Average food
Restaurant: Carnatic Cafe
Reviewer: Shivendu Mittal | 2nd November 2018 | Reviewer Rating (Out of 5) 3.25

A recent entrant to Gurgaon’s food scene in the newly opened 32nd Avenue, this South-indian vegetarian restaurant was busy when we went there on a Sunday afternoon. Luckily we didn’t have to wait despite being a large group of 8 people and we settled down to order as soon as we got there. I had been warned about the heavy food, yet I decided to order one dish per person, so that more dishes could be tried. The first to arrive was the Workshop Thatte Idli, a flat, large, porous idli that was served with peanut chutney and a small cube of butter. This was comforting and didn’t give us any reason to complain. Apparently they don’t serve sambar with it, unless you ask for it. One of us had made the mistake of ordering a Rasam Pappad (Rs 90!!!!), and it came in a joke of a filter kaapi wali glassi, totally making me proud of the days I have Chhola Bhatura (approx. Rs 90!!) for a meal. I made it a point to remind the server that there are places in Gurgaon that serve Rasam complimentary.

 

The Paddu arrived next. These were a kind of fried bondas made of suji and were nice again. Not mind blowing but no reason to complain either. The dosas arrived next. The much recommended Malleshwaram 18th Cross dosa was the thickest dosa I’ve ever seen, splattered with a thick layer of some kind of masala paste, and without any potato or any other kind of filling. Heavily done in butter (or was it ghee?) I enjoyed the first half and struggled to find takers for the second half. This is definitely good for 2 people if you have a plate of paddu or any other starter before that.

 

The masala dosa was served with finely mashed potato on the side (I asked for it like that and the server said they serve it like that), and was again not the paper thin Punjabi dosa that we get in the city. Good stuff, though. My fellow diners liked the Ragi dosa as well, of which I did not care to take a bite.

 

The rest of the stuff I did not taste and got the review that they did not like it, but by their own admission, they were looking for the Naivedyam kind of stuff, so I’m not surprised they were disappointed. One word for the sambar - bland. Chutneys - good. Service - Good.

All in all, if you want Punjabi South Indian this is not the place for you. If you want authentic Carnatic stuff, and are fond of ghee and butter, you may want to try this. Would I go there again? Maybe, during next Navratras, but not before that for sure. Having said that, the novelty of the cuisine itself is enough for me to recommend you to go there at least once.

 

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.0 | Ambience: 3.0 | Service: 3.5 | Value: 3.5 | Overall: 3.0

Meal for two: Rs 500 | Alcohol: No | Credit Card: No | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address: 32nd Milestone, NH 8, Sector 15, Gurgaon. Tel: 9667180466

 

About the Author
Shivendu Mittal Shivendu Mittal
Restaurant Information
Carnatic Cafe Carnatic Cafe
32nd Milestone, NH 8, Sector 15, Gurgaon
Telephone: 9667180466 view on a map
Opening Hours: 9am – 10:30pm
Cuisine: South Indian
Average Price: Rs. 500 - 600