Themed restaurants are such a hit and 38 Barracks is totally killing it with an ‘army’ themed look. Situated in Connaught Place, inside you will find the memorabilia from an army man’s life, his guns, badges, trophies, medals and even photographs. Old phones, cameras, books and clocks also lend a unique charm to the place. The restaurant plays with the voyeuristic tendencies of the human psyche and one cannot help but look. The restaurant or the ‘colonel’s home’ is divided into various sections- rustic living room for a quiet evening with friends and family, balcony for his musings and a locker room. Right beside the entry door is a cloth stand where the colonel would hang his coat. The place has dim lighting and cozy seating staying true to the essence of a ‘barrack’. 38 Barracks is the brainchild of Mr. Ankur Agarwal who incidentally encountered a colonel on his train journey to Shimla. After having been familiar with the nitty -gritties of the army life, Mr Agarwal has laid out 38 Barracks for civilians to experience the same.
Mixologist Kumar Sambhav and Chef Gautam Chaudhary have worked hard to curate the menu. The names of the food and drinks have a military reference and great conceptualizatio. We had the good old- fashioned Cosmopolitan. The sour green apples in Green Appletini stole the show with a nice hint of sour. We also tried the Kala Khatta Banta, fore father of the modern carbonated drinks in a new flavor.
In the starters, Soldier’s Mirchi Vada was the first one to arrive. Made with the large sized chilli used in pickles and a stuffing of mashed potatoes, it is a fun starter to try. Paneer Tikka barrels were a delight in every bite with cottage cheese crafted in shape of barrels and stuffed with dry fruits served with mint chutney with a shot of buttermilk. A highly recommended 38 Barracks signature dish.
Paneer tikka barrels
Malaysian Military Chicken Satay had marinated chicken supreme with mild spices grilled on skewers and served with peanut chutney. Chicken Frank Flowers 65 is another dish not worth missing and can be tried by people whose palates are accustomed to spice. It had chicken pieces stir -fried with onions and dry chilli.The burgers served here are larger than any you have ever seen. We tried the non vegetarian American Military Cheese Burger.
Non- vegetarain burger
Clash of Clans is an utter delight for the fish fanatics. Another of the chef’s specials, it has English classic Fish and Chips on one side of the platter and Ajwaini Mahi Tikka on the other. It seems to be divided by a line of control with a dash of cheese and is accompanied by French Fries. Between a clash of the ‘armies’, the Ajwaini Mahi Tikka emerged as a clear winner.
Clash of clans
Alfredo Pasta is perfect to satiate anybody’s cheese cravings and did so for us too. Being a very common dish and having tried it various other places, this one still managed to leave a mark. Another dish worth trying. Chicken duet tikka had two different types of marinated chicken morsels glazed in clay oven. One variant was a tad bit spicy than the other.
Chicken duet tikka
For the main course we opted for a non vegetarian platter which was a sumptuous mix of Murg Banjara, Dal Makhni, Salad, Papad and mint chutney served with Butter Naans. The platter was a filling option with the dal makhani stealing the show. We ended our meal with a Chocolate Brownie which was purely an irrestible temptation.
Non- vegetarian platter
Visit 38 Barracks to experience a dash of army life.
