurgaon. We came across it when we used to live nearby. I have had many Stroganoffs, but none like the Chicken Stroganoff here. For me, this was and is, the ultimate comfort food.

Ther purple onions and bits of black pepper complement the softness of the chicken and rice perfectly.

04-Six Chilli Chicken burger (Smokey’s BBQ & Grill)

Six Chilli Chicken Burger, Smokey’s BBQ and Grill
Six Chilli Chicken Burger, Smokey’s BBQ and Grill

Smokey’s BBQ and Grill was a restaurant in DLF Cyber Hub in Gurgaon. We used to go there often from work & I always ate the Six Chilli Chicken burger.

Unlike most places which put hunks of chicken inside the burger, Smokey’s put a minced chicken patty, interspersed with 6 types of chilli. The burger was delicious. So were the sides of salad, baked beans and fries.

Unfortunately, this place closed down even while I was there.

05-Vegetable Chop

Vegetable chop, PC colorandspices.com
Vegetable chop, PC colorandspices.com

The Bengali vegetable chop, defying the definition of what a chop actually is, is a delicious dish. Unlike the Chicken Cutlet, it is stuffed with vegetables (beetroot being most common) but like the cutlet, it is breaded and fried. Also, not readily available outside Kolkata while I was growing up.

PS; Extra points if there are bits of groundnut inside.

06-Anything at Banani’s Kitchen

Banani’s Kitchen, Gurgaon
Banani’s Kitchen, Gurgaon

Banani’s kitchen was a Bengali and Dhakai restaurant in Gurgaon. Unlike most Bengali restaurants, which did not do snacks like chop and cutlet, this place did. They did everything I liked about Bengali food and there was not one bad dish at this restaurant.

The ambience was nice and cosy and since it was directly opposite our daughter’s school, we often ate here after picking her up from school. This was also, the only place where we allowed ourselves to go and eat during weekday nights.

Th entirety of my knowledge of Bengali & Bangla music also comes from this place.

Notable dishes included their pulao, chhola narkol daal, ogo bideshini, luchi, mughlai paratha, gondhoraj lebu shorbot & nolen gur/pan ice cream.

It’s a shame though, that this place closed within a few years. I blame Bengalis like Ayan who refused to eat here.

07-Chicken Coriander Pesto Pizza (Pizza Express)

Chicken Coriander Pizza, Pizza Express, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
Chicken Coriander Pizza, Pizza Express, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

Pizza purists will start swearing at the thought of this desi-fied Pizza, but this Pizza is too good to be insulted. It has bits of Chicken Tikka, crunchy & juicy onion rings and a coriander based sauce, giving it it’s desi taste.

I used to pour the accompanying garlic oil on top and ate it. I have not had a pizza as good since then.

The last time I visited Ambience Mall, I made sure I ate it.

08-Berry Pulao at Soda Bottle Opener Wala

Soda Bottle Opener Wala was one of our favourite places in Gurgaon, located in Cyber Hub.

Soda Bottle Opener Waala, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon
Soda Bottle Opener Wala, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon

Their signature dish is berry pulao. which is Pulao with berries and cashew nuts, soaked in ghee. Already quite heavy in itself, if you pair it with something like Paneer Sanju baba or Akuri, you will be in food coma the rest of the day/night.

Berry Pulao at Soda Bottle Opener Wala
Berry Pulao at Soda Bottle Opener Wala

I still go to there South City Mall branch, when I visit Kolkata.

09-Classic Pesto Chicken Pizza (Tossin Pizza)

Classic Pesto Chicken Pizza, Tossin Pizza
Classic Pesto Chicken Pizza, Tossin Pizza

This is another one of those comfort foods, which you order at the end of a rough day, because Roti and Dal just won’t cut it. I remember it coming with a hemisphere of lemon, too.

10-Dal Bukhara (Bukhara, ITC Maurya)

Dal Bukhara, Bukhara, ITC Maurya, Delhi
Dal Bukhara, Bukhara, ITC Maurya, Delhi

I remember I purchased the Times Food & Nightlife Awards book with my parents at Ambience mall and Bukhara was number 1 in that list for Delhi. Years later, I took my (extended) family to ITC Bukhara for my birthday treat &it was such a proud moment for me.

Slowly, as my purchasing power grew, we started going there for less special occasions. Rajat & me used to treat each other here for referring each other to their respective companies.

