Eat shoots and leaves. That seems to be the mantra at Parkway. The euphemism doesn’t simply point to shooting a few hoops of basketball at the well-maintained court within this sprawling 39,200 sq ft sports-driven establishment (near Decathlon). It’s a hat tip to the mini-army within its kitchen, bending down over every plate of food with medical tweezers and precision tongs in their hands.
Almost every dish created—under the keen eye of chef Surender Thakur—is purposefully garnished with edible flowers, leaves, shoots; drizzled with demi-glace out of squeeze bottles; and brushed on the edges with several forms of puree. “Our intention is to serve ‘Michelin-star’ food—from eight cuisines including Euro-Latin, Lebanese, and South East Asian—at an affordable price point. We even do detox fare and artisanal pastries,” claims the Himachal Pradesh-based chef.
Truly gourmet
Yet, are microgreens in a portion of dahi bhalla pushing the envelope? Their Noma-esque version of this humble North Indian street food looks good enough to be featured on an episode of Chef’s Table. Surprisingly, it tastes better than it looks. The bite-size chunks of juicy watermelon, papdi-sev crisps, sweetened yoghurt, and chatpata potato cubes works brilliantly—like notes on a perfectly composed symphony.
Other starters that caught our attention are the achari maahi tikka, tahini shawarma on charcoal buns, and fiery beef pepper fry. The tenderloin strips, which oddly-enough are topped with store-bought banana chips, come with a splash of piquant Telangana-style garlic pickle-infused mayo.
Probably a nod to the restaurant’s parent company, Transcend, which traces its roots to Hyderabad. While we wait for the mains to arrive, my colleague and I explore the eatery’s 5,000 sq ft dining area. Since our visit is prior to the brand officially throwing its doors open to the public, it has very little to offer in terms of decor and ambience.
Ample screen time
Next, we’re served Parkway’s trademark dishes. While their gas oven-cooked grilled chicken pizza is underwhelming, chef’s Thai red curry, with its kafir lime and lemongrass relish, is excellent with jasmine rice.
Regardless of the spread, especially the appetising dessert platter, every sports fan in the city will be excited about this 140-cover space. Not just because of their soon-to-be-installed enormous outdoor LED screen! “We have a state-of-the-art gym, beach volleyball court, and an indoor turf pitch for footy enthusiasts. Another unique factor is that every seat in Parkway has a clear view of the matches on our screen,” concludes the operations head, Prasant Prabhakaran.
Parkway is poised to open its doors this month.
anoop.p@newindianexpress.com
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