If out-of-the-way cafes rate highly on your list, you'll check the Xes Cafe box, more so if you taste the all-day meal platters, Bruschetta or knock-out a mojito. Tucked away in a peaceful corner of the happening DLF South Court Mall, the space may not be humming with people but it's worth checking out.
“My aim is to offer the so-called fast food as a fine dining experience. One thing that tops my list of priorities is the best quality ingredients,” says young chef, Abhinav Sharma. “For example, I make Peri Peri Burger with an imported Portuguese spice. If I don't get that, I don't serve this burger.”
The chef has many signature dishes as he has a way of giving a twist to his preparations. The Dohra Burger mixes lamb and chicken patty with a hint of Indian spices. The lamb forms the outer layer with chicken inside in the form of patty.
The thin crust pizzas too need a mention, as Abhinav goes about hunting the right flour for it. “Two things can make or break the quality of pizza”, he says. “The base and the sauce. If you take strong flour base it tends to form a firm, nice base. And I make my own pizza sauce.”
The focus is on good food and not the bar. Burgers, Pizzas, Paninis, Tandoori platters, Pastas, salads and soups; each section offers many varieties.
The emphasis is on in-house ingredients for that hint of originality. “We mince the meat in-house so you do not get the same industrial meat patty in your burger,” Abhinav points out. The tangy freshly prepared sour cream speaks well of the chef's efforts.
Conspicuous by their absence are the desserts. And that's because they have not been able to set up their in-house bakery and refuse to outsource to dilute their efforts. So one has to wait and watch.
The décor is warm and cosy with live music. Xes has music themes for every day of the week. An ideal place for good simple food in a fine dining avatar.
Bottomline: Simple things done right.
Where: Ground Floor, DLF South Court Mall, Saket, Delhi. Ph: 011–41036444
Wallet Factor: Meal for 2: Rs. 1800 with tax without drinks.
Website:>www.canas.in
