Three in one

The famed Parisian chain Buddha Bar, known for its spectacular interiors and lounge, makes its first appearance in India as b-bar. Located on the fourth floor of Select Citywalk Saket, b-bar is all about style and opulence. Out of the spacious 25,000 square foot area, 15,000 square feet with around 330 covers are dedicated to the restaurant. The interiors are classy with elegant chandeliers and red and gold ambience. The only thing missing is the trademark Buddha statue. Well, the controversy at their Jakarta restaurant has forced the owners to play it safe in India and replace it with a king size Samurai statue. Music is emphasised a lot at b-bar. They have their own Buddha Bar volume which remains uniform across all Buddha Bars. The lounge beats gets pacier as the clock strikes 10 and the party animals start to drop in. Mesmerised by the glamour quotient of b-bar I nearly forgot I was supposed to review the food.

The cuisine on offer is mainly drawn from the Southeast Asian region with Japanese food dominating the menu. I started with the lobster dumplings stuffed with mince of lobster and scallops. Shallow frying just before serving made the dumplings crunchy which went well with the crab curry sauce.

For vegetarians their sesame tofu is definitely one of the best offerings. No Japanese meal is considered complete without the sushi. I had a salmon and avocado variant and was quite impressed with it. The yakitori chicken was average as it was too chewy in texture. I started the main course with the signature b-bar noodles which the manager emphasised are served with the same flavours across the globe. Though the commitment made reflected a stiff collar, the noodles were average. I had the dish along with roasted black cod which was made well enough, but the balance of the soy maple vinaigrette was not perfect. It tasted way too much sweeter than it ought to. Angry chicken complemented the fried rice.

Among desserts, the frozen Japanese cream with mango jelly had a great aftertaste. Looking for the dish which would confirm a second visit, I found it in - the yuzu parfait with miso ice cream.

Meal for two - Rs.3000