Bawarchi Restaurant, Gurgaon

[Rated: 2.5/5]

When I was told that Bangkok based Bawarchi restaurant had opened another outlet in Gurgaon, I thought of checking it out, even though I didn’t think much of the food at their Bangkok outlet. It’s quite difficult to find a good buffet with starters, featuring a decent ambiance for Rs290 all inclusive in Gurgaon. Bawarchi therefore held great promise.

On a Monday afternoon, six of us colleagues ventured out for lunch. Thank God for small mercies, the roads were clear, and we settled into my colleague’s spacious 6-seater Innova for the ride ahead. The parking outside Bawarchi was in a mess due to road construction in front of the restaurant. Surprisingly, Bawarchi was deserted at 1.30pm with only 2 tables occupied; one by a couple and another one by some office workers. The cooling in Bawarchi was acceptable, ambiance was good, but the buffet looked ordinary. A value for money proposition nonetheless.

We started with Chicken Talumien Soup, which was good. Starters were served on the table that included Chicken Wings, Chicken Malai Tikka, Mutton Seekh, Chilly Potato, Paneer Tikka and Veg Manchurian Balls. The Chicken Wings was an absolute delight whereas Paneer Tikka was as bad as it could get…chewy and hard with no flavor. Other starters were average. Service standards were quite low even though the restaurant was barely occupied. It looked like they weren’t expecting any guests on a Monday. The Mutton Seekh arrived at nearly the end of the meal and repeating the starters took forever. We were served Tandoori rotis and hesitated to ask for other available options, due to long service delays.

The Mutton Rogan Josh was made well, whereas the Butter chicken was absolutely cold. The Dal was nice but the Paneer was mostly tasteless extra-thick gravy. Desserts were phirni, suji halwa, and kesar kheer, all of which tasted stale.

Overall, my experience at Bawarchi was a mixed bag and I’d rather spend more for a buffet with higher quality standards. If you eat to live however, do try Bawarchi.

We were asked to revisit Bawarchi, after the manager noticed that our first visit wasn’t satisfactory. We obliged, and our observations were largely the same. The only difference was in the quality of the desserts; they were much better and fresher this time around.

Buffet Cost: Rs289 (All Inclusive). | Alcohol: Yes (Not a part of buffet) | Credit Card: Yes| Buffet only available for lunch.

Address: DLF Phase V, Sector -53 Golf Course Road, Opposite IBIS Hotel, Gurgaon | Phone: 0124-2396101/02

- Pawan Soni

Please note this is an older review published in Sep'2010 and hence pricing may have changed.