Getting There
Restaurant: Caffe Madhouse
Reviewer: Aalok Wadhwa | 25th January 2015 | Reviewer Rating (Out of 5) 3.75

From the time Gurgaon was a suburb of Delhi, we have now come to a time where Gurgaon is having its own suburbs. Sohna Road is now the prime suburb of Gurgaon seeing double digit growth in occupation. With entertainment and dining out lagging behind, it presents a great opportunity for this sector.

Trying to take advantage of this opportunity is foodie and serial entrepreneur Tarandeep Singh, who was all charged up to open a good restaurant in his neighbourhood because of the utter lack of options. I am here at the invitation of the active Gurgaon Foodie Nancy Taran for a review session. I don’t know what to expect at Caffe Madhouse, and apart from a few blown up covers of Mad magazine, there is nothing really mad about the surroundings. The interiors are both dim and colourful with a large TV screen and a stage for performance.

What follows is an extensive tasting session with many dishes. I have divided the dishes into great, good and not so great. Let me start with the greats. Oriental veg pizza (Rs 345) has a great crust. The burnt onions in the toppings give the pizza and exciting addictive taste. Falafel and hummus (Rs 195) has an impressive falafel with perfect texture though the insides are under spiced.

   

              Oriental Veg Pizza                                    Falafel with Hummus

Caribbean paprika trio of mushroom (Rs 355) is delicious with perfectly cooked Portobello mushrooms with two other kinds of mushrooms in an interesting sauce. Keema pao (Rs 275) has some chunky, flavourful and toothsome keema that I love.

  

                  Trio of Mushroom                                     Keema Pao

Hyderabadi gosht biryani (Rs 345) is professionally made with some fine fragrant rice though I miss the salan that should have gone along with it.

                                  Hyderabadi gosht biryani

Among the good, but not memorable dishes are veg Caesar salad (Rs 175), and grilled vegetables (Rs 155). 

  

                  Caesar Salad                                           Grilled vegetables

Also competent but not memorable are Sausage fest with fried chicken and pork sausages (Rs 525), and Mad house obsession, which is fried Mars bar (Rs 225).

  

                   Sausage Fest                                     Madhouse Obsession

Some dishes disappoint. Amritsari Machi (Rs 355) uses too much batter making the outer crust hard, and giving the fish the look and the taste of a fish pakoda. Classic veggie burger (Rs 275) is all potato with little else.

  

                   Amritsari Machi                                   Classic Veg Burger

Jamaican grilled prawns (Rs 645) look stunning when they arrive on the table but they have been over grilled to death – such a pity really for such beautiful prawns to be turned into something not so edible.

 

                                Jamaican grilled prawns

What work for Caffe Madhouse is the location and the future potential. Some fine tuning of the food, some madness being injected into the restaurant and some innovative promotions can easily turn this place into the happening hub on Sohna Road.

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

Meal for two: Rs.1400 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address:  Block 1, Unit 4, Ground Floor, Vatika Business Park, Sector 49 ,Sohna Road, Gurgaon | Tel: +91 9650019141, +91 9650019241

About the Author
Aalok Wadhwa Aalok Wadhwa
Restaurant Information
Caffe Madhouse Caffe Madhouse
Block 1, Unit 4, Ground Floor, Vatika Business Park, Sector 49, Sohna Road, Gurgaon
Telephone: +91 9650019141, +91 9650019241 view on a map
Opening Hours: 11 AM to 12 Midnigh
Average Price: Rs. 600 - 700