Chandigarh Restaurants

Located in the shopping centre in sector 17, Lyon's is a rather posh restaurant. On their menu under continental cuisine was fish and chips which was quite funny so-much-so that I decided to order it as it was something totally different and unexpected. The fish were battered with a slightly spicy batter and the meal even came with tartare sauce. I also had a small but strong glass of Kingfisher beer to wash it all down with for just Rs30 (34p).

This restaurant is the only one beside Lake Sukhna and I popped into it for lunch before taking one of the paddle boats out on the lake. All I had was a nice veg noodles and coke. They serve beer here and it seems to be far more readily available than in Delhi when it was a real struggle to find. In fact a group of 3 guys nearby were all drinking beers for lunch.

Us being the tragic Australian Travellers that we were, and coming up to our 7th week in India, we jumped at the opportunity to have a few drinks and dinner at Down-Under!!

Located in the very expensive shopping district of Sector 17, this is the downstairs bar of the larger 'Hot Millions' food complex. Now, as true Aussies, I was at a loss as to find what made it an Aussie-Themed bar and the menu was a pretty interesting one. An interesting mix of Italian, TexMex and Indian dishes- I opted for a mixed enchiladas and Edwina had spaghetti bolognese. Italian is a term to used loosely - the bolgnese had masala in it and so did the chips!!

As far as atmosphere goes, it was very much the downstairs bar, and in a country where alcohol consumption is not a part of mainstream culture it has a seedy feel about it - people drank there but did not go there for an enjoyable evening.

The soundtrack was very Western with not an Indian tune to be heard, if you have a craving for some tunes such as California Love, Lets Talk About Sex, Backstreet Boys or Nirvana then you'll find it here.

As for prices, the Enchiladas and Bolognese were Rs.95 each and shandys (beer and lemonade) would set you back Rs.35. So not cheap by Indian standards but might be worth it if you want a uniquely Western experience in the middle of your Northern Indian trip!!