Not a frequent visitor to Noida, my friend and I relied heavily on Google Maps for driving directions (thank God for smartphones) and once we hit the DND, Savoy Suites in Sector - 16, Noida (wherein Chor Bizarre is located) was only few minutes away. 

Located on the main road, Savoy Suites is really easy to locate and offers free parking too! In times when we often shell out Rs. 50 and sometimes even more for parking in malls et al, free parking is bliss.

Chor Bizarre opens for dinner at 7 PM and so my friend and I who reached about twenty minutes early decided to wail away time until then. At dot 7 PM, we got ourselves seated at the restaurant and following us two families entered. How cool is that, you open the restaurant for dinner and you have guests coming immediately. 

The interiors are done to recreate the Thieves Market and the restaurant, thus, adorns mismatched and eclectic chairs and tables, antiques and little art pieces thrown around on the walls; all these taking you back to the days of the Raj. It's hard to keep yourself from humming along the old hindi songs that play in the background at Chor Bizarre. But what you absolutely can't miss is the vintage Rolls Royce in the restaurant that doubles up as the salad bar for the buffet. 

We thought it's best to start off with the interesting cocktails that the Chor Bizarre lists so my friend picked the Bizarre Blues (Rs. 395) - a concoction of White Rum, Blue Curacao , Mango Juice, and Lime. It tasted exactly like the Blue Curacao you get at Cafe Coffee Day, just with a just hint of alcohol - quite nice but not so innovative. Try if you want to have a cocktail with only little alcohol content and taste! I picked the whiskey-based Bengal Tiger (Rs. 395) with Whiskey, Dark Rum, Amaretto Syrup, Orange Juice and Fresh Lime - a superb drink for Whiskey-lovers. It wasn't too strong but still had a great kick.  

While waiting for the starters from the monsoon special menu, the chef suggested we try the Dahi Batata Puri - which is a huge hit at Chor Bizarre from the regular menu. Not the best Dahi Puri definitely, because you know - street food is best on the streets! But amongst the best within the confines of four walls, in a restaurant. Do try this mix of potatoes, chutneys and beaten yogurt served in little puris to fill your mouth and heart - pleasing to the taste buds!

Of the vegetarian starters, the Kairi Paneer Tikka (Rs. 345) was the star. Cottage Cheese with piquant Mangoes and chargrilled in tomatoes - this Paneer Tikka version was absolutely delightful. The paneer was tender and perfectly seasoned and the stuffing of raw mango brought such a kick! The Haare Mattar ki Champein (Rs. 295) was essentially Hara Mattar / Green Peas Kebab but innovatively done of a Sugarcane stick. It was a great variation of the regular green peas tikki or kebab, and again was seasoned perfectly well and grilled well. The sugarcane stick had only very mild flavours left and was essentially for presentation. Very interesting. The cheese-marinated Tandoori Broccoli (Rs. 295) was a bit hard and wasn't really powerful. Avoid. 

Amongst the non-vegetarian, Patrani Macchi was what my friend loved the most. She took the first bite of the Macchi alone, and she wasn't quite sure. But then she tried it with the South-Indian style curd rice, she absolutely loved it. The fish melted in the mouth and was the high point of her evening. The Anaari Ghost Boti (Rs. 425) was very well-cooked with the right spices (Chor Bizarre definitely gets their seasonings right!) and had hints of pomegranate that brought in interesting flavours. The Neembu Murgh Tikka (Rs. 410) was super tender and super yum! Dip it in the mint chutney, and have it along the masala laccha onions that Chor Bizarre serves. You'll love it!

Because the starters had overwhelming tastes and we gobbled a bit too much, we took a short five-minute break for a walk before the main course arrived. It was a good plan because the main course too had some great tastes to offer. 

The Tofu Kofta in Pukhtan gravy was delicious with soft textures and sweet flavours. The Khatti Moong Dal had flavours that resembled Khatti Meethi namkeen. Try with the comfort bread for Biharis - Sattu ka Parantha. It's an extremely healthy whole wheat bread stuffed with barley sattu and cooked in griddle. Also, it's soft and a great alternative to the regular chapatti. The Bharwan Tindey in onion gravy where just about alright though I quite enjoyed the gravy all by itself. But of all, the Palak Tamatar ki Bhurjee was what stole my heart. Palak done in a simple tomato-onion gravy and it tasted far superior than the Palak Paneer you get everywhere. Stuffed as I was, I gulped down two paranthas with this delicious Subzi. 

The Dhaniye Pudine Wala Murgh was not quite there, decent still with a well-cooked chicken but flavours that didn't impress us much. Skip that and try the Murgh Gilouri Korma instead which was pan-seared Chicken Breast stuffed with fresh Betel leaf served in almonds & brown onion gravy. Something really interesting about this one. What looked and tasted best in the non-vegetarian main course was the Jhinga and Chai - an interesting dish with green tea infused prawns with mild coconut curry. 

The basil and date-flavoured Tulsi aur Khajoor Pulao done in Basmati rice had a sweet fragrance and excellent flavour. 

We, my friend and I, had mixed thoughts about the Mango Shrikhand. While I quite liked the semi-soft yogurt dessert and the mango flavours, my friend thought it was a bit too sweet. 

In all, the monsoon specials at Chor Bizarre were fabulous - few lows but too many highs. What's best is that most of the dishes were simple and easy to recreate at home but executed at Chor Bizarre with such perfection. 

I also must mention that the hospitality we received at Chor Bizarre was commendable. Chef Rajesh Khulbe was extremely sweet answering all our queries and questions about the monsoon specials and dishes. We truly felt welcomed. To add to this, the service of the staff at Chor Bizarre is absolutely spectacular. So much so that it takes your entire dining experience to another level. At all times, the staff was polite and prompt. Our water glasses were not empty for more than half a minute at any given time of our meal and accompaniments like onions and chutneys were constantly refilled. Couldn't have been more pleased - a super dinner with great flavours served with a super staff! 

Don't think I can recommend you visiting Chor Bizarre for the monsoon specials enough. All I can say is that it's an experience you shouldn't surely miss!