If you think that fast food is a hurriedly prepared, bland-tasting substitute for a conventional Osquare meal, a visit to Kafe 2000 will probably make you revise that opinion, for the fast fare here is high-quality and extremely tasty. K2K is a spacious new basement restaurant in Egmore that serves fast food (pizzas, burgers, sandwiches), salads, kebabs, curries and Tandoori and Continental food. Each variety of food has its own colourful menu, so selecting dishes for two or more people can be fun, especially when each person wants to look through the menu himself, thereby necessitating a lot of switching and swapping of menus.

The pizzas and burgers (Rs.35-100) are large, well-filled and well-topped with some startlingly imaginative ingredients; turkey,  murgh tikka (charcoal-grilled chicken), cheese and raisin, spinach, jalapeno peppers, baby corn, and more. The sandwiches (Rs.40-90) - with up to four layers of plain or grilled bread - are filled generously enough to make a meal in itself. The kebabs (Rs.40-80) are of chicken or mutton, vegetable or paneer. The curries( Rs.45-100) include Chicken Tikka, Malabar Fish Curry, Gosht Rogan Josh and Vegetable Shubnum, Kofthas, and Paneer and Palak preparations, all of which are very tasty, if at all a little rich. There are pulaos, biriyanis of chicken and mutton and roti, naan and kulcha. 

The Continental dishes (Rs.75-125) are no less worthy of attention; Grilled Fish (in lemon butter sauce, with rice, fries and coleslaw), Chicken Steak in mushroom pepper sauce, fish-and-chips, the old favourite Vegetables au Gratin (with garlic bread) and a Mexican Hot Pot. The desserts (Rs.40-50) are few; apple pie, strawberry mousse, chocolate brownies and fresh fruit souffle. Customers are given the freedom to design their own meal. They can order a pizza with any number of toppings, a burger with any combination of ingredients available in the house, and concoct their own curry. By November 2000, there will be an additional menu for cocktails. There are also lunch packages (Rs.60-75) consisting of rice, two tandoori breads, curry, dal, pickle, salad, papad, and either a soft drink or a sweet.

Strangely, the restaurant is a little gloomy in appearance! What with insufficient lighting, dark red furniture, unconvincing sea-and sky-scapes on walls and ceiling, the atmosphere is distinctly non-cheery, and could discourage visitors of sensitive temperament. Perhaps this is part of the new generation underworld look (sic)? However, there are several facilities offered free of charge; internet access for guests who would like to surf while waiting for their orders to be filled, and books and magazines for those who prefer to read them. Food lovers will find the fare at K2K more than satisfactory, and possibly even good enough to get addicted to for a little while. 

Kafe 2000, 'New Generation Underworld', is in the basement of Hardevi Chambers, 61, Pantheon Road, Egmore. Phone: 820-5179. It is open from 9:30 a.m. till midnight.

Arun Masilamoni

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