At the American-diner style Caf ufffd Brookside, singers Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and David Bowie look down at you from the wall as you dig into Mughlai cuisine

With a complete American diner style setup -- low table lighting, beer glasses on tables, huge comfortable sofas and Rock/Country music playing in the background -- Cafe Brookside's ambience was a change from the regular.



The walls have been done up with posters of artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, David Bowie and others giving it a loungy feel. In fact, we were told that the place turns into a live music venue on Sunday evenings. Cafe Brookside, however, confounded us once we start browsing the menu. The restaurant's eight-page menu is mostly dedicated to Mughlai cuisine. Head elsewhere if steak-laden salads and crisp burgers are what you're looking for.

When we asked for a portion of Chicken Wings (Rs 180), we were told that they weren't serving their Continental menu that day. So we settled for a plate of Chakori Kebabs (Rs 195). Made with tender boneless chicken with a mix of herbs, mint and coriander, the Chakori Kebabs must be had with a dab of mint chutney to heighten the overall taste. Next up was the Mutton Rogan Josh (Rs 215) paired with some garlic naan (Rs 35). The mutton was well-cooked.

The food is priced reasonably with most dishes priced between Rs 150 to 250. The more exotic fish and prawn dishes were priced between Rs 350 to Rs 450. The kebabs and main course menu comprised of the usual suspects found at any Mughlai restaurant. The main ingredients in the vegetarian starters are cottage cheese, potatoes and marinated mushrooms.

Among the vegetarian dishes, Bhutte aur Dhingri ka Saag (corn and mushroom in a spinach based gravy) was an interesting preparation. Lahori Murg is a thick gravy and has flavours of clover and cinnamon. The Dal Bukhara is prepared from black lentils cooked overnight in a tandoor.

With hardly anyone around during lunchtime, the service was prompt. A cultural and gastronomical mismatch, Cafe Brookside has the potential to do much more in terms of packaging and meeting the expectations of a guest who walks in.

At: Cafe Brookside, Viman Nagar.
Call: 40112000. Lunch and dinner are served from 11 am to 3 pm and 7 pm to 11.30 pm