Thanks to popular Netflix series like Riverdale , the American diner trend is now emerging in every nook and corner of the city. From Downtown Diner on Residency Road to Grub Monkeys in Koramangala, these retro-themed restaurants offering classic comfort food and a casual ambience are becoming city favourites.
Now seated, playing a game of Jenga, at the latest entrant into this list, Arlo’s in HSR Layout has decided to shock everyone by painting their entire space pink. Balancing a wooden block on the top of the tower, one of the founders tells us that the choice of colour was to promote the use of pink in a gender-neutral way. That’s not all, the café also incorporates queer support murals on the adjacent wall that boasts vibrant figures and a rainbow heart.
In addition to nostalgia and Barbie aesthetics, the diner also features a menu dotted with a wide variety of options including speciality burgers, fries, waffles and wings. When I helped the Jenga tower tumble down, we decided to finish what was left of our scrumptious Barbarian Fries, which serves French fries
loaded with pieces of Nashville fried chicken, jalapenos, melted cheese and cheese sauce, alongside Mango Mist, a mint-infused mocktail made with mango pulp.
While we stacked the blocks for round two, we were presented with Dynamite Chicken Wings where deep-fried chicken wings are tossed in a dynamite sauce. Although the sauce was flavourful, it was overpowered by the taste of oil. But we thoroughly enjoyed their Chicken Nashville Strips sauce. The strips were crispy, piquant and delicious.
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Before we tried their burgers, we were made aware that they use potato buns, a type of bread that is made with mashed potatoes in the dough. Upon recommendation, we opted for the Brooklyn Veggie
Burger which boasts a patty topped with lettuce, pickled jalapeno, cheddar cheese, caramelised onions and an in-house sauce. All that between the soft and fluffy textured buns that are slightly sweet in taste felt worth travelling across half the city for.
We also sampled their signature Maple Sriracha Chicken Burger (chicken patty tossed in a Maple sriracha sauce topped with lettuce and pickled jalapenos), which instantly became our favourite. While we bit into their juicy burgers, we also sipped on a glass of their signature thick shakes — Biscoff Bliss made with Lotus cookies, which we really liked.
We ended our visit with a Blueberry Dream Sundae topped with marshmallows and a frosty prepared with strawberry jelly and Jim Jam biscuits. What a fitting and sweet tribute to childhood!
Meal for two: ₹500 onwards. At HSR Layout.
srushti@newindianexpress.com