Bercos, Gurgaon – Vegetarians delight

[Rated: 2.5/5]

Eating out at Bercos has always evoked strong reactions amongst the people I know. Either they just love it, or there are few ‘Foodies’ who would avoid recommending it to others. I have been to Bercos, but I headed this time with a resolve to take notes and find out the reason for such strong opinions.

The Gurgaon outlet has grown bigger. They have opened up the terrace section for open air dining which is currently being utilised for the parties. I saw some people having a party around a bonfire in Delhi winters; a pretty sight. The washroom was smelly and the reason I was told – ‘We are using water saving equipments’. Do I really care? Dark colours in the small interiors done in dim light gave an overall small feel for the 70-cover inside seating.

The Chicken Thukpa was refreshing and priced at Rs145 it was a steal. Few appetisers and Thukpa will be a complete meal for a normal visit, but here I was on a mission to check out more. Veg Salt and pepper were crisp and comforting. My other starters – Double fried pork (235) was dry, fried dumpling in Szechuan sauce (175) only tasted of the sauce, and there was no flavour of Wasabi in Wasabi Prawns (465). Wasabi loses its flavours when kept for long and this seemed to be the reason here. Prawns went well along the fried noodles, but the large quantity of noodles overtook the flavours of Prawns as a main ingredient. Wasabi on top was further diluted with mayonnaise, completely taking away the hit of wasabi.

Moving on the main course we went with Vegetable Malay Curry (205), Sliced fish in Mustard Chilli Sauce (305) and I forced myself to order ubiquitous Chilly Chicken (255) which none of the Chinese would have ever tasted in their country. Since there is nothing authentic about Chilli Chicken it is difficult to go by the books. Here the chicken was soft, batter coating was apt, and importantly it was spicy; a good dish for Chicken lovers who love spicy food. Fish had become too lumpy and like any other basa, fish was deprived of its own flavours. Nothing exceptional about this dish but someone who likes boneless, non smelly fish may give it a try. Server however kept insisting that fish is sole and the argument was put at rest by the manager who confirmed that they are now using basa fish; clearly a case of training need.

Best dish here was Vegetable Malay curry with vegetables retaining their bites and crunch and coconut milk adding to the flavours. This went perfectly with steamed rice, and was a good accompaniment to the hakka noodles we ordered.

Both the desserts – Brownie with Icecream and Coconut Ice-cream (115 each) were comforting of which I especially liked the coconut icecream. It was creamy and soft though there are few which can compete with Natural’s version.

After a long evening, I could conclude that Bercos is a great value for money place for all vegetarians and chicken lovers, but any discerning guest who is experimental and enjoys his meat beyond chicken will find it difficult to go there for a re-visit.

Ratings out of 5

Food: 3.0 | Ambiance: 2.5 | Service: 2.5 |Overall: 2.5

Meal for Two: Rs 1200 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes| Home Delivery: Yes | Timing: 12.30PM – 11:30PM

Address: Bercos, Central Plaza Mall, Sector-53, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon | Phone: 0124- 4143001-4143003

–          Pawan Soni