RESTAURANT REVIEW: FORK YOU, HAUZ KHAS VILLAGE

For meat, cocktails and beautiful women

I can count the number of places in Hauz Khas with a clear identity and appropriate execution on my fingertips. On one hand.

Fork You is not here to add to the list. What’s supposed to be a steakhouse and burger joint looks like Kitty Su’s younger, less discriminate sister on most weekends.

Bespoke Chicken Burger

LOOKS LIKE

The most notable things in Fork You’s décor are the impossibly glamorous women gliding around on sky high heels. Every time I’ve schlepped myself over to Fork You I’ve wondered why all these babes in bandage dresses are at a burger joint. Maybe the answer lies in the comprehensive cocktail menu. Though last I checked nobody has imposed any restriction on cocktail consumption in casuals yet.

 

Apart from the chickabees there are a few club style booths with fancy white sofas on the inside and a pretty but usually crowded smoking area, sorry balcony. I think the bar is supposed to invoke thoughts of some kind of salon style Americana but it’s too generic looking to try to guess the designer’s intentions.

Herb and Garlic Tenderloin

TASTES LIKE

As mentioned above, Fork You has an elaborate cocktail menu and a list of ingredients you can pick from for their “bespoke mixology” feature. I understand this to mean they'll make a cocktail for you out of whatever you pick. They’re quite good at it too – their Lynchburg Lemonade and Cucumber Cooler is well balanced and way better than the ordinary sugar and artificial flavor syrup concoctions I’ve come to expect at most Delhi bars.

 

The burgers work off a similar theme – you can pick the size, bun, cheese, sauce and sides to create a bespoke burger right for you. And there are lots of options so you can have a lot of fun mixing and matching things to your mood flavor. If you like. Or you can always pick a pre-crafted burger or a pasta off the menu.

 

Small note on this bespoke business though –

 

(a) on sides: the onion rings are kind of soggy, the spicy potato wedges are totally flavorless and the curly fries are a lie. They’re never available.

 

(b) on sauces: the Garlic Aioli is gorgeous but the Spicy Chilli Mayo is bleh.

 

Since I don't eat beef, I have to outsource comments on steaks to trusted companions. I have it on good authority that the Herbs and Garlic Tenderloin is great for its price though they have the usual discomfort with rare and medium rare. It’ll be done well but still moist so all is not lost.

 

Fork You gets most of its food right and there aren’t that many burger and steak joints in Delhi that aren’t either totally Indianized in flavor or Mac Donald’s but I worry the establishment will end up focusing disproportionately on the mixology for the cocktail girls. By the second time I visited there was a marked increase in mini-skirts and a palpable decline in food quality.

Onion Rings, Kingfisher and the Cucumber Cooler

FEELS LIKE

The staff tries to be helpful but they often seem to be overwhelmed by the thirsty hordes. It may be time to do some more hiring.

See what I mean. Crazy crowded! And this is on a Wednesday!

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Should you go: Yes! For the cocktails and meat

Vegetarian Options: Yes

Liquor License: Yes

Smoking Area: Yes

Address: 30, 1^st Floor, Hauz Khas Village

Phone: They don’t have a landline listed