Satyaniketan continues to squeeze in more restaurants and cafes and boy, are we really complaining? The spread of so many congested and cramped up cafes has surely amped up the competition here and one can imagine where the next Hauz Khas Village will be. The trend of tandoori momos and butter chicken pasta and pizza started from here and we are waiting for more trademark dishes to come from this place.
Carpe Diem can be said to be a class apart caffe, not because it is situated in the insides of the Chowringhee Lane, but because it spacious enough to seat more than ten people and let the customers have a breathe of air without being jostled up. The space is beautifully done – roof adorned with flowers and walls displaying some nerdy portraits. Hard to believe?
Here are a few dishes I tried :
Nachos with fresh fruit salsa : Nachos with tomato salsa is so passé these days. Please welcome the addition of pineapples to your nachos and experience the burst of flavours! The nachos are as usual zingy and the fruit salsa makes it tangy, spicy, juicy and sweet.
Barbeque chicken wings : The barbeque sauce is quite flattering here. It is very different from the “usual” chicken wings we have and the sauce here is more bitter – as it should be with sweet undertones. The chicken is chewy, soft and juicy and exudes a burnt smoky flavour which is good to taste. RECOMMENDED.
Shanghai chicken : If this is an authentic Shanghai dish, then you are in for a roll! The chicken pieces are so soft, slurpy and juicy. The presence of onions, garlic and bell peppers adds sweetness as well as pungency to the dish. RECOMMENDED.
Chicken Salad : If you are a salad fan, then you have to try this. The lettuce is fresh and super crunchy, the dressing is subtle and sweet and the shredded chicken is soft and mushy. Shall I call it heavenly? Yes! RECOMMENDED.
Non veg club sandwich : Well, a heavily loaded chicken sandwich, which is crunchy on the outside should definitely be eaten slowly. The breads are not soggy because of the presence of so many sauces and soft chicken pieces.
Mushroom Burger : Served with potato wedges and coleslaw, this was a downer. The wedges were crispy but extra salty, the burger patty was hard, salty and devoid of moisture and the buns were disintegrating and dry.
Chicken white sauce pasta : A bit sticky and thick sauce can mar a perfectly cooked pasta and chicken and this is what happened here. The sauce had more quanity of cheese and lesser amount of cream. But nonetheless, the pasta and chicken were good.
Pink Sauce pasta : A masterpiece of a dish! The consistency of the sauce is darn good here – not too thick and not too runny with the flavour of tomatoes pretty prominent here, the penne is perfectly cooked and the subtle use of herbs. RECOMMENDED.
