7 Degree Brauhaus

Critic´s Review

• Food: 4 / 5
• Service: 3.5 / 5
• Decor: 3.5 / 5

-By Deepali Gupta

Gurgaon's takeover of our pub-life is complete with a new microbrewery opening every few months and hosting packedrnhouses even on a Tuesday night, which is when we reached there in search of our own Oktoberfest. 7° Brauhaus announces its presence much before you sit down with a large imposing space that unfolds over some 12,000 square feet and stands atop an otherwise non-descript mall. You feel like you could be sitting anywhere in Europe thanks to the transplanted beer garden setting complete with foreigners mingling over fresh brew, large brewing vats, some rather oddly placed trees and a circular bar.

The decor is midway between OTT and comforting, and as the evening progressed, it became more of the latter, as the collective din of people around us grew louder. Although the bar is fully stocked, why you would go to a microbrewery and drink wine is beyond me. We started with their sampler of four - Wheat, Lager, Strong and 7° Special before ordering. The Lager seemed slightly watered down (nothing that some tweaks by the brewmaster can't fix) and the Strong didn't win the toss up with the 7° Special, which was clean and smooth with a lingering mouthfeel and the Wheat that had just the right amount of hops although was mild for our taste.

But it's the Bavarian kitchen that drew us to this place with promises of juicy, glistening German sausages along with hearty goulash, schnitzel, pretzels and strudels. We sampled the Breaded Chicken Finders marinated in dark bier, which were perfectly light, crisp and seasoned well. There was also the Original Bratwurst - 3 pieces of German country style smoked pork sausages that were thick and flavourful served with a lone pretzel that was a valiant attempt considering the water and yeast the chef has to work with here.

In case you want to mix things up, there are also Beer Cocktails made from their Lager like Jägerbomb and Brauhaus' Shandy as well as the lone Brauhaus' Horse - dark beer dropped on cola - that our attentive server claimed was worth a try. We are going back for it soon!