A standalone located away from the bustle and gaggle of the Sector 29 main market. Although built on similar lines housing a brewery, After Stories differs with its quaint location, beautiful open seating and a sense of luxurious swagger. Plush leather couches, textured walls, dim lighting and a magnificent bar. The center piece that runs through the floors is vaguely reminiscent of a giant candle holder.
Start with their magnanimous bar – The Spanish Winter – wine, rum and a nutty flavour of Amaretto. The rum and wine didn’t make for a much of a move for me. The Berry Cherry Sangria on the other hand was on point!
Tawa meat, bhuna masala, crispy flat bread – boneless pieces of succulent meat with a kickass bhuna masala and a crunchy bread. The mutton was done so finely and the crispy bread neutralized the tastes perfectly.
Crispy chicken with siracha chillies, glazed with maple and honey – a move on of your regular chilly chicken, crunchy fried with bell pepper and the super hot siracha chillies. What set it apart was the maple and honey combo with just the right amount of sweetness creating the perfect balancing act.
Brioche with blue cheese – Not the biggest blue cheese fan this was not a big hit for me. But the brioche was so beautifully baked that I couldn’t help but dig into it a little more than I would have.
Hummus trio and pita bread – this was an impeccable preparation – hummus prepared with three different kinds of gram – chickpea, black gram and pindi chana and served with soft pita bread. There have been places that have ventured out to making meat hummus and a tweak in the flavor here and there, but playing around at the grassroot level was absolutely genius. The pindi chana with its close to home yet delicious flavors was my favorite!
The vegetarian sampler – Crispy fried lotus stem with kimchi, rajma galauti kebab and baked filo puff with roasted vegetables. The lotus stem was a bit too crispy and a bit less saucy. The filo puff was beautifully baked and stuffed generously with cheese and fresh vegetables. The rajma galauti was served on a ulte tawe ka parantha – a soft kebab and an uncanny representation of the meaty version. Dip it in mint mayo for best effects.
The non-vegetarian sampler was absolutely ravishing! Baked chicken tikka, eggs, melted cheese in a baked pastry bowl, rawa pepper chicken, baked filo puff with minced mutton stuffing, deep fried fish balls with Thai spices and lemongrass and lemon basil fish with Thai chillies and pepper. Everything on this sampler was delicious to bits. The perfectly baked chicken tikka in a buttery pastry shell and a sunny side up, this take on chicken tikka was gorgeous. The rawa pepper chicken was lined with semolina generously and very crunchy, a great option for bar bites. Both the fish items were the most tantalizing. Fresh fish with lemongrass and Thai chillies was a hot delectable piece and the crunchy fried fish balls with sweet chilly tossed vegetables.
For mains – crispy maggi, chicken ragout, poached egg. Crunchy maggi topped with chicken ragout, diced chicken and mushrooms and a poached egg. The different levels with the crunchy maggi, creamy chicken ragout and mushrooms and the soft poached egg made it a very unique dish.
Double cooked old style chicken leg, coriander sour cream with khamiri roti. A palatable juicy cooked chicken leg in an old school style chicken curry with soft Khamiri roti – an upbeat classic.
Slow braised lamb shank, mutton curry and blurberry pulao. A soft, slow braised shank with delectable mutton curry with a profound flavor of whole spices and a side of blueberry pulao.
Ended this spread with dinnertime churros and chocolate fondant. The Spanish favourite churros with chocolate ganache, raspberry sauce and thick and clotted whipped cream. The buttery churros with thick chocolate and the sweet and tangy raspberry sauce and whipped cream make this a kickass dessert.
The chocolate fondant is a must have for a chocolate sweet tooth. A molten chocolate cake with ice cream and castor sugar. The hot dark chocolate cake was orgasmic to its molten centred core.
Visit After Stories for a chilled time, some beautiful fusion favorites and mixology. Do try their lamb shank, maggi ragout and dinnertime churros.
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