Eat, drink and work

Factory by Sutra scores more as a pub and a microbrewery but falls short as a co-working space

I'm not a regular visitor to Gurgaon, so when I agreed to scope out Factory by Sutra in Sector 29, the first thing I did was ask a scientist friend who lives and works in the city to come along. The idea was that he'd bring his scientific temperament and non-vegetarian stomach, while I'd look at the vegetarian food options and the microbrewery beer. We'd also look at the co-working space from the point of view of both genders.

We begin by checking out another co-working space and microbrewery in Gurgaon. This one has inside and outside seating from 9 am, a private place to make phone calls, free wi-fi, rusks, matthi, Parle G biscuits and the option to make your own tea or coffee - all for the grand total of Rs 123 per day. Even if I sat there six days a week for a month, this would work out to around Rs 3,000. There is also a menu for working people that offers options like two-egg omelet and three slices of toast for Rs 80, apart from the usual menu. Not surprisingly, a section of the place is full of serious looking people beavering away on computers and laptops.

Factory by Sutra, in contrast, is an almost empty three-floored building that smells gloriously of barley. The highlight of the decor is the huge chrome, steel and wood vat that stretches up the height of two floors. The rest of the decor is functional - a combination of sofas and steel chairs. These are early days yet, but when we enter, there is only a raucous kitty party group seated in what we are told is the co-working space because it has plug points. The place is too dark to work in, the music is loud and the wi-fi takes a lot of coaxing by a series of waiters and the manager who go into a tizzy when I ask to have my phone charged.

The Rs 5,000 a month co-working cost covers food and drink as well as working computers and printers, but this is quickly amended to "only printers". The working time is from 12 pm to 6 pm, although you can also use your subscription towards food and drinks in the evening.

The moment I ask after their microbrews, a tasting platter is brought over. The beers are uniformly good, and even a traditionally Irish Black drinker like me is tempted by the Dunkel Wheat and Weissen beer, although the almost lemonade like Pilsner can be skipped. These are reasonably priced at Rs 145 for a 340 ml mug.

My friend is more interested in the food and settles for a plate of galouti kebabs with ulte tawe ka paratha, while I try to choose between a bao stuffed with peas and a Chinese meal in a bowl. The Bao is for "healthy" eaters, the manager says dismissively (my beer clearly showed I wasn't), and points me towards the Chinese kung pao with hakka noodles. I am hoping for Indian Chinese and am not disappointed. It is spicy, warming and full of vegetables. And yet, the cinnamon in the parathas across the table is so tantalising that I keep trying to edge a bite off my friend's plate.

But it is the beer that has my attention. The master brewer, Anjit Pradhan, has made his way to Gurgaon via Sikkim, Shillong and Punjab. His beers take eight hours to brew and can last up to a month since they are made without chemicals, sugar or preservatives. According to him, Sector 29 has 18 microbreweries so this is obviously a tough market. I'd have to do a proper scientific experiment (read "pub crawl") to see which one brews the best beer. But, if they're as good as this, it's an experiment I'm willing to do in the spirit of scientific enquiry.

Average meal for two costs Rs 1,200 plus taxes (without alcohol)