Teeing off

You don't need to know or love the game of golf to visit this place

Imagineu00a0playing a hole, walking up to the bar, downing a drink or three, then heading back to the second hole. And finishing your entire meal by the time you reach the ninth hole. And all this, not at any sprawling golf course, but on the top floor of a mall.


The interiors are warm

It's a birdie
But Golf Worx (which is what the entire facility is called) gives you a chance to do just that. Arguably the world's second largest indoor golf lounge, this place boasts of its own golfing academy, a restaurant, bar, an exclusive cigar lounge named Baronial (probably as fond remembrance of our erstwhile colonial rulers), a pro shop and a nine hole putting green. The place also has conference rooms keeping the Gurgaon IT crowd in mind. All this, in a mind-boggling 44,000 sq ft. Not bad, one would say.

The Indian way
Indian cuisine is what sells here especially the Dal makhni, I was told. Also, though there is a section devoted to people who like to watch their weight and some dishes named in golf terminology, it doesn't leave you with too many options. So would golfers eat the high calorie fare, I wondered aloud and was told that since golfers don't need to follow a diet per se (I am sure a lot of golfers would be amazed to know this), they
usually eat the regular fare.

Bar dancing
The bar menu is impressive and you can find everything from aperitifs (regulars like Campari and Martinis to Cinzano Rosso Vermouth), to liqueurs like Jagermeister, Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey's Irish Cream and even Dooley's toffee and Vodka Liqueur.

There are also signature cocktails like Tom Collins (a mix of Bombay sapphire, lemon juice and sugar syrup shaken with ice cubes and finished with club soda), Classic Daiquiri and Razzmopolitan (a mix of Eristoff vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime and cranberry juice) among others, apart from your usual whisky, vodka and rum. What I really enjoyed having was something they had prepared for Christmas -- a chocolate martini made with Bailey's, Kahlua and vodka. It tasted amazing.

But now it was time for some food. Since golf has always been Greek to me and I was joined for lunch by someone who was an ex-golfer herself, I chose to shift my attention to the sprawling bar and the lunch that awaited.
u00a0
Juggling roles
The chef -- a female for a change, I am so bored of seeing male chefs almost everywhere I go - had already done her selection for me. Intimidating, more so when you have people watching every morsel you eat. Not something anyone would enjoy during the course of a meal.

But I had to hit the ignore button. So I chose to go with my own tastebuds and ordered a mish-mash of Continental, Indian and Mexican. I started with some Murgh malai tikka which was soft and buttery and happily bit into some mutton seekh kebab.

The main course comprised some differently made chicken steak that was stuffed with cheese, olives and gherkins and grilled along with some okay Conji lamb. I enjoyed the desserts -- saffron flavoured kheer which tasted a lot like phirni and Mexican cake to which the chef had given her own twist. If you must, have the Indian fare, but do not skip the other cuisines.

At golf worx, 4th level, ambience mall, gurgaon
Timings noon to 11.45 pm
Ring 0124 6467000
Meal for two rs 2,500