Route 17 is a great place to hang out and chill. I absolutely loved the vibe of the place. It has an undeniable warmth. The place has four separate sections depending on what you are in the mood for, from a seating area with lovely bright red tables to a cabana style section to a cozy reading room with books if you’re in the mood for some “me” time. Loved the pillars wrapped with jute rope and the sleeper wood light and the bamboo installation ….. the contemporary yet quirky décor is pleasing but has a charm and warmth that makes you feel comfortable. They also have a large projector screen and an excellent sound system and I am sure watching a cricket match or a game of football with friends will be great fun at Route 17.

The Management has decided to start with only Chinese at present and plans are certainly there to add to the cuisines in due time. Currently it’s rather a novelty to have a Café serving up only Chinese and like most others in the city I love Chinese food so I am quite happy.

Over our first visit we sampled Spring Rolls, Chicken Momo’s , Chilli Chicken and Korean Chicken Sticks. I liked the Spring Rolls and both the Chicken Momo’s and Korean Chicken Sticks were good. The show stealer for me however was the Chilli Chicken with great robust flavors and I loved it. This is going to be my must order dish every time I visit.

On my next visit a few days later I had a chance to sample a few more dishes though I confess I did order the yummy Chilli Chicken again. We started our meal with American Corn Pepper Salt which we loved it was spot on great texture and taste. We also ordered Golden Fried Prawns which were very good perfectly cooked and served with a nice dipping sauce. And of course the Chilli Chicken which I can’t seem to stop bringing up.

For our main course we ordered Spicy Blackbean Fish which was excellent …. absolutely loved the dish and would unhesitatingly recommend it. This was paired with Route 17 Special Fried Rice that comes with Chicken, Assorted Vegetables, some Cashews and a fried egg on top. It was very nice and we enjoyed it, went very well with our Fish. We had also ordered a Honey Pepper Chicken and this was perhaps the only dish that was a little below par , felt it lacked balance in terms of the flavor of the honey and pepper and also the sauce was a bit too thin. I am sure however that it will be rectified because the other food was very good.

The service though warm and friendly lacks polish and they need to work hard in that department so as to give their guests a complete experience. That being said however its early days and with time they will be up to the mark.

Hookahs are also available though I don’t indulge so did not sample them. However there seemed to be a fair bit of variety on offer for those of you who do.

Overall a lovely addition to the locality and I look forward to many more visits. One of these days you’re going to step in and find me there in their lovely cozy reading room with a book , a diet coke and a plate of (you guessed it) Chilli Chicken in front of me.

Picture Credits : Suneha Saha

DISCLAIMER: The author was invited to dine as a guest of The Management