Chicken Soup for the Soul
Restaurant: The Atara Cafe
Reviewer: Aalok Wadhwa | 28th December 2014 | Reviewer Rating (Out of 5) 4.00

Atara Hotel is a recently opened 15-room boutique hotel, situated right behind the DT mall. It is the labour of love of RituMemani, an advertising professional who built this place brick by brick over two years. And the attention to detail is visible all around – from the lobby to the elevators to the European themed rooms.

Ritu has kindly invited me for the soft launch of their restaurant, named The “Atara Café” situated on the ground floor with minimally done aesthetics with murals from the past.

It is a formal sit down dinner with smartly dressed serving staff. I start with the soup course. Chilly oil infused cream of broccoli soup is a thick, fresh soup with the healthy freshness of broccoli, and a dash of chilly oil which gives it a good twist. It is the smoked chicken soup that truly blows my mind. The smoking has been done perfectly. The broth is light and yet having a rare intensity. I have no hesitation calling it one of the most remarkable soups I have had in my life!

The salads are a bit of a dampener after the soup. Roasted chicken salad with asparagus and broccoli lacks depth. Baked quinoa salad with lemon mayo dressing would work much better with crisped quinoa, rather than a dense quinoa ball being in the salad. Prawn cocktail in smoky mayo is a dish from the sixties, and quite enjoyable. Warm mushroom salad is competent.

Next are starters which are quite enjoyable. Prosciutto wrapped mustard prawn are cooked just right, and the salty, meaty crispness of the of the prosciutto pairs very well with the prawns.

Crispy chicken basil leaf is another great dish with crispy, spicy slices of chicken with a sweet-sour sauce. Stuffed zucchini with ricotta and pinenut is a delicate dish with a mild, enticing taste.

In the main course, chicken saltimbocca is a chicken based adaptation of the saltimbocca (in Italian it means jumps in the mouth), a popular European dish. The dish is proficiently made and lives up to its name. Spicy Asian black codhas high quality fish, and is enjoyable. Only I wish the skin had been crisped which would have really added to the taste.

The multilayered aubergine au gratin is an interesting interpretation of the dish. 

The desserts to end the meal are outsourced, and are as such not remarkable.

Going by the sheer quality of food at The Atara Café, watch out for this new kid in the block. Definitely worth a try!

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: 4.0 | Overall: 4.0

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

About the Author
Aalok Wadhwa Aalok Wadhwa
Restaurant Information
The Atara Cafe The Atara Cafe
The Atara Hotel, A-29/10, DLFPhase -1, Behind DT Mega Mall, Gurgaon
Telephone: 919810481825, +918527575333 view on a map
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM to 12:00 Midnight
Average Price: Rs. 800 - 1000