38 Barracks, Connaught Place

38 Barracks as the name suggests is a tribute to the Armed Forces by curator and owner Ankur Agawal and Chef Gautam. The setup of the restaurant is inspired from the home of an Army man from the 1920s, though i feel its more modern than that ;) . The restaurant is divided and decorated as per the different zones in a house - the balcony, the drawing room, the locker room and so on.
The concept of the restaurant is not only to showcase the home of an Army man but also to make you feel at home.

As soon as you enter you can see the coat hanger, a golf set, a rifle, key holders, trunks, medals and shields. The drawing room is a lounge with some more memorabilia on display. The wall adjacent to the stairs to the first floor are decorated with photographs of the family.

The first floor is where the activities take place. 38 Barracks organises a large number of events through out the week to keep you entertained while you enjoy a delicious meal. The events include nights of Stand up comedy, live bands and DJ nights.

The evening began with a beautifully presented Amuse Bouche which is a single bite sized palate cleanser of sorts. The Amuse Bouche consisted of a bite size piece of watermelon topped with Feta cheese and balsamic caviar.

Usually these are served not only to prepare the guest for the meal ehad but also to offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to the art of cuisine and we could not wait to see what was in store.

The menu has been designed by Chef Gautam who has earlier worked with the Great kebab Factory and Radisson Blu, Mahipalpur. He has been one of the key people involved in the making of The Great Kebab Factory Bible. So we could just expect some great food coming our way.

As it was a bloggers meet, the dishes that we tried were both from the menu and off it (as some of the dishes are on trial and not finalized).

The Batallion Samosa booster was what I gorged down first. Crispy on the outside and filled with delicious chicken keema on the inside.

The Mirchi Pakoda served next with a delicious potato filling and tangy imly chutney was again delicious.

The Corn Masala Tart was another surprise. The sweetness of the tart cut the heat of the masala made of sweet corn, tomato & onion.

The Beetroot cutlets served next were an absolute delight. Sweet beetroot filling in a crunchy tikki- It was better than the Aloo tikki I eat usually, and obviously healthier! Even the beetroot was not bitter as it usually is.

Barracks special Blueberry Mojito was again extremely well prepared. The flavour of the blueberry was not too much and overall the drink tasted great!

The Paneer Tikka Barrels were soft, moist and juicy. The centers of the barrels were stuffed with a sweet filling of dry fruits and together with the mint chutney, they tasted really good.

Moving on. we tried the Chicken burger. The burger itself is as big as a pizza! The burger is supposed to be a part of the main course usually, but here it is served as a starter. The Burger is cut up into 6-8 pieces which are almost as big as pizza slices and can be easily shared by a family. Also, the burger did not have the usual meat patty , instead it had a layer of chicken sausages and another layer of chicken salami along with lettuce, tomato, onions and a sauce. The burger was also served with 6 dips! Now that's a variety - pesto sauce, mayo, Salsa, Ketchup, Garlic and a few more to keep your taste buds occupied.

The Gosht ki Galauti was my absolute favourite. Melt in the mouth delicious kebabs served with tawan parantha. Yum! 

Moving on to the main course, the Chicken kadhai was yum! Just the right amount of spices and perfectly cooked chicken.

While you are at 38 Barracks you just have to try out the Baked Rasgulla Pie. It is everything you would expect - a delectable pastry encasing a soft (but baked) rasgulla served with ice cream. I could have more of these in my life.

38 Barracks does not only serve good food but is also the only place in the City (and may be in teh country too) that serves 3 flavours of hookah that you will not find anyplace else - Rice Pudding Hookah (Or Kheer hookah), Jackfruit Hookah and Peach Iced tea Hookah.

Also, Faujis and their families get a flat 20% discount on the bill!