The Dal Bukhara is unique in the way that it has a strong flavour of garlic and tomatoes. It is gently simmered over a charcoal flame for 24 hours & is best had with Naan Bukhara and without any other dish.

11-Kung Pao Chicken (Yo! China)

A Yo! China outlet
A Yo! China outlet

Yo! China was a chain selling low-cost indo-chinese food. While any Chinese will inadvertently faint if you showed them the food here and called it Chinese, their King Pao chicken was delicious. When I had newly shifted to DLF Phase 2 and stayed alone, I often ordered this because of how cheap and delicious it was.

I remember that it came in an earthen pot, something unthinkable for low-cost places like these.

12-Anything at Punjab Grill

Punjab Grill, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
Punjab Grill, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

Punjab Grill was open of those fancy places at Ambience Mall we saw every weekend but rarely went to, because it was too expensive. But when we did, the food was so, so tasty.

North Indian spread at Punjab Grill
North Indian spread at Punjab Grill

Recommended is their buffet which often has all their signature dishes, including Seekh Kebab, Dal makhani and Tandoori Broccoli.

This is one of the few places in this list which is also in Bangkok, but we seldom go there because of well, how expensive it is.

13-Pasta (The Big Chill Cafe)

The Big Chill, Delhi
The Big Chill, Delhi

When we moved to Delhi, The Big Chill Cafe was this legendary place which we visited all the way in Saket. Eventually, they did open up more branches and one even in Gurgaon.

Their pastas are just amazing. Each and every one of them.

Aglio Olio Peperoncino at The Big Chill
Aglio Olio Peperoncino at The Big Chill

I miss going to their branch at Ardee mall with my family.

14-Chicken Burger (Hot Millions)

Hot Millions 2, Sector-17, Chandigarh
Hot Millions 2, Sector-17, Chandigarh

Long before anyone in the tri-city area had even heard the name McDonalds, we had Hot Millions. It had Pizzas, Footlongs and best of all burgers. I used to eat/order from here regularly when we lived at Panchkula.

Chicken Burger at Hot Millions
Chicken Burger at Hot Millions

Their Chicken Burger had a greasy bun, with a greasy minced chicken patty inside, slightly burnt, but crispy. With loads of mayonnaise and vegetables, this is perhaps the best burger I have ever had.

The last time I went there, I ate 3 of them and then cried.

15-Anything at Nirula’s

Nirula’s, Connaught Place, Delhi
Nirula’s, Connaught Place, Delhi

Saved the best for the last. The timeless classic, the oldest fast food chain in India, Nirula’s. I have been eating here since my childhood. I rediscovered this chain. when I moved back to Gurgaon for work.

Although the main branch is at Connaught Place, luckily we had an outlet near our office and frequently, we ordered from here.

I almost always chose between their Chicken Chop (Not to be confused with a Bengali chop) or Chhole Kulche or both.

The Chicken Chop came with such mouth watering coleslaw, I still cannot believe it.

The chhole kulche came with a hemisphere of lemon wrapped in a smash muslin cloth.

I just checked their latest menu and it has been modernised a lot and most of the classic items are now gone.

I am hungry now.

My Worst Purchases-Dyson TP03 Air Purifier

Continuing with my series, the next entry in the list is Dyson TP03 Air purifier.

Dyson TP03
Dyson TP03

It was the day after Diwali 2019 in Gurgaon. Because we Indians cannot celebrate festivals without polluting at least 1 element of nature, the AQI was 1999. I already had air purifiers (Different makes) in all the bedrooms, but it was getting difficult to breathe so we decided to get one for the living room.

We had had a very good experience with the Xiaomi 2S, so we decided to get another one for the living room. Headed out to Ambience Mall (I miss you so much) and went straight to the Xiaomi store. We had already decided what to buy, so I asked the sales guy to bill one for us. Instead, he laughed at us and said “Stock hi nahi hai to kaha se du”. (We don’t have stock where do I give it from?). Angry at his rudeness, we decided to get the Dyson TP03 (Also known as Dyson Pure Cool Link) instead. Surely, compared to the Xiaomi (₹7999) the Dyson (₹29999) would surely be much better? How wrong we were.

