Venue: Sector 29, Gurgaon
Date: 7 September 2016

Gurgaon is a new city. Unlike Mumbai / Delhi / Kolkata – it is yet to find a cultural footing. To make the best of this void, the dine-out culture has crept in and has established a presence. Hunter Valley is a new kid on the block in Sector 29, the food hub in Gurgaon.

First of all, it has a very convenient location. Situated on the smaller parking lot in this area it not only has great visibility but is easily accessible to all. The ground floor space makes this restaurant well in reach for diners who do not wish to climb stairs. They also have a basement for parties etc.

The décor is comfy and soothing. We found the concept of cushion covers in the shape of folded shirts cute  The Kerala racing boat style settee in the centre is an artistic touch.

We started the evening with a set of samplers of their Belgian Crafted beer. Mild and sweet, this is the variety that doctors recommend as health booster.

For starters we had Fish Finger and Mustard Chicken.  The chicken cooked in a mustard relish  – like the Bengali Kasundi  – slightly tangy and mildly pungent. If one has health concerns and wishes to avoid deep fried fare or buttery sauces, but not cut down on taste, this is what you order. While it is listed among starters, if had with rice, it can be a great main course item as well.

From the main course menu we wish to mention the Prawn in Garlic Sauce, Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce and Spinach Stuffed Chicken. Fresh ingredients, simple cooking and the vegetables and salads served as sides with every dish made our dinner healthy, tasty and wholesome.  We also had their Indian fare Mutton Roganjosh and Naan.  They make excellent Naans – a thing we can’t say about all Indian restaurants that we have visited.

”Nuf said about main course. We moved on to desserts with Hot Nougat Pudding with ice creams and Sesame Honey Noodles with ice cream. From our experience we have seen that the desserts at resto-bars are disappointing, a food zone that is not taken seriously.  Therefore, we were not expecting much. However the Nougat pudding was soft, warm and with ice cream combo, finger licking good. The other item, flat noodles in thick sugar syrup did not numb with sweetness and was the best of this variety that we have had earlier. On having the desserts it seemed that the chef had literally kept the best for the last.

To summarize – fresh ingredients with skilled cooking and their home made brew – makes this place a winner. Given their sincerity, we believe that Hunter Valley will survive the stiff competition in Sector 29.

Our verdict – this new kid on the block is here to stay.

The food invite and review in collaboration with BlogBuster.in