NooBa, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon

Contributed by Amit Uppal

I have been always been a die-hard fan of Chinese cuisine. Though most places in North India serve the Punjabi version of Chinese, there are a few exceptions. This time, the hunt took me to NooBa, Gurgaon. Did you know NooBa is owned by the InterGlobe Group, who also operate a private airline – Indigo? The group also has other Chinese and Indian restaurants in NCR- China Club (Gurgaon) and Piccadelhi (Connaught Place)

The restaurant is snugly located in the DLF Building 8, Tower C, on the ground floor. The ambiance is quite soothing, with muted lights and a cozy atmosphere. Seating comprises neatly arranged chairs, benches and couches. Most clientele are corporate and the restaurant is doing a fairly good job of making them feel at home. The service is attentive and quick.

We visited NooBa for lunch, when most restaurants would have a full-house. We didn’t have to wait however. Seated facing the restaurant’s open kitchen, we could see all the ingredients neatly arranged in trays similar to a Subway outlet. The best part of the whole experience was the atmosphere – not very noisy, as against a place where the food is prepared in front of you; the waiters constantly moving and yelling out orders to the kitchen. The acoustics ensure you aren’t bothered by chattering neighbors or the cries of servers – making conversation is easy. A small bar at the far end of the restaurant provides the only eye sore in an otherwise pleasant theme – a 5 foot high cylinder of gas for draught beer.

The mats at NooBa double as menus and the pricing is by category, not per dish. We ordered Guang Dong Diced Chicken Pan-fried Noodles, Sliced Lamb Noodles in Black Bean Sauce, Vegetable Corn Dumplings, Steamed Mixed Vegetable Si Xi Shao Mai (Mix Vegetable Dumplings) and a Walnut Brownie with Vanilla Ice-cream for dessert. We shared the dessert.

To most of us, the words ‘dimsum’ and ‘dumpling’ are synonymous, meaning a wrapper of dough, filled with meat or vegetables, and steamed or fried. ‘Dimsum’ is not one word, it’s two. Dim Sum (literally meaning – ‘a bit of heart’), is a part of Chinese food culture that comprises a wide variety of Chinese dishes served with Chinese Tea. This is somewhat akin to the English tradition of ‘High Tea’, where tea is served with an assortment of light dishes. Dim Sum is usually served in the mornings, up to noon at Chinese restaurants. There are certain Dim Sum eateries that serve the fare throughout the day. The portions are small and can go up to 30 in number excluding desserts. Dim Sum includes dumplings made of rice flour or wheat starch, filled with chopped vegetables, meats, seafood (usually shrimps) or combinations. Also a part of Dim Sum are Bau - baked or steamed buns made of rice flour and filled with vegetables, meats or both; rice noodle rolls, filled with meats and/or vegetables; spare ribs; congee (thick rice porridge served with accompaniments); Sou (flaky pastries, sweet or salted); rolls (spring rolls or tofu skin rolls) and various varieties of cakes. Desserts include an assortment of tarts, puddings, buns, cakes etcetera.

The food was delivered to our table quite fast considering the restaurant was more than half-full when we entered. The Chicken Pan-fried noodles were awesome, though a bit spicier than I like. The portions of vegetables, chicken and gravy were just right. The Lamb noodles were good – the lamb extremely tender and the flavors appealing. I haven’t had lamb this well done in a long time! The vegetable corn dumplings were mildly spiced and went well with the rest of the meal. The restaurant serves dumplings with three types of sauces – garlic onion, green onion and sweet chili. The Garlic onion sauce had a tangy-spicy flavor, and was delectable. I felt the Mix Vegetable Si Xi Shao Mai could have had some more flavor added to the steamed vegetables within. The walnut brownie was soft and melt-in-the-mouth.

Highly recommended for a great ambiance, good food and reasonable prices.

Meal for Two: 1000 | Credit Cards: YES | Alcohol: YES | Takeaway: YES | Home Delivery: YES (3km radius)

- Amit

[starratingmulti id=1 tpl=12 read_only=1 ]

1. Mandarin Trail, GIP, NOIDA
   
2. Dona Sylvia, Goa
   
3. Afghan Restaurant, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi