Estimated Time of Arrival

Our Tuesday afternoon lunch at Panache, Fort’s newest eatery was like dining in the carcass of last night’s party, complete with a replete bar, empty DJ console and 1.30 pm techno beats still pulsing on the sound system. Sitting on comfy white couches at low tables, we wished that this resto-lounge was more resto and less lounge during the day.

Beat Around the Corner

Over the beats, we ordered our eats – picking from a European-Mediterranean selection of appetisers, salads, pasta, risotto and fondue, we got Italiano pizza and a hummus platter. The former arrived with an undercooked base, bell peppers and glazed onions, all smothered under a heavy layer of stringy cheese.. “Too fast food-y for a place with swank prices,” a fellow diner commented. The lemony hummus though, was delish.

For the next half of our meal we travelled to India, a much better trip, picking from Panache’s desi menu with a list of daily specials. For a fixed price, each person can pick two appetizers, two main course dishes, one rice bowl, assorted naans and rotis, and dessert. We started with kalimiri chicken kebabs, touted by the manager as the house speciality. Tender and just the right amount of peppery, these were truly yum. The bland vegetarian corn balls lost our vote even before we tried them, because they arrived with tomato ketchup. At a restaurant where an average dish costs Rs 400, one would expect more attention paid to detail.

Mains included deliciously spiced Malvani chicken (though the pieces of meat could have been less chewy); cottage cheese with generic, tomato-based Rahara; and average black daal, made better when paired with zesty lemon rice.

Throw Away Prize?

While the set meals are meant for individuals and not to be shared, the portions are insanely large, as big as family sized ones. We’re not ones to complain about freebies, but there’s a difference between generous and wasteful. Almost five plastic boxes of food had to be carted home!

Hey, Sugar

A bowl of tasty, rich, not-too-sweet gajar ka halwa ended our desi meal. The manager also threw in free Blueberry cheesecake, which we were heartbroken to tell the eager beaver tasted synthetic and unpleasant.

With less jazzed up afternoons and a cheaper buffet – maybe even a free beer thrown in - Panache has the potential to be a much needed crunch lunch destination in this corporate neighbourhood (see Busaba’s night-to-day transformation). They should remember that while bpb occasionally can, not everyone parties during work hours.

Getting there: Panache, DN Road, in the lane opposite Lawrence & Mayo, Fort, call 22695756, Rs 1,250 for two without alcohol.