At Barrique (pronounced bah-reek, French for barrel), we begin with a delicious little confusion, unable to decide between a Mexican shrimp soup and a cheese soup, until we decide to bring in the night with the cheese soup (Rs 105). It is a sumptuous, clear, vegetable broth garnished with coriander and green chillies and with the bottom of the bowl densely pitted with mozzarella. A little spicy, every spoonful bursts into flavours of warm garlic.

Whetting our appetite, we head towards the next course and keep it simple with potato barrels (Rs 165). The plate arrives with palm-size portions of tandoori bharwa aloo stuffed with juicy fillets of cottage cheese and raisins, and accompanied by mint chutney and pickled onion. Our main course is a mix-and-match of chicken paprika, Hungarian mutton goulash and chicken Portugaise. The portions are generous and one platter can satisfy a hungry soul. Chicken Portugaise (Rs 240) is a worthy entrée. Slices of grilled chicken are cooked with a good dose of chopped button mushrooms in a tomato concasse and brown sauce. Another must-try is chicken paprika (Rs 240) — chicken escalope, stuffed with minced chicken and layered with fresh paprika sauce, which came with portions of steamed rice and fries. The first spoonful may dictate a lip-numbing sensation but ones following will have you enjoying the earthy flavours of freshly ground paprika. The goulash (Rs 240) is a little disappointing, though. The mutton is a tad chewy and the broth too thick. And bread would have gone better with this than steamed rice that was turning into a dreary chaperone with every delectable main course.

Pastas and crispy-crust pizzas are in abundance in the Italian section and suggestions by waiters come in handy here. If you still can’t make up your mind, ask for their homemade, sheet pasta with your choice of sauce. The dessert section is limited to standard fare like molten chocolate cake and blueberry crème pie. So we head for the cocktail stable and down Death by Chocolate (Rs 250), a heady mix of vodka, kahlua, chocolate syrup and chocolate ice cream. Have it as a cocktail or a dessert drink, it is a barrel of fun.

Open from noon to midnight

Meal for two: Rs 1,000