Venue: Courtyard by Marriott, Gurugram Downtown
Date: 17 November, 2016

The Courtyard Grill at Marriott is the newbie in Gurgaon.

We were aware that this is an outdoor restaurant. What surprised us is that the tables were in an actual courtyard, surrounded by covered areas of the hotel. Quite like courtyards, Indian style.

The nip in the air and the alfresco arrangement was pleasant and the food reminded us of K3 at JW Marriott Aerocity where we had dined earlier this year.

When we reached, the grill area was buzzing with activity. The team of chefs was grilling kebabs, making dips and tossing ups salads. The salads and the dips were made from the herbs in the potted plants surrounding the kitchen. The chef told us that the diners could grill their own kebabs, like a barbeque. There is a fish tank and the diner could order fish of their choice from this live crop. These would be grilled as per the diners’ requirement.

We had an exclusive preview of this newly launch grill. The dinner was curated by the chefs and we were impressed as to how intelligently the evening was planned. The fare was clearly divided in starters, salad, main course and dessert. The pumpkin and green apple salad with kale leaves had sweet and tangy dressing that still lingers on our palate. The beer batter onion rings were an ideal snack with the drinks that were served. The chili pounded lamb was tender and notwithstanding chili in the name, was not the mouth burning variety. All the main course dishes were tasty. The jumbo prawns were particularly spectacularly. It would have been a tad convenient if the prawns were shelled before serving. For vegetarians, the main course comprised flaky paratha with jack fruit kebabs for vegetarians. The dips and relishes were freshly made as we could clearly make out from their taste.

Among the dessert, coconut pudding deserved another round of ordering as well as a round of applause. Low sweetness and creamy yumminess – it made an ideal conclusion to the feast.

It was a week evening… but the outdoor settings, chilled beer, salads, kebabs and conversations… We felt… it is weekend already!

On our way out, we were handed basil saplings in small pots as takeaway. We shall remember this evening for this sweet gesture.

Strongly recommended for folks who are for barbequed fare and kebabs!