
Anardana's Faridabad Outpost: A Pleasant Surprise There's a certain snobbery that descends upon us Delhi-wallahs when it comes to dining beyond our immediate orbit. Faridabad? Surely not. And yet, here I was, navigating the gleaming corridors of Pacific Mall's second floor, about to eat my words along with what turned out to be rather good food. Anardana's newest outpost has taken up residence in this swanky Faridabad mall, and I'll confess—I went with the lowest of expectations. How wrong I was. The Mocktails: An Unexpected Triumph Let's begin with the drinks, because this is where Anardana surprised me most. The Anardana Special—a clever concoction of pomegranate, basil, a mysterious spice mix, and ginger ale—arrived with the kind of complexity you'd expect from a serious cocktail bar. The pomegranate gave it body, the basil lent an herbaceous note, and whatever secret spices they'd deployed created an intriguing warmth that lingered. The Spiced Jamun was even more audacious. A jamun compote spiked with black salt—that uniquely Indian ingredient that transforms everything it touches. This was bold, fruity, slightly funky in the way jamun always is, and utterly refreshing. They also sent out a Litchi Sling, which paired litchi juice with grenadine and sabza seeds for texture, and an Apple Basil Cooler made with Granny Smith apples. Both were competently made, though after the first two, they seemed almost conservative by comparison. Appetizers: Fusion Done Right The starters revealed a kitchen that understands the delicate balance between innovation and respect for ingredients. Their Quinoa Gol Gappa could have been a gimmick—quinoa is, after all, the ingredient restaurants reach for when they want to signal "healthy" or "modern." But here, filled with a chili guava jaljeera and studded with pomegranate, it actually worked. The quinoa provided crunch and earthiness that complemented rather than competed with the sharp, tangy filling. The Quinoa Avocado continued the theme—an avocado chaukha (that mashed preparation we usually associate with brinjal) served with crispy quinoa and khakra. This was fusion done thoughtfully, not desperately.
This post was published on 07th October, 2025 by Rahul on his Instagram handle "@rahulprabhakar (Rahul Prabhakar)". Rahul has total 65.1K followers on Instagram and has a total of 2.3K post. Rahul receives an average engagement rate of % per post on Instagram. This post has received 71 comments which are greater than the average comments that Rahul gets. Overall the engagement rate for this post was than the average for the profile.