Here’re my views after using it for >1 year

+ Is Stylish, looks nice in the living room
+ Setup is easy and app is very nice
+ App can show historical AQI data
– Can only show AQI on a scale from 1-10 (Both the tiny display & the app). No other details
– Is noisy
– Doesn’t really purify very well or fast. On most days, it couldn’t keep up with outside air leaking in
– Since it throws air straight at the user rather than up in the air, in winters it becomes uncomfortable

At the end of the day, I think the company’s Air Multiplier technology is not really suitable for air purifiers. Basically, if the fan draws “X” amount of air from the pedestal (and via the HEPA filter), it draws 15*X amount of air from the back of the air multiplier which doesn’t pass the filter at all. So at any point of time, only 6.66% of air thrown by the purifier is clean/has passed through the filter, compared to 100% for traditional purifiers.

All of this results in a lot of air flow in the (already very cold) room but very little purification. My impression of all this is that Dyson has over-engineered its purifiers for the simple purpose of purifying air. I feel terribly guilty for not buying 2 Xiaomi purifiers for the same price as this and still have cash left over.

I miss Home

As expected, 6 months into my stay at Bangkok, I already miss my home in India terribly. Part of this is because of the lockdown in Bangkok. Part of this is because I never really wanted to leave India and had to do so because I was unhappy with my job and this was the best option I had, then.

What I Miss about Home

  1. Although Thailand has some of the biggest malls in the world, I miss my Ambience Mall. I miss looking forward to weekends to go to Ambience Mall.
  2. Although Bangkok has some of the best restaurants in the world, I miss dining at Pizza Express, Daryaganj, Chili’s, Mamagoto, Sodabottleopenerwaala and Burma Burma.
  3. I miss going to Cyber Hub on the weekends.
  4. Although Bangkok has some of the best bars in the world, it is missing a microbrewery culture which was so popular in Gurgaon and Bengaluru. I miss drinking craft beer.
  5. Living in my own house and doing what I want with it.
  6. I miss Connaught Place, although, I hadn’t been there for many months even when I was in Gurgaon.
  7. Miss Hotstar India. Hotstar Thailand doesn’t have as many shows, especially from HBO, FX etc.
  8. Sorely miss Amazon. Lazada/Shopee are disgusting and I use them only because I am forced to.
  9. I miss having the electrical switches the right side (For India) up.
  10. I miss the few friends I have.
  11. Miss the prevalence of online services like online doctor consultations, online medical test bookings & online booking of household services.
  12. I miss driving my own car.
  13. Lastly, I miss a sense of belonging.

What I don’t miss

  1. The horrible air quality most days of the year.
  2. The unnecessary and tiring bureaucracy in every aspect of life.
  3. The forced religious indoctrination in everyday life.
  4. The lack of respect for animals and even pets.
  5. The high cost of fuel, electricity and cooking gas.
  6. The high cost of food at restaurants.
  7. The filth omnipresent everywhere.
  8. The utter disregard of Indians towards their country and their countrymen/women.

Goodbye, Gurgaon

The fateful day is here. After almost 13 years in this city, the time has come to say goodbye and move on.

I got married while living here, we had our kid here, bought our own apartment here; till a few months ago, I thought I would live here forever. However, the deteriorating air quality year-on-year and the complete apathy of the government decided otherwise.

For years, I watched the air quality go worse, for years I saw people turn a blind eye to it and eventually it became clear that this problem won’t be solved in the near future (or maybe ever).

PC: Rentomojo

I will miss

  1. Spending my weekend at Ambience mall, perhaps my favourite place in the city. I still remember the first time I went there to buy formal shoes for my first job here (the job didn’t involve formal wear).
  2. Having breakfast at McDonalds while soaking the winter sun at MGF metropolitan mall.
  3. The (few) friends I had here and drinking beer with them at one of the many craft breweries.
  4. The wide highways, flyovers and underpasses and sparse traffic.
  5. The ease of getting things done and solving problems by throwing money at them.
    Apps and online services for literally everything.
  6. Extremely fast same-day and next-day Amazon delivery.

I will not miss

  1. The horrid air quality between November and January every year and the grey/brown skies.
  2. The constant and relentless pitch of hindutva in every aspect of your life.
  3. Kids as young as 12 driving cars with impunity.
  4. People who cut in queue (in person or in their cars).
  5. The name “Gurugram”.

Mall Covidiots

The mall is where you get to see the worst of humanity, as I have previously noted here, here & here. These days, they are full of covidiots. On a recent trip to Ambience Mall, I decided to observe them in detail and discovered that there are different types.

The first type are the ones who wear a mask, but keep their noses out of the mask. Their aim is to fool casual observers into thinking that they are fully masked, but the joke is on you, as their respiratory tract is actually completely unobstructed. They can get away with this in 90% situations with minimal inconvenience of a mask on their face.

