July 2, 2012
Roadhouse Bar and Grill, Double Tree by Hilton, Mayur Vihar (Review on Invitation)
Cuisine: Steaks, Burgers, Diner and Indian
Approximate Price for two: Rs. 3700 after tax (with 2 Indian beers and a 3 course meal excluding imported meat) and Rs. 8200 (with 2 Coronas and a 3 course meal including 2 main course dishes using imported beef)
Address: The Double Tree by Hilton, 13-A District Center, Mayur Vihar – 110091.
Phone: +91 11 41105555
Summary: Genuine American Angus Beef Steaks, reasonably priced drinks and the home of Delhi’s first Burger Eating Competition!
When we were invited by the Double Tree by Hilton [which opened recently in April 2011] to review the Roadhouse Bar and Grill, I was over the moon. Partly because I grew up singing and playing Roadhouse Blues on the guitar and partly because the prospect of getting beef in Delhi was like a nomad finding an oasis in the desert!
So when we reached the restaurant at around 8:30 PM, I got an amazing whiff of beef fumes which was complimented beautifully by the smell of whiskey and beer! I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. See the thing is that I don’t agree with the ban on beef for several reasons which I won’t get into now, but suffice to say that we were very happy to see a restaurant that specializes in American Angus. Of course there are different grades of American Angus, i.e., Utility, Select, Choice and Prime and we don’t know what we ate, but I wasn’t complaining! If you would like to know more about how the US Government grades the meat, follow this link http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Inspection_&_Grading/index.asp#5 If you would like to know more about the names of different cuts of cow (Sirloin, Tenderloin, Chuck, Rib etc), follow this link http://mytorontoeh.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/cow-cuts-diagram.jpg
The other thing that inspired confidence (and forgive me if I sound racist), but the restaurant was almost entirely occupied by foreigners! Allow me to defend myself. When you go to a Japanese restaurant, your confidence jumps when you see Japanese people eating away happily. It’s the same with Chinese restaurants and so on.
The decor was an interesting blend of contemporary and pub-like. I say contemporary because they have the white leather seats. I say pub-like because they have those old fashioned wooden chairs that you would expect to see at a pub. Overall, I found the place to be spacious, relaxed and roomy.
As with all reviews on invitation, we let the chef and marketing team decide our menu. We did make it very clear that we would want to try steaks and a burger which was non-negotiable 
I think the chefs were actually quite surprised to see a couple of locals lusting for beef the way we were. So I will begin with what we were served and then tell you about the other items available on the menu.
We were served an assortment of starters. They were surprisingly subtly flavoured and quite enjoyable. One slight issue here, as you might expect with American food, almost everything served as a starter was deep fried. Deep fried cheese, deep fried chillies, deep fried prawns, deep fried chicken and baked potato skins. Needless to say, the stuff was quite heavy and rich.
But honestly, the starters are not the main attraction here so if you come here, you could easily give the starters a miss. Besides there are other options such as Salads, Chicken Wings with smoked hickory barbeque sauce and smoked salmon and goat cheese Crostinis.
Now for the most important part, the steaks! I was served an Angus Tenderloin Steak which is one of the most tender and expensive cuts of beef. I ordered it medium rare and was not disappointed. The steak was nice and thick and a good size, around 200 grams. It had all the right markings that you would expect from a grill and was perfectly red on the inside which is what I had asked for. Without a doubt, I think it was probably one of the best steaks I’ve ever had in India. If I had to make one suggestion to make the experience better next time, it would be that the steak should not be cooked on a high flame because it leaves a slightly burnt after taste. That aside, everything was perfect including the mashed potatoes (to die for), the veggies (nice and crunchy, not overcooked) and red wine reduction served with the steak. Honestly, I didn’t eat much of the reduction because I was enjoying the steak too much. The Rib Eye served to Ayesha was a lot thinner with a ring of fat in the centre which is expected from a Rib eye steak. Her steak was also perfectly cooked and she didn’t get any of the burnt flavour.
We also got a Wagyu beef burger served with a heap of fries. One suggestion I gave to the chef was that a big part of eating a burger is making sure it has the right structural integrity to handle the weight of the meat patty and filling.
