Leisure n Lemp: Lemp Brewpub & Kitchen, Gurgaon
Greet me with Sledgehammer playing and you’ll have me smitten. For me the experience of eating or drinking out is a combination of several elements – the staff, food, drinks, noise levels and even the location; in some cases, especially the location. Which is why the journey to Lemp can be a bit of a letdown but once you’re in, you’re practically transported to a new place in a new world. To begin with, Lemp is spacious and very glamorous with beautiful ambient lighting and plenty of leg room to sit or stand around. The looming screens didn’t seem intrusive because everything else was very well placed. The night was right for me because the music was retro and the crowd generally cultured and upbeat. In fact Lemp seems quite the expat hangout.
A franchise from the United States original founded by Adam Lemp, Lemp Brewpub & Kitchen take their job very seriously. They offer 6 signature beers and I found each one to be robust and delicious. If you are a beer connoisseur you may never drink bottled beer again; the tap here is quite the seductress! The Wit Bier was light, creamy and spicy; I did like it, very Sunday afternoon. The Ultra Pale Ale was fruity and crisp while the Cherokee Red had a solid kick, was strong, caramelly and spicy too. The standard Lager was pretty much for everyone’s tastes and well developed, flavoursome and smooth. Then came the real kickers – the Jurassic Dark (very fruity, malty) and my personal favourite, the Lavender Lady, which had a velvety finish and a subtle chocolaty aftertaste. I loved it or was it the 7-8% alcohol content? Who cares? Lemp is the only place it’s brewed, so this is where I’ll be at on weekends as often as possible! Consider this: At Lemp, a pint is Rs. 165, a mug, Rs. 225 and a pitcher of 1.5 litres is Rs. 525! I think those are pretty good prices.
What reinforced my decision to be a frequent visitor at Lemp wasn’t just the selection of beers or cocktails (interesting signature cocktails, Betel Smack Mojito for example) – it was the food. I am so weary of settling for chilli chicken or tandoori fare at breweries that the Lemp menu pretty much blew me away. I loved that the menu included signature dishes made with beer! We ordered the Beer Batter Prawns (495) – fresh prawns, good sized, large portion and yummy dipping sauce; that’s almost full marks in my book. The chef insisted we try the Beer Batter Fish & Chips (495) as well. Here’s the kicker, no Basa (praise the Lord!), good ‘ol Sole fish, well cooked, lightly battered and served with an outstanding tartare sauce; good choice Chef! My companion was too busy to care, completely engrossed in the Machhi Sarsonwali (395). Since we’re doing Hinglish, it was completely hatke from the fish tikkas we are subjected to at pubs and bars, with a strong and welcome mustard kick.
I may have mentioned this before but one of my benchmarks for a kitchen test is the Caesar Salad and Lemp’s Roast Chicken Caesar with Parmesan and Croutons was beautiful. Loads of Parmesan, crisp, fresh greens and moistly dressed bowl, I can now safely say Lemp pretty much has it all. Great brew (Ishan Grover, Master Brewer), lovely menu (Chef Kirubananthan) and attentive, friendly staff (Mayank), so do drop in; I certainly will!