"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.”
~Oscar Wilde
A trip to Delhi's India Habitat Centre is often incomplete without a quick bite at the All American Diner. This is one place that always provided sumptuous, wholesome American style meals after you had had your fill of deciphering that abstract piece of nothing at the art exhibitions, solving all of Earth's problems in heated panel debates, got moved to tears in intense plays and rendered speechless after ethereal ghazal recitals.
No matter what your pursuits and interests in life, an All American kinda meal never failed to lift your spirits. It is after all a no-holds-barred kind of eating, when you give calorie counting a gentle nudge out of the window and embrace and accept your curves. The day you tell yourself, "Of course I am in shape. Round is a shape too!" Ha
Bagels, pancakes, hash browns, waffles, enormous omelettes, shakes, Sundaes! Yeah! There are some days when your body actually wakes up feeling deprived of them carbs. When Atkins seems like some nuthead. These are days when the temptation to have a giant American meal hits you. This temptation is all encompassing.
Enough to make you feel you belong in an American sitcom, where most of the action from proposals to break-ups to making-ups happen in diners like these anyway. There's something about American Diners that bring out those dime a dozen one-liners. These diners are enough to awaken the closet teen in you. Well, maybe one who has no lame ambition of being a prom queen anymore! So you've moved on in life. You know you are judged today by your work and talent and not necessarily a 24 inch waist. You know the people who matter will accept you the way you are. You give two hoots to narrow definitions of who you should be.
That is the time to indulge and have a truly guilt free meal.
Delhi’s iconic The All American Diner has been on as pop-up in Gurgaon's Epicentre, the quiet retreat that always gives you a comforting sort of privacy. It is always nice to drift into The Drift after catching the latest comedy play or a dance recital and the food never disappoints.
All of Feb and March this year there has been the added allure of the All American Diner. Considering that many of Gurgaon's denizens were once habitants of Delhi, they carry with them memories of old haunts from the Capital, except that driving all the way to Delhi for a meal has become a bit of a luxury.
So what better than to have those old favourites in the vicinity. I too ventured there recently on a particularly taxing weekend day that uncannily turns out to be busier than a weekday. The restaurant had a revamped look with cute black white and red table mats and American bric a brac on the tables. It cheered up the otherwise too-brown décor of the place that I find a bit dull.
The All American Diner at Epicentre offered a great American meal experience. Waffles, Pancakes, Eggs, Burgers, Malts, Shakes, Coffees and all your other Diner favourites, which will be available at the POP UP DINER at Drift only upto the end of March. So drop in and get that lovely American recap.
I am not much of a bread person but some days I do let go. The waffles and pancakes were great as expected. Some of the traditional breakfast specialities made a great meal even in the evening. Sunrise Skillet is a wonderful option comprising of two scrambled eggs with bacon, sausages and pancake, that can easily be shared by two people. The Ultimate Omelette is sure to please egg lovers. For the health conscious, there are some very nice smoothies that make for a perfect antidote.
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| Sunrise Skillet |
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| The Ultimate Omelette |
In the other mains, Surf n' Turf was something I really liked, a Chicken Steak with Fried Prawns and American Corn. Personally, I found the Veg Pie a bit too heavy for my taste, too much pastry in there. Herb Crumbed Grilled Fish is another great option, as it comes with a lot of crunchy veggies. Other than these there are plenty of burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches and salads to choose from.
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| Non Vegetarian Sampler |
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| Herb Crumbed Grilled Fish |
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| Surf n' Turf |
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| Vegetarian Pot Pie |
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| Baked Hash and Corn |
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| Brownie Blast |
Timing: 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Call +91 124 2715100 for Table Reservations.
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My 'All American Diner Look of the day' was a plaid check shirt in black, white and red with black skin tight leggings and two toned pumps I love. I swear I had no clue of the colours used for the pop-up but they blended well. This is a co-incidence that has happened often in my restaurant reviewing stints, and a bit of a leitmotif now. It is something that gives me a pleasant surprise every time, reinstating my faith that when you do something you really enjoy, the universe conspires to give you a silent nod every time! :-)
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