The problem I had was that they had buttered the buns which made the burger a bit soggy. Simple solution though, next time I’ll tell them not to butter the buns so that the buns retain the strength to support the burger. But that aside, given an option between the Wagyu burger and the Angus steak; I would still pick the steak, not because the burger was bad but because the steak was that good.
Desserts were a bit of a shocker for me. For example, I frequently go to the coffee shop at Claridges Surajkund for dinner because it’s right next to my house. I love their food but their desserts are appalling. So places with good food often get let down by average desserts. I was expecting the Roadhouse to fall into the same category. Fortunately though, I was in for a pleasant surprise. We were served a trio of baked cheesecake, walnut brownie and an apple pie.
The cheesecake and brownie were both fantastic. The apple pie was slightly soggy for my liking but I would definitely order the cheesecake and brownie again.
Now for the prices which will include a discussion on other dishes available at the restaurant. To give you an indication of how cheap or expensive it can be to eat here, the following are the Orders and their prices (after taxes):
Order A – 2 Non-Veg starters, 1 Angus Rib Eye and 1 Angus Tenderloin, 1 cheesecake, 1 brownie and 2 Coronas = Rs. 8,200.
Order B - 1 Veg and 1 Non-Veg starter, 1 smoked barbeque burger, 1 seafood linguine, 1 cheesecake, 1 brownie and 2 Kingfishers = Rs. 3,250.
The reason for this difference is that the imported beef steaks themselves cost between Rs. 1,900 to Rs. 3,000 before taxes. So if you avoid the steaks, you can have a 3 course meal for 2, with drinks after taxes for under Rs. 3,500 which is not bad for a 5 star restaurant. You might ask what other dishes? Well there are other options in Buffalo meat burgers, pastas, grilled lamb/salmon, all priced between Rs. 600-1200 before tax.
The drinks too are incredibly reasonably priced. For example, you can order a pint of Kingfisher for Rs. 175 (without taxes) and a Corona for Rs. 350 (without taxes). Red wine is priced between Rs. 2,000 without taxes (for a Sula Cabernet Sauvignon) and Rs. 4700 without taxes for a New Zealand Pinot Noir. That’s about the same as a cafe in Khan Market! Another interesting fact: Ayesha ordered one of the 9 variants of LITs available on the menu and had about 1/4th before calling it a night! The LIT itself cost Rs. 450 before tax but was big and potent enough to not need a second! If LITs are not your poison, pick from one of the various JD based cocktails all priced under Rs. 500 before taxes.
One of the highlights about this restaurant for me was that the management likes to re-invent and add new things. For example, on 4th July, they are hosting a burger eating competition. If you finish the burger, your meal is free. Man vs. Food style. In September they will be introducing a new menu which will have 7 new burgers styled to represent the cuisine of 7 different countries, all priced between Rs. 450 – 600 without taxes. Friday nights are Country nights where they have a live band including Bobby Cash playing country songs. So in short, there are a lot of interesting things in the pipeline for this restaurant and I look forward to eating all of it!
In summary, the food, theme, service were great and drinks are reasonably priced. However, there is a lot of competition in the steaks and burger market. For example, Oberoi’s 360 serves up a mean Irish Fillet steak for Rs. 2,500 without taxes which is identical to the price of the Angus Tenderloin at the Roadhouse. Having had both, I’d say it would be difficult to pick my favourite but Roadhouse scores over 360 because everything else is cheaper at the Roadhouse (Drinks, starters etc). The Wagyu Burger at the Roadhouse costs Rs. 1,800 without taxes but you can have an Irish beef burger at the Coffee Shop at Claridges Surajkund for Rs. 800 before taxes. Here I would pick the burger at Claridges because while the taste and quality is similar, the price at Claridges is much lower. West View at the ITC Maurya will give you unlimited grills for Rs. 2,500 (without taxes) where you can enjoy prawns, Salmon, lamb chops, Basa, Halibut, Bratwurst sausages, an array of starters and dessert for a fixed price.
All in all it was a great experience. I’m happy to see restaurants that stick to their guns on promising beef instead of buff. I would have said that they need to bulk up their non-beef menu but they are already doing that and I look forward to tasting the new Menu. Would I go here again? For now, only if I had Rs. 3,000 to spend on an incredible steak. In the future, once the new menu is launched, I’m sure their non-beef and hence, more affordable section will appeal as well.
