Catching on, Friday fever

Rashi Mathur

On the Sector 26 Madhya Marg stands out an American casual dining restaurant, TGI Fridays, serving the rich flavours that its founder Alan Stillman introduced in Manhattan in 1965. 

The wooden and glass panel façade, the American flag painted on the wall, brass railings and Tiffany lamps are the hallmarks of a TGI Fridays outlet. “This is the history corner,” says Abhitesh Sharma, general manger of the restaurant, as he points towards the section singled out by a set of 14 paintings, tracing the eatery’s journey in India since it first came here 20 years ago. 

“Friday marks the beginning of a weekend, and from here comes the moniker Thank God It’s Friday. The place was created for young professionals to get together over drinks and food,” he shares. A Manhattan city scene depicted on another wall reaffirms the American setting. 

The enticing ambience is complemented by its Texan-Mexican delights. The menu darts from vegetarian fajitas (grilled cottage cheese resting over onions and red and green peppers), veggies-and-cilantro-stuffed quesadillas, thin crust garden pizza and crispy corn tortillas, to the non-vegetarian chicken lamb and pork burgers. Epicures can choose from a variety of brioches and multi-grain or sweet buns. Adding to the taste, is cheese of every sort—Monterey Jack, Colby, Mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

“We use chilli pepper sauce for marinating,” informs Abhitesh. Dip into sauces such as sambel, marinara and sour crème to get the authentic Mexican-American taste. And don’t miss the potato fries and onion rings that go with most of the dishes.

The chain forayed into City Beautiful in December, 2016. In this short time, it has been able to garner a good response, owing to its name. Though, it is bearing the brunt of the Supreme Court ban on liquor near highways. 

Thick shakes are a paragon of the American diet. The enticing ‘whole latta cho-co-la’ wrapped in cream with Hershey’s chocolate chips, doughnut and brownie clung to it, is a sumptuous meal in itself. The vanilla-flavoured one is equally filling with cupcakes attached on the glass. 

To ensure quality, products are examined every two hours. There are two freezers along the kitchen area to stock items. 

Health platter 

A super health food menu has been chalked out for the health-conscious lot. Fruits and nuts salad verdant with spinach and lettuce, topped with walnuts, apples, blueberries, apricots and pomegranate, along with the dressing of honey mustard vinegar makes it a nutrient-packed bowl. Salmon marinated in lemon and olive oil is a good option for those suffering from arthritis pain and heart diseases. Miso-glazed chicken coupled with blueberry couscous and ginger garlic kale is low in calories and rich in fibre. Fruit crumble jam — packed with peaches, kiwi, strawberries and blueberries — served with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt makes for a guilt-free dessert.