Nestled in the market near Kingdom of Dreams, Molecule Air Bar is the latest addition to the bustling foodscape of Sector 29, Gurgaon. With an emphasis on molecular gastronomy and a flair for drama, I was intrigued enough make the trip to Gurgaon to check out the place.
Interiors
The restaurant is located on two floors, one with indoor seating and the other which opens up to the sky.
Molecule’s setup takes inspiration Adolf Hitler’s ‘evil’ chemistry lab. The interiors could be classified as alternative but wasn’t over the top. The art installations, lighting fixtures and handguns hanging off the walls blend chemistry and war time memorabilia while the menu card offers trivia from the Second World War and the staff is dressed in military gear.
Drinks
The restaurant has a well stocked bar with a plethora of beers, whiskeys, single malts, gins, tequilas, wines, vodkas, aperitifs and liqueurs. You can also order a classic cocktail from their Good Old Soldiers selection or shooters from their Nazi’s Grenades menu. There is also an in-house brewery which serves 4 types of house brews as well as an interesting selection of mocktails.
We ordered the Virgin Apple Cider which turned out to be an amazing concoction of hot apple juice infused with spices, lime juice and honey. It tasted excellent and I personally felt that it was a great start.
Soup
We ordered the Slow Roast Tomato & Basil soup which was served with a pesto lavash, mozzarella cheese and basil caviar. With an interesting flavour, it was more foam actually than a soup, with very little soupy liquid at the bottom.
Food
We began with the caramel flavoured Dragon Smoke popcorn. Very interesting, the caramelised popcorn was dropped into liquid nitrogen with very entertaining results resulting in ice cold caramel popcorn.
The Molecular Winter Berry Salad arrived next. Made for us right at our table, it was truly a sight to behold as we watched the brilliance of molecular gastronomy unfold in front of us. The textures and flavours of the salad were phenomenal and the frozen crystals of strawberry that had been doused in liquid nitrogen and topped over the salad gave a delicious candy-like crunch.
We then ordered the Air Bread which again was absolutely delicious. Shaped like a pillow, the bread has a crispy shell and is filled with four types of cheese and topped with chicken tikka and served with chilli caviar.
Molecular Puchka Shots as the name suggests, are gol guppas served in a molecular style. The presentation was this was incredible – the potato was served in a little pressure cooker while the red and green chutneys and flavoured water (in flavours like cranberry, mango and pineapple) were served in large syringes. Another brilliant dish.
The next item was the Veg Biryani Arancini. The Biryani was shaped into little balls that are then fried and served with a salan crème, dehydrated onions and a raita sphere which is a jelly formation with pink peppercorn. The shell of the Arancini was a little hard, but besides that the Biryani was delicious.
We then ordered the Indian-Style Bruschetta which was a nice concoction of jellied tomato balls, onion, capsicum, mozzarella cheese and cilantro chutney tossed in olive oil and served on toasted crostini. Another interesting dish that tasted good.
Moving to the staple Indian starter – the tikkas, we ordered the Paneer Tikka Two Ways and the All Time Favourite Chicken Tikka.
The Paneer Tikka Two Ways comprised of paneer tikkas in a peri peri flavour and in a pesto flavour. The paneer was well marinated and was extremely soft. Served with a roast tomato and mint chutney, it was an excellent dish.
The All Time Favourite Chicken Tikka definitely tasted like it – nice and spicy with delightfully foamy pudina chutney.
Next up was the Ghee Roast Soya Keema. Served in a metal pan with mini Malabar Paranthas hung on hooks and a Lachha Radish salad served in beakers, the keema was well cooked and the Malabar paranthas were excellent. Another interesting dish.
We then ordered the Chicken Tandoori Dimsum Platter. Served with mint chutney, the dimsums were soft on the inside with lots of flavour and the outside was crisp due to it being cooked in a tandoor.
Dessert
Molecule has a vast array of intriguing desserts in combinations you’d never have imagined in your dreams. We decided to go for the Gulab Jamun cheesecake. An interesting looking dish, the cheesecake was a plain cheesecake with a slice of gulab jamun in the middle of it. An interesting fusion of Indian and western desserts, it was a nice end to a good dinner.
