The previous post in this series covered the 'beauty' part of the Village. Now I come down to the other, more significant part - the 'eating' one. There are two major aspects to any place that make it really worth a visit – the food and the general ambiance. Hauz Khas Village scores pretty well in both. It is an urbanized village that boasts of designer boutiques, high-end restaurants and cafes and great nightlife. I did a thorough research on the various cafés and food joints in the village before visiting. We ended up hitting the two most popular yet completely contrasting joints it has on offer – The Kunzum Café and The Living Room. Why the contrast you wonder? Well, for starters, Kunzum Café doesn’t really charge you money while The Living Room (TLR) takes away even that last penny you had stashed up in your secret inner pocket.
1. Kunzum Café - The traveler's paradise
(Photograph courtesy Google Images)
It comes as a complete surprise to many people.
2. The Living Room - Posh and perfect
The Living Room, located at the very start of the village, lies in total contrast to Kunzum. Occupying the second and third floors as well as terrace of a sufficiently big place, it has nice interiors, comfy seating (I almost sank into their plush sofa and snoozed) and good service. They serve all kinds of food at TLR – Italian, American, Indian, British et al – as well as alcohol from all around the world, quite literally too. We ordered a lot of starters and were almost full by the time we got to flipping through the main course section. The food was indeed quite expensive, which we conveniently noticed only when it was time for the birthday girl to shell out money at the end of the day. :P
(Photos courtesy Harshit Vishwakarma and his amazing camera)
Oh, and that's my other bestie. He'll certainly kill me if he sees his picture here.
The walls at TLR are all bright and sunny. There are well stocked racks of the best classics as well as contemporary books for readers to pore over, and you can also pick up one of the numerous board games that are kept stacked in a corner for your amusement. Not to forget a conspicuous peculiarity I observed - a ‘showerhead’ serves as the faucet in the washroom. Seriously!
The Living Room’s specialty lies in its very retro, very hip feel. The place has been done up with a careful ease – something I find missing at most restaurants. They’re either too laidback or else jumping at you for attention. However TLR instantly brightens you up while at the same time making you all relaxed and thoughtful. I’ll certainly give it 4 stars.
Do visit Hauz Khas Village once, that is if you haven't already. And if you have, be kind enough to share your experiences with me too! I'm all ears! :D
1. Kunzum Café - The traveler's paradise
It comes as a complete surprise to many people.
They don’t charge? What the hell dude, you’re screwing with me. :|But it is true; their menu card doesn’t even have the rates printed! There is a small casket kept by the door; you may put in whatever you deem suitable for the food they serve. It’s supposedly a travel café – you come and sit here the whole day, hobnob with travelers that usually frequent it, share travel stories, read the many travel books and brochures stacked along the walls or simply hang out with friends – and no one is ever gonna ask you to get your lazy ass out of here. No elaborate food or beverages served; just simple coffee and cookies. But do remember, no outside food allowed – not even cakes. We were hoping to cut the birthday cake there, but were not permitted. So we left, not having even a taste of what they supposedly serve. But the comfortable low seating and well lit interiors did give me a good kind of vibe – I’d surely visit it again soon, maybe alone, with maybe a book to read or maybe something to write. As of now, Kunzum Café receives 3 stars from me. The place is easily located, though you can find sureshot help here.
2. The Living Room - Posh and perfect
The Living Room, located at the very start of the village, lies in total contrast to Kunzum. Occupying the second and third floors as well as terrace of a sufficiently big place, it has nice interiors, comfy seating (I almost sank into their plush sofa and snoozed) and good service. They serve all kinds of food at TLR – Italian, American, Indian, British et al – as well as alcohol from all around the world, quite literally too. We ordered a lot of starters and were almost full by the time we got to flipping through the main course section. The food was indeed quite expensive, which we conveniently noticed only when it was time for the birthday girl to shell out money at the end of the day. :P
The walls at TLR are all bright and sunny. There are well stocked racks of the best classics as well as contemporary books for readers to pore over, and you can also pick up one of the numerous board games that are kept stacked in a corner for your amusement. Not to forget a conspicuous peculiarity I observed - a ‘showerhead’ serves as the faucet in the washroom. Seriously!
The Living Room’s specialty lies in its very retro, very hip feel. The place has been done up with a careful ease – something I find missing at most restaurants. They’re either too laidback or else jumping at you for attention. However TLR instantly brightens you up while at the same time making you all relaxed and thoughtful. I’ll certainly give it 4 stars.
Do visit Hauz Khas Village once, that is if you haven't already. And if you have, be kind enough to share your experiences with me too! I'm all ears! :D
P.S. There are a number of other eating options at Hauz Khas Village, like the Flipside Café and yet another called "Gunpowder"! But since I haven't yet visited them, I'd leave it to the readers to research on them before trying out :)
P.P.S. Another post in the series coming up soon too..! :D
Kunzum cafe is really a backpacker's paradise in Delhi..love to attend the backpacking meetups here.
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