The name Birdie Num Num is inspired from Peter Seller’s film, The Party’s parrot feeding call, but has no connection to the dark wood and metal interiors or the varied regional menu of the place. However, the three of them put together do give this restaurant an interesting feel. The food menu is a delight to read for a foodie, though the food often does not do justice to the dish’s name, as I discover when I commence the tasting session.

I start by tasting some mocktails. Latent heat (Rs 200) is delicious with coriander, cucumber, lime and green tea. Split Personality (Rs 200) with lychee juice, gondhoraj lime and sugar is pleasant to taste.

                  Latent Heat                                  Split Personality

In starters the first to come is a specialty of a business community in Nepal, Nehwari Jhol Dumplings stuffed with smoked salmon and potatoes (Rs 499) where Momos are served with signature gravy or 'jhol' with a sesame flavour. It is an interesting dish. Telangana Chilly Chicken (Rs 429) tastes like steamed chicken tossed in Maharashtrian Thecha (green chilly chutney). It is hot, but there isn’t any Telangana touch to this dish.

              Nehwari Jhol Dumplings                  Telangana Chilly Chicken

I am excited to taste the home made Tashi's Mutton Sausage (Rs 479) with Tibetan sausage filling, stuffed into sausage casing, with a sprinkling of Timur pepper. These sausages are a big disappointment since they are too hard and too dry. Nepali Pickled Potatoes (Rs 249) or Aloo Ka Achar is a salad of diced and steamed potatoes coated with a piquant red chili and sesame paste, making for an unusual bite.

            Tashi's Mutton Sausage                         Nepali Pickled Potatoes

Coming to the mains, the national dish of Bhutan is served first. Bhutanese Emma Chicken Daitchi (Rs 449) is a cheesy stew, resembling cheese fondue. It is served with Tingmo Buns, and is an indulgent meal in itself. Royal Kolhapuri Chicken Gravy (Rs 399) is, or so I am told, a royal recipe got from the royal family of Kohlapur. Despite its lineage, the real taste of Kolhapur is lacking from this dish. Though I am not an expert on Kolhapur cuisine, but I could make out that some key masalas were missing from this dish. Per se it is an average dish.

      Bhutanese Emma Chicken Daitchi           Royal Kolhapuri Chicken Gravy

Dipika's Gorkha Style Mutton Curry (Rs 599) is decent but I cannot taste the Timur pepper that is supposed to be providing the zing to this dish. Assamese Fish Bambooshoot Curry (Rs 529) isn’t Assamese tasting, since there is no bambooshoot flavor – a taste of North East that I love so much at Jakoi and Rosang café in Delhi. Instead there is a not so pleasant texture of dried bambooshoot. It is an avoidable dish.

        Gorkha Style Mutton Curry                Assamese Fish Bambooshoot Curry

Birdie Num Num has a great menu. If and once the dishes start doing justice to their name, it can really become a foodie’s delight.

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. Also portions in the pics are tasting portions, the actual portions are bigger.

Ratings (Out of 5)

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

Meal for two: Rs.2000 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address: 21, Global Foyer Mall, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon. Tel: 98186 55330