Leon’s, Gurgaon

Contributed by Pawan Soni

23rd Sep’10: I revisited Leon’s yesterday with a few friends. Much has changed since my last visit. The menu options are fewer, prices have been hiked and service levels are lower. A small but significant omission from their menu is the evergreen staple, peanuts, which weren’t available. In their endeavor to raise the quality of their clientele I believe Leon’s may end up discouraging their target clientele too due to the hiked prices. Leon’s sends mixed messages with respect to their identity; the prices and music are reminiscent of a restaurant while the food, menu, fixtures and service are that of an aahata. The only thing IMHO still in their favour are the music and the ability to BYOB. Unfortunately, Leon’s now represents the average aahata.

Gurgaon, once an under-developed suburb of Delhi is now known for its swanky office buildings and luxurious malls. Gurgaon has come a long way but one thing that has remained unchanged are the hordes of people from Delhi and nearby areas who still flock to the many road side drinking joints to get tipsy post the normal closing hours in neighbouring cities. These roadside drinking joints, commonly known as Aahatas, have come a long way from serving not-so-rich people who could not afford expensive restaurants, to becoming a preferred drinking and meeting place for the corporate crowd. These outlets work on the simple concept— ‘Drinks Yours, Food Ours’ meaning that people can get booze (bottles) from retail outlets and food is served from the restaurant menu. This concept greatly reduces the cost of an outing, as drinks comprise a major portion of the total bill in a good restaurant in Gurgaon where VAT itself adds 25% to the liquor bill. Importantly, all these aahatas are legal with valid permits that allowguests to bring their own booze.

There are various options in Gurgaon for aahatas of which the better known ones are Machaan (4 outlets), Knight Riders and Meet & Treat. A new entrant in this field is Leon’s. Leon’s works on a similar concept but has positioned itself a little differently from its peers. It only plays good English Rock music from the 70’s and 80’s and will shortly have live bands like ‘Babylon Extension’ and ‘The Big Bang Blues’ playing every 2nd and 4th Saturday. Other joints have always played Ghazals, or Hindi Filmy music. Given the young corporate crowd in Gurgaon, Leon’s positioning looks impressive and I think, will fill the void that currently exists.

As these outlets aren’t known for their food, this review is more about the outlet than the food.

Leon’s is situated on the Gold Souk road in front of Sector-56 and has ample parking space. The name of the restaurant is the first thing that strikes you, but then it turns out to be a no-brainer when you learn the owner’s name is Leon Baker. On entering you’ll see large bill-boards of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley and other rock stars. It has enough open space seating to easily cover 45 pax and air-conditioned space for another 40-50 people. The air-conditioned space comes with an entry charge of Rs100/- per head. There is a large screen in the open area where a projector displays images of rock stars and can also probably be used to project cricket matches and other sporting events. Leon told me that they will soon be hosting open mic free jam night where apart from invited musicians, the audience will also be encouraged to participate in the performance. It sounded to me like an interesting concept.

The menu prices have moderately increased since my last visit to the place which was just a week earlier, and are now equal to those of counterparts like Machaan. The hike is probably to discourage some people and to give it a preferred up-market look, which goes along with the positioning Leon’s has taken. The food is average but much better than comparable outlets. We tried many items including Chicken Afghani, Pudina Chicken, Murgh Malai Tikka, and Butter Chicken at Leon’s, each of which were good. Even the Dal Makhani was above average, accompanied by hot and crisp Tandoori Rotis, which made for a nice meal. Service levels at these outlets vary widely. Though I appreciated the service standard during my earlier visits but on my last visit the service sucked, even though it was neither a weekend nor was it fully occupied. Leon acknowledged the fact and assured better service soon. Since he is new to the food industry, I would treat this as a teething issue and look forward to visiting Leon’s again to see if the service level has really improved. Service standards in these joints is critical because after having a drink or two you do not want to keep looking for the server. It is for this reason I usually avoid Machaan. Thankfully Leon’s still do not charge service tax though the same is printed on the menu as 12.5%. The menu mentions many options but none of the fish or mutton items were available. I hope Leon’s can work on their menu and give it some options that differentiate it from others in the same space.

My latest visit to Leon’s was on a wet day when the rain gods finally seemed to be pleased with Gurgaon. Sitting outside in the covered area in a budget outlet with dim light, drinks, good music and hot snacks and getting to hear the sound of falling rain was truly priceless. Leon’s is strongly recommended to all Aahata fans who like classic English music along with their favourite drinks.

Price-O-Meter: Meal for 2: Rs600 excluding drinks.

• Tandoori Chicken half: Rs145
• Peanut Masala: Rs85
• Chicken Afghani half: Rs155
• Pudina Chicken half: Rs155
• Reshmi Murgh Malai Tikka: Rs155
• Butter Chicken half: Rs210
• Dal Makhani: Rs90
• Tandoori Roti: Rs9
• Plastic Glass: Rs5
• Cold Drink 600 ml: Rs35
• Soda: Rs30
• Water: Rs25
• Entry charges on Live Band day: Rs100 per head.

- Pawan Soni

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