The second type are the ones who wear a mask on their chin. They don’t pretend to be complying with mask rules, but have a mask dangling from their chin just in case someone challenges them, when they can quickly move the mask up and cover their faces like nothing happened.

The third type are the boldest. They won’t wear a mask at all. They won’t even pretend to wear a mask, nor do they carry a mask in their hand. They are above all this pretentious bullshit. They roam around openly without a mask, just waiting for someone to challenge them, so that they can inform them who their uncle/father is.

The saddest part of all this? It took me less than 2 minutes of sitting stationary in the mall to take these photos.

Beer, my friend

I have a long relationship with beer and our relationship has evolved over all these years.

A mug of “Child” beer

I clearly remember my first beer (or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) which was at Orchid Lake resort next to the pristine Umiam Lake in Meghalaya. I was around 12 years old at that time & was going to Shillong with my uncle and his friend for the day from Guwahati & had stopped at that resort for lunch. My uncle and his friend ordered beer for themselves and offered me some. My first reaction was that it was bitter. I obviously kept that information to myself & commented that it was very tasty so as to not embarrass myself as less of a “man” in the presence of 2 adults.

I had beer a few more times with that uncle over the next few years but didn’t enjoy any of it.

When I went off to college at Nagpur, I was suddenly exposed to a whole plethora of alcoholic beverages. Beer was reserved for those hot summer days when we didn’t have electricity or had an exam the following day & didn’t want to get too drunk.

I remember one evening when Sood Sahib was feeling a bit low. I suggested that we drink some beer & his spirits lifted immediately. We bought beers from a store and some policemen tried stopping us on the way, but we somehow escaped, got soaked in the rain, reached home, dried up and enjoyed our beers.

Sood Sahib Enjoying and Appreciating Beer

I also remembering going to Urvashi with Neeraj after our gym sessions to drink beer with Tandoori chicken to aid our workout recovery. Beer also accompanied our jam sessions on numerous occasions.

My first major incident with beer was when I bought what I thought was “Haywards 5000” from a seedy store in Nagpur, went home and drank it alone. My roommate came home from college later to find me passed out with my head shaved. Later, when I regained consciousness, he also reported some strange behaviour from me but I would refrain from going too deep into those details. Later everything explained itself when we saw that the beer I had was actually a “Haryana 5000”.

When I moved to Gurgaon, I was exposed to a new world of freshly brewed beer also known as “artisanal beer” or “craft beer”. We used to go to Rockman’s Beer Island at Ambience Mall very frequently to drink fresh brewed beer poured out for us from taps.

We used to order barrels of this stuff and get hopelessly drunk. I remember one incident when we went to Beer Island with Soniel’s German colleagues, everyone got sloshed on beer and they ran away without paying for anything and we were stuck with the bill.

Beer plus Laser

Another incident with beer I remember is when I had something called “Beer Buster” at an office party. It was beer mixed with Tabasco sauce and I had litres of it. When I came back home, I couldn’t sleep because the Tabasco was burning in my chest and stomach all night.

Neeraj at Beer island

One of my best beer experiences was during my Beer trip to Bengaluru. We went to a place called Biergarten which was a huge open air pub surrounded by beautiful palm trees. The weather and the colour of the sky were unlike anything in Gurgaon. Even the washrooms had a killer view.

Biergarten, Bengaluru

Not until the lockdown, when I was forced to stay without any beer for months did I learn the true value of beer (among other things). When the lockdown did open and I rushed to the nearest beer shop to buy some, I decided that I would start treating beer with more respect from then on. Yes, I would savour my beer more and learn to enjoy it.

I started drinking beer slowly, appreciating the textures and flavours and enjoying the taste rather than aiming to get hopelessly drunk.

First Craft Beer after Unlock

When I drink alone at home, I never drink more than 1 or 2 cans at a time and I make sure I enjoy every sip. When drinking out with friends (rare), all these rules go out of the window, though.

3 cheers to beer and here’s to many more years of friendship.

My Worst Purchases-Microsoft Lumia 950XL

Continuing with my series, the next entry in the list is the Microsoft Lumia 950XL, which was my 29th phone.

