A lazy Sunday morning and the pressure of shifting home made me declare a ‘kitchen holiday’, to the utter delight of my son. Hubby not-so-happily agreed to tag along as he was not left with a better option. The place zeroed in on was ‘SANDBURG Shakes’. It had been on our list for a while as anything above and beyond the regular McD burger is looked forward to by my little one. The joint is situated in the newly popular food hub ‘Baani Square’.

We were warmly welcomed by Pankaj Alagh, one of the owners. The place is quaint with some nice graffiti on the walls and tabletops made of wooden logs, giving it a modern yet rustic look. Everything was very neat and orderly although I personally would have removed a table or two as it looked very crowded with furniture leaving very less space to move around.

We settled in with our drinks: an Orange buzz (Rs. 98), a Pome-granade (Rs. 98) and a Choc-haze-nut creamy shake (Rs. 128). The Orange Buzz was and Pome-granade were refreshing and chilled to just the right temperature. The Pome-granade had a nice zingy flavour to it.

                Orange Buzz                                   Pome-granade

The shake was totally sinful with a super dollop of cream and a nice drizzle of chocolate sauce on top. The thing that I personally totally loved about it was the perfect level of sweetness..... not the cloying sweetness that is more often than not associated with any kind of chocolate shakes!

        Choc-haze-nut Shake

While sipping our drinks we perused through the menu and decided to gorge on different types of burgers as that is the speciality of the joint. We ordered the food and it was served hot and fresh, well in time.                 

The ‘Penne pasta with arabiatta sauce and chicken’ (Rs. 218) was a complete delight in every bite as it gave a mouthful of well seasoned and moist chicken along with the pasta. The pasta itself was done a bit over al dente which was fine as that it how I like it. The quantity of sauce was just right and the flavours were well balanced. The garlic bread that accompanied the pasta was a wee bit dry and could have done with a bit more garlic and butter.

The ‘Classic Pollo with a side of fries’ (Rs. 188) was ordered in brown bread version and had us a bit worried as to whether we had made the right choice as normally this healthier version turns out to be very dry. But we were in for a pleasant surprise as the bread was pillowy soft and very fresh. The patty was thick, juicy and perfectly cooked although I found the seasoning in it a bit lacking. It would be much tastier with a little more salt added.

The Thin crust Chicken Lover pizza (Rs. 358) was a steal for the price. A nice crispy crust loaded with well seasoned toppings and lots of cheese.... just as I like it! The Sandhouse special spicy sauce was very well made and gave the pizza a special kick. I was happy to eat this very good pizza which disappeared from the table very quickly.

Garden Dreams with a side of salad (Rs. 168) was again ordered in the brown bread version. The vegetarian patty was well seasoned and soft and even though I am a hearty non-vegetarian eater, I did enjoy the taste. The salad was what won the heart here as it was pleasingly fresh, dressed with lovely vinaigrette that had just the right amount of acidity.

All dishes we ordered were low on the spiciness quotient, so to cover that angle we ordered the ‘Pollo is HOT’ (Rs. 188). It turned out to be true to its name and left the tongue tingling for a while and had me reaching for my Pome-granade. The bread, patty and fries did not disappoint again.

The Sandhouse Burger (Rs. 248) was ordered as a suggestion by the very helpful server. This ‘burger-ator’, as my son named it, was a fully-loaded appetite pleaser.... there was bacon, egg, cheese, tomato, lettuce and pickled cucumber to accompany a huge, juicy chicken breast patty inside very soft bread. The best part here was the way the egg was done- ‘sunny side up’. The bacon could have been better but since it was being eaten with so many accompaniments, it worked. The Sandhouse burger was a wholesome eat and left us feeling super full!!

The fries accompanying the burgers were nice and crisp and seasoned well. The breads were soft and except for a couple of small issues like the lack of seasoning, overall it was an enjoyable experience.

Disclaimer: This review was done anonymously and the bill was presented and paid in full. The views presented are solely based on the author’s palate and personal experience.

Ratings (Out of 5)

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

Meal for two: Rs.1000 | Alcohol: No | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: No |

Home Delivery: Yes

Address: G-28, Sector 50, Baani Square, Near Hilton Garden Inn, Gurgaon

Mobile: 9999425656, Land phone: 0124-4373585