CT Review: In A Sea Of Similar Menu Restaurants, Unico Is A Refreshing, All-Veg Med-European Change

The ever-expanding culinary landscape of Gurugram has a new addition–Unico. Located in Global Foyer Mall, this new Mediterranean-European restaurant has an all-vegetarian menu, something a vegetarian like me can truly appreciate and admire! Right from the vibe to the cocktails and food, this place definitely left an impact on me.

Unico, An All-Vegetarian Mediterranean-European Restaurant

First things first, as soon as you step into Unico, you will feel that you can breathe better. That’s because you can, thanks to the plenty of plants and air purifiers placed all around the restaurant. The earthy, warm interiors of the place and the absolutely stunning bar just add to all the amazing things that await you here.

Beyond decor, the greens grown here are used for food as well. To give people a farm-to-table experience, Unico uses hydroponics to grow their own lettuce and other salad greens. You can spot the setup as soon as you step into the restaurant. They also get the vegetables and fruits used in the kitchen and bar from a farm nearby. Also, sustainability is a big focus at this restaurant. So, fruit peels or any other usable and fresh leftovers from the bar are used in the kitchen and vice versa.

I got a tour of the kitchen and safe to say, I was thoroughly impressed! The kitchen was spick and span and the delicious smell of the food just made my stomach growl out loud. Another impressive thing about this restaurant is its see-through live kitchen setup. So, you can sit and watch your food being prepared right in front of you.

If you’re a coffee lover, then you should definitely check out the elaborate coffee menu. Because of the many dishes I tried here, I skipped the coffee and dessert part during my visit, but it’s all the more reason for me to plan another trip to Unico soon!

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Lip-Smacking Cocktails, Delectable Grub & A Night To Remember

Coming to the most important part of any restaurant–the menu! What drew my attention to Unico is the fact that the food menu here is concise and different. Unlike every new restaurant popping up in Delhi-NCR that offers pretty much a similar menu, this place brings a refreshing change with its short but amazing menu.

For the first round of drinks, we ordered White Lady and The Bitter Sweet from their signature cocktail menu. We paired it with Traditional Turkish Pide and it was a banging start to our culinary ride here! The White Lady was smooth and perfectly balanced the flavours of gin and lime. Meanwhile, The Bitter Sweet had a rich flavour that was nicely blended with the pour-over coffee.

Next, we ordered The White Basil, another gin-hit, and Unico’s Island, the restaurant’s version of LIIT. It was a mix of white spirits topped with coke foam and tasted absolutely delicious. Safe to say, the cocktails here left us thoroughly impressed.

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Of course, we had to order the Mezze Platter here. We paired Hummus, Muhammara, Dill Tzatziki, and Labneh with Spiced Corn Ribs and Panisse, and it was the perfect starter to go with our drinks. To balance it all out, we next tried the Smoked Beet & Citrus Salad which had chèvre with seasonal greens and citrus fruits. Again, the salad did not disappoint!

Our starters did not end there! We next tried Fig Feta & Gorgonzola Tartine. This dish came topped with fresh greens and had a flaky and buttery base. Perfectly crispy, the sweetness of figs complimented the hazelnut topped on the salad, and again, the dish was an absolute delight to the taste buds.

Unico has a woodfire pizza setup, but we decided to skip the pizzas in favour of some Tomato Fresh Mozzarella Panouzzo and Risotto Al Funghi. The panouzzo was probably one of my favourite dishes here. The fresh and juicy tomatoes packed in a light bread with pinecut pesto, arugula, and bocconcini were absolute perfection.

I have to start by confessing that I am not a big mushroom fan. However, I ended up trying and liking the Risotto Al Funghi at Unico. The creamy and cheesy risotto came with morels, cremini, porcini, and truffle puree, and it was surprisingly delicious for me!

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Overall Experience

All in all, Unico stood out for me because of its short and precise menu. Unlike other restaurants that haphazardly end up mixing cuisines to make a long menu and end up having pretty much the same food, this place offers a short but clear-cut Mediterranean-European experience. Of course, the food is also pretty amazing!

I also fell in love with the bar here! The colourful, tropical mural stands out in the otherwise earthy decor at Unico. Not to forget, the drinks were all delectable too. In short, if you’re a vegetarian wishing to try a new place in Delhi-NCR, then this has to be my top recommendation right now! Also, I can’t wait to visit the place again to finally try out the dessert and coffee that I missed.

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Where: Ground Floor, Global Foyer Mall, Sector 43, Haryana, DLF Phase 5, Gurugram, Haryana
When: 12 PM – 12 AM
Cost: ₹3,000 for two approx.

Cover Image Courtesy: Mallika Khurana