By Parul Soni 

Noida, March 6 (IANS): If you are a butter chicken lover and swear by the iconic Old Monk vatted Indian dark rum, then head to Soirée -- a newly-opened lounge and bar -- that offers a heavenly concoction of the two in the form of yummy boozy butter chicken. The cosy, capacious set-up allows you quality time with your gang while gobbling mouth-watering fish fingers. This chic space is equally exciting for vegetarians as well.

Located in Gardens Galleria Mall, Soirée -- which means "an evening party" -- does not only buzz with crowds grooving to live music after sunset but also promises to deliver a gourmet dining experience during the day.

"At Soirée, people can let their hair down as well as enjoy casual dining. The place doubles up as one where you can chill with your friends in the evening and at the same time have a family lunch," Manager Narendra Singh Bisht told IANS.

Soirée has whimsical interiors, retro-style furniture as well as an interesting combination of vibrant graffiti walls and panels with beautiful art pieces. The bar area is located in the middle with its ceiling elaborately decorated with glass bottles.

The extensive menu covers Indian, Continental and Oriental cuisines and offers a vast variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes to treat your taste buds.

I started with the Classical Fruit Punch mocktail, a drink blended with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was fantastically refreshing and a great start to the evening. A must try for teetotallers.

For appetisers, I ordered crispy chicken fingers served with jalapeno mayonnaise. These were soft, juicy and melted in the mouth.

Next came Maggi cutlets -- an innovative blend of Maggi noodles and mashed potatoes -- served with mint chutney. However, it was bland and didn't live up to expectations.

The star of the evening was sesame fish fingers accompanied by tarter sauce. These had a crispy crust and tender, flaky fish on the inside. Each bite was sinful. It's a must try.

Other worth-mentioning options in starters are: Kangda chicken, paneer rimjhim and vegetable golden kebab. All had impressive presentation and were gobbled with classic cocktails -- Long Island Ice Tea and blue margarita, which is an exotic variation of the traditional drink.

In the main course, non-vegetarians must gorge on the Old Monk-marinated tandoori chicken finished in butter gravy. It is simply delicious. Another hit is chilli fish in oyster sauce for its piquant, scrumptious flavours.

Vegetarians can blindly go for dal soiree -- black lentils cooked overnight in butter and finished with cream. It was extremely creamy with a nice flavourful aroma and perfect blend of spices.

Bhutta methi malai -- golden corn simmered in creamy and ginger based fenugreek gravy is also recommended.

There are limited options when it comes to desserts, but one can wrap up one's meal with a delicious chocolate walnut brownie.

Overall, Soirée has an impressive menu and a contemporary ambience. But it needs to add that X factor to the place to stand out amidst the tough competition.

Where: Second floor, Gardens Galleria, Sector 38 A, Noida

Timings: 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Price: Rs 1,500 for two (sans alcohol)