Couscous hota hai

Mocha's spring-summer samplers, high on herb-infused, high fibre salads, are as fresh as feisty

A narrow spiral stairway in Defence Colony takes you up a place that leaves you totally unarmed. With its mish-mash Mediterranean moods, multi-hued hookahs and quaint contemporary charm, Mocha's been a hangout-er's haven since long. Its menu, however, remained underplayed in the face of the rest of the fanciness that fills the place. But that was until now. The new Spring Sampler leaf handed to you with the rest of the stuff on the cards is as light and bright as the yellow it's painted in.


Spring things: Roasted vegetables and couscous salad

Salad daze
We looked about for a relatively uncrowded corner and found a cane two-seater to the answer after climbing up and down the two floors twice. Never mind the cosy couple that squatted on the diwans at some distance; no one would interrupt each other at their nibbles. A pleasantly plump chef Rajat walked in, special menu in hand, smile in place. Some sitting and chatting on how they go about their frequent seasonal sprucing, and in rolled our recommendations. The roasted vegetable and couscous salad (Rs 100) is way healthier and fuller than most other varieties available elsewhere at the same cost.

Not a scanty spread of lettuce and corn, but juicy pellets of couscous covered in fresh white pepper and a blanket of rich veggies, the soft celery a pleasure to bite into. A welcome change from the fancy ghaas phoos you'd otherwise expect. Ditto with the smoked chicken salad (Rs 125) it's as saucy as succulent. Sip on their fruit-ful infusions alongside; the strawberry iced tea just as good as its lime-loaded friends.

In mains, the Tunisian lamb stew with Spanish rice (Rs 300) proved praiseworthy, with its clever play of smooth spice and mildness. Don't get fooled by the Indian red of the curry; the flavour's distinct, dramatic and devour-some. There're also pastas penne and fusilli which you can wrap in your choice of sauce among Arrabiata, Alfredo, Mornay and Pesto. Feel like being at sea? Try their marine add-ons.

There are no desserts on the new menu, but their cr me brulee does well to put an end to the affair. Summer never seemed so sweet.

At: Mocha, Defence Colony Market and DLF Phase IV, Gurgaon.
On till: April 30.u00a0
Call: 46588445.