[Gurgaon] Sandburg Shakes serves up an extensive menu packed with comfort eats, ranging from pizzas and burgers to rollers, pasta, and of course shakes.
Taking up space in a quiet corner of Baani Square, the café manages to trump over the surrounding food outlets with its delectable offerings and a no-fuss causal ambience.
A passion project that has its heart in the right place, Sandburg Shakes is a four-year-old establishment started by two brothers, Danny and Pankaj Alagh.
Reading about the origins of the concept, there is a perfect balance that exists among the owners.
Danny is a trained chef while Pankaj’s foodie dream was ignited by watching the many culinary-based shows that are always on TV nowadays.
At first look, the menu of Sandburg Shakes looks grand for a small café.
A little more analysis and it is easy to see that while the basics of the food remain the same, the team has worked hard on presenting new flavours.
They take into account different textures and tastes brought about by the ingredients, special sauces and toppings.
The interior of Sandburg Shakes is classic café like with a few arty quotes on the walls to increase the fun factor.
The seating though is a little crowded and can do with a bit of makeover.
A fresh paint job would also go a long way as the walls are starting to look tattered.
The café has two tables that they put out in the little faux patio.
I recommend sitting there rather than inside. Besides the fresh air and natural light, you get to enjoy the age-old pastime of people watching while having your meal.
With so many places serving pizzas and burgers, an establishment has to do something different to stand out.
In the case of Sandburg Café, their thin crust handmade Cott-Pan-Age Pizza (Rs 450, SGD8.50) is the epitome of cheesy goodness that stretches for almost two feet before breaking off.
Let’s face it; everyone enjoys stretching pizza cheese to see how long it goes.
The pizza is topped with lots of ingredients evenly spread out and baked till the base is nice and crispy.
Now, the description of the Tandoori Cottage Burger (Rs 240, SGD4.60) states that it has a grilled cottage cheese “slice”.
Well, it’s more of a block of cottage cheese, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me feel. I love my cottage cheese, and this is just spectacular.
However, I am not a huge fan of big buns, but in this case, it was soft and not at all bready, making this the perfect hearty burger to enjoy on any given day.
It would be unfair to visit a place with “shakes” in its name and not try their milkshakes.
Both the Choco-Choco (Rs 225, SGD4.30) and Rose Passion (Rs 185, SGD3.55) milkshakes were rich and delightful.
I especially loved the Rose Passion as it came with dried-paan sprinkles on top which was a nice little addition to the drink.
The café also gives the customers an option to choose healthy choices by offering brown buns for burgers and whole-wheat base for pizza or the rollers.
Sandburg Shakes is very proud of their hot coffee, which in my case remains untested.
Even though I enjoy my cup of hot coffee regularly, I still feel that when visiting the café, you are missing out by not having one of their shakes.
Sandburg Shakes serves and delivers food till 3 am, so it is perfect for those late-night hunger pangs.
But nothing beats having a freshly prepared pizza a few seconds after it comes out of the oven. So, I highly recommend that you visit the outlet and have the food there rather than ordering in.
Sandburg Shakes highlights the power of good food mixed with a business idea.
By keeping the setup low-key while providing moderately budgeted food that is both tasty and comforting, the restaurant is creating a niche for themselves in the fast food industry.
With three successful outlets already operational, there is no doubt that Sandburg Shakes can convert the idea into a chain of cafes, provided the focus remains on the food.
Sandburg Shakes, Gurgaon
G-28 Baani Square, Sector 50, Gurgaon 122018
Tel: 0124 437 3585
Opening Hours: 11:00am – 3:00am (Mon – Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/Sandburgshakes>
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* Written by DFD’s India Correspondent @tickereatstheworld. Raghav is a travel and food writer who enjoys the thrill of discovering new places and writing about them. When he is not working, he can be found driving around his two kids from one birthday party to another.
