212-All Day Cafe and bar is a young, bright and ebullient cafe under the Phoenix Marketcity brand. It gets its catchy name from the area code of Manhattan, one the most happening places in the world. Easily located on the ground floor of the mall, unlike other restaurants in the food court at the top floor.
Ambience::
I was euphoric as soon as we entered. Bright lights, beautiful interior, classic theme, open kitchen and the use of egg trays to make it create 212 is worth noticing. The place is divided into two sections- an Indoor AC section and an Outdoor seating with natural breeze, of which we decided to sit inside.
They also have made an attractive shamiyana where a group of six to seven can spend some private time.
Food::
The menu is a comprehensive selection by experienced Chef Paul Kinny and his team, especially European cuisine, ranging from soups to salads, sliders, sandwiches, flatbreads. Bar permit is pending but still they have a lot of varieties with inhouse mocktails. Chef Paul and his team have culinary adroitness. Not only food was of great taste but the presentation was at absolute finesse.
We were served two variety of Soup Shots- Mushroom Cappuccino with Cream foam and Mexican Tomato & Bean Soup with crunchy tortillas.
My preference was warm, rich and thick Mexican tomato soup with kidney beans because of its tangy, spicy flavour.
After soup, came salads, one better than the other.
Watermelon and Goat Cheese Stack is garnished with mint leaves, almond shavings and goat cheese.This juicy stack is a refreshing and healthy twist to the menu.
Asian Crunch Salad made its way on our plate with charming colours having a mix of Cabbage, Onions, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes with Sesame seeds. It was good option for health conscious.Though did not compelled me to eat much.
Non-Veg appetizers had Calamari Rings which were lemon butter tossed squid rings.
House Style Caesar’s Salad was a perfect concoction of Cabbage topped with Parmesan shavings and Garlic croutons.
Spiced Arugula And Feta Salad was the last salad of the evening, Prepared with Arugula, candied walnuts,crisp granny smith apple and citrus drizzle. It was sure shot a healthy choice.
Their bar licence is yet to come, so we were offered inhouse mocktails of our choice. Citrus Tingler, Electric Citrus Lemonade, Classic Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade. They all tasted good with a bit tangy flavour.
Long list of small plate or the appetizers had Beer Battered Onion Rings with Chiptole Barbeque dip, which was the star of the evening. The addition of high-quality beer and a tempura-like batter make these onion rings lighter and more delicious, though the flavour of beer was a bit on the lower side but it was fried to perfection!
Western Cigarillos- A cigarillo is a short, narrow cigar stuffed with Bell Peppers, Jalapeno, Cilantro, Cheddar wrapped in phyllo pastry. It was beautifully presented with a dip. I personally liked it.
Different than the usual crostini, next on the list was Crumbling Crostini which had veg and non veg version. Being a vegetarian, I opted for Tomato and Basil Crostini which was flaky and good in taste with a hint of feta and basil. I would say it was tad avoidable.
Then was Gambas Caliente, a Pan tossed shrimps preparation with spicy garlic & paprika glaze. Not for calorie watchers!
Seared Chicken Skewers with piquant tomato chutney
Another delicacy to the list was Spicy House Special Pizza, usual 12" thin crust pizza with onion, capsicum, mushroom, american corn, jalapeno, and chilli with loads of mozzarella cheese. It was alike any other thin crust pizza, nothing extra-ordinary, I would say. Though taste was absolute delectable.
Two more varieties of non-veg pizza was served. One was Barbeque Chicken and the other was pork pizza.
Penne With Sundried Tomato Crème was an appetizing pasta variety from the "large plate".with Broccoli, Parmesan and fresh herbs. It was creamy and served hot.
Risotto Ai Funghi was a classic Mushroom risotto with Parmesan and Basil drizzle. It was another feather in the cap. Its rich, smooth and creamy texture made it appealing. Risotto was cooked to perfection. A must try!
Cheese Fondue-A sinful dish for cheese lovers...OMG! Yummy, gooey, melted cheese served in a communal pot is eaten by dipping bread into it. Who would miss this!
Chargrilled Chicken Breast with black peppercorn
Cajun Spiced Shrimps with potato mash
No-Carb Spaghetti-Sounds good for a foodie. It was not my taste though healthy one.
Desserts were served after "full mains". We could not resist desserts and they were served one after the other and the taste was also better than the other.
Triple Mudpie Cake was first served which was decadent gooey chocolate. VERY rich and sweet! I like chocolate and sweets, but any more than a tiny slice of this is too much. The other name of it should be "death by chocolate".
Tiramisu Cake- Mascarpone custard layered with whipped cream and rum and coffee soaked fingerbiscuit makes it a perfect dessert. I found it over creamy. Its a personal choice, though made perfectly!
Carrot Cake- Cute little carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was another gourmet of the evening! I did not get the chance to eat it!
Creme Brulle- A french classic,consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel, this dessert failed to impress me.
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake Vanilla Ice Cream-One of the best dessert for the evening. As soon as the spoon was digged-in, flowed the river of choco lava! What a treat to chocolate lovers. It was a hit and was ordered twice!
Peach Cheese Cake-This New York-style cheesecake has with a hidden layer of sweet peach compote, an ideal do-ahead dessert. This crustless cake features cream cheese and poached peaches. Hands down!
Recommendations::
- Mexican Tomato and Bean Soup
- Beer Battered Onion Rings
- Cheese Fondue
- Home Style Caesar Salad
- Risotto-Ai-Funghi
- Western Cigarillos
- Warm Chocolate Lava Cake
Service:: Staff was professional, courteous and cheerful. Service was quick and upto the mark.
Overall, a wonderful evening with endless options for food!
**Review is based on invitation, opinion is completely mine.
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