Food for Thought

Known for its Australian fare,Cafe Oz,a restrobar in Sector 9,was quick to stir up some action. For starters,the place is dotted with country flags of the participating teams and the stewards’ are sporting the official cricketing T-shirts. To add to the theme,the restrobar’s flooring has been painted green,with a pitch in the middle of the cafe and a gigantic television screen occupying centrestage. Owner Gurtej Virk states that the cafe is dishing out daily specials depending on the day’s match. “We are supporting not just India,but the World Cup spirit,” says Virk. So as you cheer for Ricky Ponting,sample Aussie salt and pepper prawns. The last ten overs of any match means that you can sip unlimited beer by shelling out Rs 500. The other specials include New Zealand lamb chops and Jamaican grilled kebabs. On-the-spot games,encouraging guests to cheer for all teams,are also planned. The winners,not surprisingly,get meal vouchers.

Meal for Two: Rs 600,Location: SCO 50-51,Sector 9 D,Madhya Marg,Chandigarh. Contact: 0172-4064990/91/92/93

Worldy Wise

Making the most of its space,the restaurant and lounge at Kava has been turned into a stadium of sorts. The entire place is decorated with flags of all 14 participating countries along with the usual props — team jerseys,dummy bats,wickets,balls and a dummy World Cup trophy. While the VIP area (the mezzanine floor) has been called Pavilion,there are seating corners named Mid-off,Mid-on and so on. The big screen,suspended on a wall,will make sure you keep up with each over. A fun contest called ‘Fun Betting for World Cup 2011’ asks guests to predict various match-related developments,like who will win the toss or who will be the man of the match. As far as the menu goes,there’s world cuisine on offer and quite predictably dishes have been named after cricketers. Do try Dhoni’s Dhamaka. Priced at Rs 650,it brings in a spread of golden fried prawns served with a pickled Mayo dip. Also worth a bite is Harbhajan’s Doosra,for Rs 400,which is a spicy murg tikka served with mint chutney. If the choices are overwhelming,just order a ‘Boundary Platter’ which comprises an assorted mix of vegetarian starters.

Meal for two: Rs 1,200 (excluding taxes),Location: SCO 14,Sector 26,Madhya Marg,Chandigarh,Contact: 0172-5043666

Choose your Pick

If your workplace happens to be in the heart of the busy IT Park,then time your lunch with the day’s match at Black Magic at DLF Mall. The eatery has tuned its television screens for the World Cup and has also tweaked its menu. Mannika Singh,manager at the restrobar says,“Knowing the kind of interest the game generates we decided to roll out special combo meal offers called How’zat.” The offers are linked to the match timings: for the first hour the meal costs Rs 500 — apart from a drink,one can choose from multiple snacks,including spring rolls,cheese chilly,honey chilli cauliflower,cocktail kebabs,Murg malai tikka and Haryali Murg tikka. “The price during the second hour is Rs 300 per head. After that,we charge Rs 200 onwards,” says Singh. Additionally,the bar at Black Magic is also dishing out cocktails and mocktails.

Meal for two: Rs 600,Location: 2nd Floor,DT Mall,IT Park,Chandigarh,Contact: 9501966888

Hall Of Fame

Taking the World Cup theme a notch higher is The Lobby in Sector 26. It has painstakingly put together a wall of fame,culling out old photographs and important milestones in cricketing history. So as you look at a life-size poster of Kapil Dev holding the World Cup trophy,you can choose from specially prepared dishes where,once again,cricketers lead the menu. Sehwag’s Natraaj Shot has inspired ‘Malai aur mewe ki broccoli,Gambhir’s Pull Shot is ‘Bharwa charra aloo’ while Raina’s Crispy Cut is Hunan style baby corn. Indian cricket team coach Gary Kirsten’s favourite is Tandoori Pomfret,which is highly recommended by the restaurant staff.

Meal for two: Rs 1,000,Location: SCO 42,Sector 26,Madhya Marg,Chandigarh,Contact: 0172-4633334

Compiled by Jagmeeta Thind Joy