Cricket curry

First up is Hotel Shivalik View which has put together a spirited bar and snacks menu that you can tuck into while watching the latest IPL match. Arrive at the Whispers Bar on level six and you can choose from a range of specially prepared mocktails to give you company. “IPL gets everyone in the right mood and we wanted to compliment that with a special theme based menu,” mentions Jagan Chaudhry,the Banquets Manager of the hotel. So in come special mocktails prepared by the bar’s leading man Bahadur Singh Thakur. You can have a ‘Captain’s Cooler’ or ‘Yusuf’s Secret’ or make the most with ‘Dada’s Punch’! “We also have ‘Ayla India’ named after Sachin Tendulkar to a ‘Smooth Sixer’ dedicated to Yuvraj Singh,” pitches in Chef Vineet Chopra. The snack menu is equally well-themed bringing in a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Leading the line-up is ‘Fish Tikka Square Cut’ (Ajwani Fish Tikka),‘Sixer Chicken Tikka’ (Murg Malai Tikka),‘Chicken Short Leg’ (Tangri Kebab) to ‘Cape Town Surprise’ (Paneer Tikka Hariyali) and more. “We even have snacks that look like cricket bails called Bail Out Croquette that packs in potatoes and corn,” Chaudhry informs.

Elsewhere,propping up a big screen and offering IPL goodies is Hotel Western Court in Sector 43. “Apart from a special menu,we have games and sponsored prizes up for grabs,” general manager Rajeev Kakkar tells us,also mentioning the buffet dinner coupons to be won every day. “Watching cricket isn’t just about staying glued to the screen. It’s more to do with bonhomie,bonding and lots of cheering,” adds Kakkar who recommends accompaniments like ‘Bhajji’s Top Spin’,‘Tendulkar’s Square Cut’,‘Dravid’s Knock-out’,‘Bret Lee’s Speedy Martini’ to start off. You can pair up with a host of starters but the one we couldn’t wait to try was called ‘Warne’s Leggie’! “These are stuffed chicken legs,” Kakkar added. If that’s not enough,dig into ‘Pathan’s Mughlai chicken’ or ‘Sreesanth’s Bhadka Dal Tadka’!

If you are already planning an IPL evening out then there’s more to choose from. At Hotel Rio in Sector 43,you can not only watch the matches on a gigantic screen,tuck into an Italian food festival but get busy answering the right questions that could land you with happy meals! “We have games like guessing the winner of the toss,predicting the team that’s going to win the match and much more. If you have the right answer you stand to win a host of discounts and free pints of beer,” the hotel’s manager Sandeep Sachdeva briefs us. Keeping in line with prizes is Score – the sports bar and lounge in Sector 8. With umpteen screens beaming the games,you can choose from the bar specials timed with the IPL season including a buy one-get one free offer! Also dishing out special deals with meals is Hotel Mountview. All schemes are timed with the IPL schedule,so make the most of it till May 24!