Sakley's: Reviewing a new Cafe in Gurgaon

Every hill station owing its genesis to the British raj, normally has a quaint bakery that serves yummy cakes and desserts, along with sandwiches, burgers, omelets, ‘artisanal’ pizzas, etc. Sakley’s at Nainital’s mall is one such legacy of the past.

 Though hampered by a small first floor location at the Galleria market, Sakley Gurgaon tries to create the same ambience as its parent in its small yet cosy premises. The hilly décor with chunks of logs stuck to the ceiling and pretty furniture may need to wait for Delhi winters to have its desired effect.

The food though limited in choice, is comforting. The Pasta in Meat Sauce looks orange rather than the traditional brown. The taste however is exciting – tangy, spicy with a deliciously chunky mince sauce. The pasta (a fusilli and penne combo) could have been a little more al dente, though.

 The veg pasta (same combo) works well in a creamy white sauce. The open veg burger is pleasant and filling. A soft bun baked fresh in-house is yielding. The high-point of this dish is the vegetable patty - fresh and melting in the mouth. The lettuce however, is not fresh enough to be crispy, and the salsa does not come together.

The other popular item on the menu, the club sandwich looks and tastes substantial. It has all the food groups – fried egg, bacon, tomato, chicken ham, and chicken sausage, slobbered with a cheese based sauce, with crispy fries on the side. The perfect orchestration of all kinds of indulgence all packed into three slices of toasted bread. The only dissonant notes come from the cold cuts – especially the bacon which is too fatty to add any crunch to the bite.

The café obviously saves the best for last. The highlight of the meal is the banana toffee pie. It is simply sinfully scrumptious. A perfectly baked pie crust oozing with gooey banana and chewy toffee, with a side of crunchy caramel ice-cream can lift the blues out of any soul. The chocolate éclair looks like it needs an immediate lick. But somehow the magic does not carry to the DNA of this dish. It has too much cream for its own good. For those who like their dessert to be chocolate truffle cake, they do one that is soft, gooey and chocolaty.

Sakley is a promising idea. On the food front, it is almost there. The ambience and service are as comforting as the food, and endearing. The best part is that this is a ‘anytime’ café – open all day, with its pizzas, sandwiches, pasta, dessert, and fizzies - for an easy evening with loved one, for gupshup with friends or just a space to linger. Like any comfort food experience, this is not a place where you count calories.