For those who are tech-savvy and want to experiment with disparate flavours from across the globe, Ctrl Alt Delete is the place to head to, says Jayesh Pawar

Those who grew up in the 90s would recall 32nd Milestone as the place for a perfect date far from the eyes of parents and prying relatives. The place (and of course, the time) has undergone a sea change. One of the new offerings at the place is the Ctrl Alt Del (CAD), Tech Bar and Kitchen. Walls painted in shades of black and brown, an enormous seating space and the facility to dine in the porch, imparts the place a royal touch. Add to it French windows dipped in pastel shades and the low lighting which sets the stage to give a perfect ambience to the place. It is perfect to spend some quality time with friends or partners.

However, the place does not lack in modern day technology, which is usually found at restros. In order to streamline the process of ordering and to serve customers better, it has a multi-functional on-table touch screen display. The diners can actually ‘Add to Cart,’ browse through the menu and vote for songs to be played via console (song with the most number of votes gets added to the day’s playlist). They can also check the event list like live band performances, from the console itself. The whole experience of placing an order via a table is a lot more fun than I imagined it to be.

Once you have ordered your food, you can play fun games while you’re waiting for your order. The console includes some simple yet addictive ones like Tic tac toe, Spin the bottle and Fill the bottle.

I was already impressed with the ambience and tech-savvy system of ordering but then they decided to take things to the next level with their food. I started off with Granny Smith fries. What I expected from it was a bunch of regular potato fries but the dish had some other plans. The base of the fries was green apple, which was topped with mascarpone cheese and cinnamon as well as sugar sprinkled on the top. The presentation of the dish was excellent and so was the taste. The green apple gave a sweet flavour to the dish, which was balanced by the creaminess and sourness of the mascarpone cheese. Sprinkled cinnamon and sugar added spice and sweetness to the taste of the perfectly crisp fries.

While I wasn’t done savouring the fries, the Khameeri-styled pizza topped with achari roasted vegetables, roasted onions and jalapenos made its way to my table. Even though it was served on a regular wooden pizza plate, the presentation still looked appealing. The first bite revealed that it was a perfect symphony of baked crust combined with the texture of roasted onions and the tanginess from pickled vegetables. It was like a blast of perfectly balanced flavours in my mouth.

Moving on, I ordered Punjabi hummus, a fusion of Mediterranean and Indian flavours. The hummus in this case was made with chick peas in Indian style and was served with puffed sticks. While I gorged on the dish, its simple presentation failed to make its way to my heart. I preferred the dish’s fulfilling taste to its presentation.

Then came the Guava Marry mocktail, inspired by the original drink named Bloody Marry. To my surprise, the guava base actually gave the drink a sweeter taste which was neutralised by the citrus of fresh lemon juice and spiciness of green chilli. A thin layering of salt and pepper on the brim of the glass provided a sour and spicy taste which blended perfectly with lemon juice and guava.

When it was time for desserts, I found myself struggling as the amount of food on the table meant that I could not use the console for ordering. Finally, a waiter was quick to assess the situation and noted down the order on paper. For the dessert, I went all the way to Middle East in a matter of minutes — through a dish, of course. I ordered a Baklava. And how can we forget that this place served fusion food. The Baklava was stuffed with yellow lentil halwa and was served with rose-flavoured ice-cream. The presentation of the dessert was simple yet attractive with bright colours. It was crisp on outside and soft inside. The filling of yellow lentils was adequate. The rose-flavoured ice-cream was like cherry on the cake as it perfectly neutralised the hot halwa and gave the dessert a creamy texture.

Indeed, a few perfect fusions completed my evening.