Mr.China, TGIP Mall, NOIDA [Closed]

Contributed by Amit Uppal

Ed: BBQ Bowl has been renamed to Mr. China

[Rating:2/5]

Two guys from diverse backgrounds, full of spirit, venture into something they never thought of before… and what they come up with is more than satisfactory. A thousand watt smile lights up their faces when they see their customers happy… and that my friends, is the ultimate reward anyone can get in the restaurant business, apart from profits.

I’m talking of BBQ Bowl, a little restaurant on the third floor of the Great India Place Mall in NOIDA.

The Great India Place, NOIDA has become home to some good restaurants in NOIDA, BBQ Bowl being the newest entrant. Started in January this year, this restaurant is owned by Nimai and Sandeep, two young IT professionals who wanted to be different. After a great deal of brainstorming, they hit upon the idea of getting into the food business, and the result is BBQ Bowl. Conceptualized on the basis of combining grilled food with typical Indian Chinese  fare at rock-bottom prices, you can have a filling three course meal at BBQ Bowl for 600 – 700 rupees. The menu isn’t the largest I’ve come across, nor does it include particularly unique dishes. The food however, is definitely better than most restaurants in it’s class… though the bit about the grill is baffling in it’s absence for most part.

The ambiance is a bit underdone with shades of orange and green dominating the interiors. The furniture, crockery and cutlery are plastic, but don’t convey a penny-pinching attitude. There were some whiteboards placed in different locations for customers to write their comments on. The walls were bare during my visit, waiting for comment covered whiteboards to be hung on them. I do like that chain of thought.

I had Chicken Hot n Sour Soup, which was more hot than sour, but tasted good nonetheless. Grilled chicken was next -  bite-sized pieces of chicken on wooden skewers, smeared with barbecue sauce. Succulent they were, and I would love to order them again. Then came a lettuce wrap stuffed with chicken and vegetables. BBQ Bowl have listed this dish under the ‘Healthy Options’ section in their menu. It comprised a small bowl made of lettuce leaves with the filling inside. The lettuce did not have the required crunch, and didn’t seem fresh, but the chicken and vegetable filling was great. I’d love to try the same filling in a bun with sweet chili sauce. BBQ Bowl need to work on their beverages though. The menu contains some mocktails, which are standard for almost any restaurant. I ordered a Virgin Mojito, and the mint leaves were missing. It did have a flavor of mint, but the leaves are a must! The restaurant does not serve alcohol, nor do they plan to.

Further, we had Chicken Sui-Mai, Vegetarian Hakka Noodles, Fried Rice and the star of the show – Fish in Oyster sauce. The fish was crisp and crunchy, yet melt-in-the-mouth and the sauce had just the right flavors. Went well with the noodles and rice. The Sui-Mai was average. Dessert comprised fried ice-cream, which was a shell made of flour with ice-cream inside and fried, which was great. I’m not a dessert person, but this was something I really wanted to go till the end with.

I suggest ignoring the interiors and I’m sure you’ll welcome the food as a much needed break in your shopping… and don’t miss the Fish in Oyster Sauce!

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