Yes Boss

A recently opened restaurant in Connaught Place comes with an uncomplicated offering of pub grub.

The interiors of Excuse Me Boss.

We couldn’t resist the cheesy headline. But it was pretty much de rigeur given the name of the restaurant we were reviewing. Excuse Me Boss is named after hapless employees begging their bosses for a lunch break, which constitutes a large part of this Connaught Place restaurant’s clientele. Perhaps to counter the harsh tube-lit illumination of cubicle fever, the interiors are dim and soothing, complete with leather couches set around wooden tables, a long bar-counter, cool marbled flooring, and a partitioned smoking section. While their liquor license is yet to be granted, there is a line of liquour stores right outside to soothe overworked souls. The restaurant’s soundtrack features remixed soft rock and attentive servers asking after the progression of your meal.

The menu meanders around the globe like a seasoned backpacker, comprising burgers, steaks, skewers, grills and assorted pub grub. There is a medley of both the standard as well as some unusual dishes such as Galouti kebab canapes and Mexican shrimp spring rolls, with prices averaging to around Rs 350 a dish.

Despite the rather exotic options, we stick mainly to the tried and tested, figuring there’s always time for experimentation later. So we get the Gilafi seekh, Chicken wings and Chicken dry red chilli. The seekh comes first, the colour of glowing charcoal and just as smoky in flavour, the meat well-marinated and tender, and we’re pleased to get acquainted. The wings are also soft and smoky, though slightly sweeter, and go admirably with the accompanying thick blue cheese sauce. The Chicken dry red chilli looks fearsome, tossed as it is with slices of red chilli and spring onions, but is in fact rather mild, the chilli not having permeated the meat much.

For our mains, we tried the Grilled Chicken Breast and the intriguingly named Water Fish, a supposedly Hunan delicacy and a signature dish of the restaurant. The chicken is like mother would make it — chargrilled with its skin intact, laid out on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and attended to by sauteed summer vegetables. Served with steamed rice, the Water Fish is up next — a large glass bowl with large slivers of fish floating in a slick broth, with the oil bubbling furiously, filling the air with a crackling sound. The fish is beautifully flaky, the spicy broth going swimmingly with the rice, the one fly in the soup being that it’s inundated with whole roasted peppercorns, which detract slightly from the otherwise soft mouthfulls.

Meal for two: Rs 1,800 (including taxes, excluding alcohol)

Address: F 14-15, Middle Circle, Connaught Place
Contact: 30146025 ext: 259

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food review