Time to eat Bhajjis doosra and cheese no balls (Eating Out With IANS)

NEW DELHI - Now dig into Bhajjis doosra murg or Sachin’s only choice while watching Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar in action! For, eateries in and around Delhi have set the table for a lethal combination of food, beverage and cricket as the World Cup begins Saturday.

Restaurant owners want fans to catch their heroes in action on LCD screens while munching on special snacks and sipping drinks in extended Happy Hours.

Blues Cafe and Bar in Connaught Place has a special menu with interesting names to grab attention - “Bhajji ki pasand”, “Sachin’s only choice”, “Kevin Peterson (mumma’s recommendation)”.

If that is not enough, Nostradamus at Fortune Select Excalibur in Gurgaon has dedicated 11 snacks to Indian players.

Restaurant owners feel the World Cup buzz is picking up and footfalls will go up during matches that will be on till April 2.

“Considering the cricket craze in India, we’re expecting our sales to go up by 30-40 percent. It’s the time when people like getting together with friends and family and enjoy a match together,” said Gaurav Suri, owner of Souza Lobo, a Goan and Portuguese restaurant in Greater Kailash 2.

“And if teamed with interesting offers of food and alcohol, it gives people just the reason to visit a bar or a restaurant and watch the match,” he added.

To keep the spirit of the game alive, restaurants are offering specially discounted hours during a match - say from the first ball to the last. Discount is not only on food but on spirits as well.

Golfworx in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, has extended Happy Hours during the match and one can buy one drink and get one free. Apart from this, on premium liquor brands, one gets a two plus one offer.

Also, to give a king-size experience, they have put up 13 huge screens, and six simulators have already been converted into LCD screens. The meal for two at Golfworx will be under Rs.2,000.

At the Ice Lounge in MGF Metropolitan Mall, Saket, viewing cricket match can get merrier if you are a beer fan. Apart from screening all matches, they are offering a bucket of beer at Rs.399. One can also pick delicious Bhajjis doosra murg, sumptuous cheese no balls and skippers chicken delight with the drink.

And if you are the one who is a big time foodie and is vouching on all 14 participating nations during the 43-day-long cricket festival, then visit Zodiac in Gurgaon.

The restaurant will be serving a wide range of cuisines from the 14 participating countries and will have an exciting live kitchen option too. So, you can dig your tongue into three varieties of pastas with an array of sauces and they will cook grilled fish, chicken, lamb and vegetables in front of you.

India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Canada, South Africa, England, West Indies and Bangladesh are participating in the World Cup.

What if the Indian team wins a match? You will get a special 15 percent discount at 1440 - the 24-hour lounge and cafe in Hotel Vikram in Lajpat Nagar.

And during the World Cup, don’t be surprised if cricket stumps out music. A few restaurant owners are prepared to re-schedule their weekend musical programmes to accommodate matches if India is playing.

“We will change all our gigs and focus on showing matches as people will prefer to watch matches than listen to music,” Royal China’s director Aashita Relan told IANS.

So what are you waiting for? Text for friends, make a plan and enjoy matches with a glass of beer.

(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r@ians.in)