Sandeep Verma, the proprietor of Sandy’s – a restaurant he has named after himself, is a man of many parts. He is part sommelier, part chef, part restaurateur, part traveller and part serial entrepreneur. He has put together a great hang out place with a food and drink menu that relies on his experiences as a foodie while travelling. And many of the dishes are a close approximation to the classics.

               Sandeep Verma

I start with burrata fatta en casa (Rs 379) which is a fresh cheese very similar to mozzarella, but much softer. The dish served here however, has a grainy texture due to the addition of cottage cheese to it. Salmon gravadlax (Rs 429) is a fascinating dish. Literally translated to Scandinavian buried salmon, this is a relic of the time when fish was put into holes in the ground and covered in salt to preserve it for the wild and freezing winter ahead. Here cured salmon is served with capers, white onion rings, chive sour cream, Thai lemon, and mustard and is somewhat an approximation of the classic in terms of taste.

                  Burrata En Casa                                 Salmon gravadlax

Carpaccio de manzo (Rs 349) with veal slices, rucola, parmesan, lemon passion fruit vinaigrette is nice and dim sum (Rs 399) stuffed with crab, prawns, chinese wine and pimentos are both competently made.

               Carpaccio de manzo                           Crab & Prawn Dimsums

Thai fish cakes (Rs 399) served with som tam, spring onion and cilantro tempura is a tasty and enjoyable and is recommended, despite the use of basa, because the Thai flavours make up for the bland basa, and the texture actually adds a nice spongy texture to the fish cake.

                               Thai fish cakes

Cacciucco (Rs 399) is an Italian fish stew from the Tuscan region, is similar to bouillabaisse. It is a hearty stew consisting of several different types of fish and shellfish, and baby vegetables with delicate hint of elderflower, and is delicious. I enjoy sous vide of pork belly (Rs 699) crisp pork belly mostly because of the crackling on top.

                      Cacciucco                                           Pork belly

The cocktails here are with a twist or two, and the ones I taste are rather good. Old fashioned (Rs 425) has bourbon whisky with Cointreau and orange bitters rather than Angosutra bitters, and it is actually a good idea. Granny smith martini (Rs 395) with vodka, sour green apple pucker, lime is the weaker among the cocktails I tasted.

                  Old Fashioned                                  Granny smith martini

Last tango in Modena (Rs 475) is an adventure with tequila, spiced bell peppers, passion fruit puree, basil leaves & lime.

            Last Tango in Modena                                         Tiramisu

I enjoy this review, which turns out to be an adventure for the palate. The menu with its new, unique dishes comes as a relief in this clichéd Gurgaon environment. Food is competent and does impress with some dishes. Cocktails have a twist which also is such a change from the other places. If the quality of food remains consistent, Sandy’s will go far.

                       Interiors                                            Outdoor Seating

Please note: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant to taste their food, and no bill was presented to the author. While the author assures you of objectivity, the review may be influenced by the personalized attention the author got.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 4.0 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 4.0 | Value: 3.5 | Overall: 4.0

Meal for two: Rs.2400 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address: SCO 388, Near IFFCO Metro Station, Sector 29, Gurgaon 122001. Tel: +91 9811006904, +91 9811551188