Microsoft Lumia 950XL, Dead on Arrival
Microsoft Lumia 950XL, Dead on Arrival

I was super-excited to buy this phone since the day it was announced by Microsoft. In the months leading up to the actual launch, I used to send my family members to the Microsoft Store at Ambience mall every Sunday (one-by-one) to ask about the phone’s launch date. I even had a Google search alert setup which sent me emails as soon as any news article were published about this phone. Although this phone was great on paper (Great hardware, huge display, excellent camera), this phone was my 7th Windows Phone overall and by the time this phone launched, Windows 10 Mobile was all but dead.

I remember the day this phone launched; I had just started a new job that week. I immediately dropped everything I was doing and went to Ambience mall to buy it (For ₹55,000; of course, I had pre-booked the phone months ago). The store employees told I was the first person in North India to get my hands on this phone. At that time I thought I was special. In hindsight, it is clear now, I was one of the few fools in North India to buy a Windows Mobile (at the tail end of 2015).

Within months, Microsoft announced the death of Windows 10 for mobiles. Within weeks after that, app developers abandoned the platform. There was still a small community online of loyal fans but we were more and more reliant on 3rd party apps for basic services. Uber, specifically, was a huge pain point. There was no easy way to search for destinations, you had to zoom out on the map, zoom in to where you thought you wanted to go and mark the location manually.

I also remember claiming some of the phone’s cost from my company (There was a company BYOD policy) and my manager laughing at me that I spent such a huge amount for such a phone.

Slowly and painfully, over the next year, the number of useable 1st party apps dwindled to almost zero and I eventually made the jump to Apple’s (Walled) Garden putting an end to my Lumia misery. If I could do things over, I should have bought an iPhone for the same amount and prevented myself from a year of misery.

Lockdown Day 33

Today is Day 33 of the lockdown. In these 33 days I haven’t gone out of my apartment complex gate once. And it is starting to affect me in some weird and unexpected ways.

  • I do not miss socialising at all. In fact, I welcome this time away from unnecessary socialising.
  • I am having very vivid dreams and remembering them for a change. Normally I hardly have dreams and don’t remember them later.
  • I miss going to Ambience Mall, drinking coffee ☕️ at Barista, eating at Pizza 🍕 Express and just roaming around the mall. It is unlikely malls will open even after the lockdown is relaxed and I am not sure how the mall or the business inside will survive this.
  • I miss drinking fresh beer 🍻 at pubs. Again, not sure when this will happen again.
  • I miss eating out at restaurants. My thoughts especially drift towards Toninos at Two Horizon Center on Golf Course road
  • I miss driving my car 🚗 , while listening to BBC World Service.
  • I miss ordering stuff from Amazon, waiting for the delivery and unboxing the items.
  • I miss going to the park and walking🚶‍♂️ around.
  • I miss going to the nursery to buy new plants 🌱 and fertiliser.
  • I miss going to Galleria, sitting opposite the fountain and sipping Coca Cola.

As per the current situation, restrictions should start lifting in 11 more days, but I have a feeling that’s not going to be the case and things won’t start going back to normal for a long time.

Pathetic Fool-2

It is impossible to go anywhere in Gurgaon (Sorry, Gurugram) without stumbling across such idiots. What a pathetic fool!

German Engineering

This one has a Mercedes Benz logo on his Nissan Sunny. Immediately reminded me of people who put Apple logos on their non-Apple laptops.

I do not understand what people achieve with all this. Maybe there are even bigger fools out there who actually believe that it is a Mercedes/MacBook.

McDonald Drive thru VIP

On closer inspection, it turns out this guy is a McDonald Drive through VIP. I don’t even know what that means. In a drive through queue, when this guy comes along, they remove all the other cars and let him get his Vegeterian burger first?

Spawn from Hell & Haraamzada

So I was at the mall, sitting on a bench when I come across these two. The kid is almost 2 years old and still sucking on a soother. One look at his face and you are sure he is a Spawn from Hell.
While the Spawn from hell is hanging out with his man-servant, pulling his hair and being a dick in general, his father comes over and screams at the servant “Yaha kya marwa raha hai haraamzade?” (What are you doing here, bastard?) in front of his son.
Haraamzada and Spawn from Hell must both be partially deaf, because the father is shouting at the top of his voice.

Spawn from hell must want something from one of the stores, that his father is in no mood to spend money on, because he immediately lies down face downwards and starts beating his fists on the floor. The father gently kicks him over so that he is face up and cannot beat his fists anymore.
While the parents walk away, the haraamzada servant bends down to pick up the spawn. The spawn shouts “haraamzade” one last time before giving up and resigning to his toy-less fate.