UPDATE Higher the heels, higher the discount @ Urban Pind

Wearing high heels now comes with an added benefit. Pull out those sexy pair of heels and get heavy discounts at Urban Pind on Mondays. Dance your worries away to groovy Bollywood and Hollywood numbers with DJ Praveen and DJ Bobby.

QUICK INFO

Special Deal:  Higher the heels, higher the discount!!

Meal for two: Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000

Timings: 9:30 pm onwards

Address: N-4, N Block market, GK-1, New Delhi

For reservations: 01132515656/32514646 

REVIEW Sunday brunch @ The China Kitchen

Heavy wooden doors open to the food haven, a place where you can relish authentic Sichuan cuisine. What once was Djinns, the nightclub now houses the China Kitchen, the only restaurant to serve authentic Peking duck (like the one you get in Beijing). The double glazed glass wall on all sides overlooking the pool offers a surreal view. A Sunday brunch at the China Kitchen is a hit and the who’s who of the city can be sighted here relishing food with Canard Duchêne Grand Cuvee Rosé champagne. The brunch comes in three fixed options; the cheapest priced at Rs 2,200 per person (without alcohol), while the other two options have champagnes included. Steeped in the typical mindset, we were of the opinion that this too would be the usual buffet; however, on the contrary, it was a sit down brunch where the menu is a fixed one but served on your table. Quite interesting! We started by sipping some soup (chicken sweet corn). Everyone has burnt their tongue while taking the first sip; haven’t we? But at China Kitchen, things are different. The temperature of the soup was just right and it did not hurt our tongue at all! And we could actually relish it from the first sip. The soup was followed by an assortment of appetizers --- vegetable spring rolls, shrimp and boiled chicken dumplings. If you had been avoiding spring rolls for their high oil content, then a visit to China Kitchen is a must. You will fall in love with their spring rolls. They don’t have a drop of oil but still manage to retain their crisp nature. Savvy women in halter dresses sashaying in high heels on the wooden floor and children in Juicy Couture strollers can attract your attention for a while. But the goodies don’t stop and they re-captivate your interest. After all food is what we live for. It was now time to enjoy the specialty of the house. We were asked to choose from Beggar’s Chicken or Peking duck, and we opted for the former. It comes in a dried clay shell which is hammered right in front of you. You are free to take the first hit! Chicken with truffles wrapped in lotus leaves come inside the shell that are then opened layer by layer. Cooked overnight, as the aroma and dressing would aptly suggest, the chicken is savoured and stuffed with thin shreds of wild mushrooms. However majestic the signature dish may have appeared on the outside, it still did not appease our palate as much as the prior delicacies did. Reason could well be attributed to the tiny bone pieces and the bland tasting truffles. But do take a break to look at their open kitchens (five of them for different sections),

Peking Duck kitchen

 fine woodwork, Chinese artefacts, and classical teapots. But their ambience is not overwhelming as such. It is the food and their service that merit the maximum adulation. For the main course, there was Kong pao chicken with ginger, Chinese vinegar, and peanuts, red snapper fish in black bean sauce, stir fried greens, wok-fried premium vegetables in, chili garlic sauce, vegetarian fried noodles and vegetable fried rice. To top this all up, there was chocolate fondue, coupled with an assortment of fresh fruits, candies, cookies and jellies to cater to the connoisseur inmates. Served in a clay teapot over boiling water, the molten chocolate added to the sense of culinary bliss and marked a perfect finish to the 5-course hearty brunch. And if you are not one of those who can patiently sit down and enjoy the full course meal, head to the China Kitchen bar. 

The China Kitchen Bar
It is an ideal place for after-office sun downers, a pre-dinner aperitif, an after-party hangout or a place for someone looking for desserts with champagne. The bar is open till 4 am, unlike most other places in the capital, and which again imputes a starkly different characteristic to the place.  We may aptly conclude by referring to the feeling of contentment that one carries back from the China Kitchen, after indulging in an optimal utilization of the lazy Sunday afternoon and a perfect gear-up to the Monday blues!

Quick info

Meal for two: Rs 5,000 onward plus taxes for brunch, à la carte would be less

House of spirits: Single malt, cocktails with emphasis on Champagne. Bar serves Chinese specialties as the China Village Mai Tai, paired with Lotus Fretters, the best selection of appetizers from The China Kitchen.

Address: Hyatt Regency, Bhikaji Cama Place

For reservations: 011-66661334