In the hustle bustle of Shimla Mall Road, located is Eighteen 71 Cookhouse and Bar at Hotel Willow Banks deriving its name from the year the property dates back to. The decor has elements of wood, leather and metal being contemporary and modern, full of delightful and plush ambience for a fine dining experience.

The cuisine is one to fall in love with- Pan Indian and Oriental and also live grills to set the mood with some innovative cocktails and mocktails from the bar section.

As the day starts and you are in mood to have good food, the buffet spread delights you and the lovely lunch and also the evening magic with mood lighting and upbeat music playing. The classic flavours in the food retaliate with your fun mood with the much desired contemporary twist which adds to the excitement of the entire dining experience. The menu has Mughlai food, Oriential cuisine (Chinese, Thali, Malay & Burmese), Bengali curries, Parsi specialities, Chettinad delicacies and Rajasthani delights too. The live grills being the attraction for many and so the restaurant is set apart. The dessert spread even has Paan Kulfi which is an absolute favourite amongst many.

We had two of our meals here. For the lovely dinner that we had at Eighteen 71- we first had Paneer Tikka- delicious big chunks of paneer which were tasty and spicy with grilled capsicums and onions. Palak Paneer was very delectable.  All the breads- Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti and Pudina Parantha were perfectly soft and layered with love.  Next were Steamed Rice and Dal Makhani- the dal was lovely and creamy and the rice was perfectly cooked.  In Desserts, Gulab Jamun was very soft with dessicated coconut sprinkled on it while Badam Kheer was nice too and yes sweetly heavenly. It was a great meal with old classics playing in the background. I missed having the Goan Curry and Malabar specialities but there is always a next time.

Our next meal was a Buffet Breakfast here consisting of an elaborate spread. There was Grilled Tomatoes, Hash Browns which were nicely cooked and baked, Baked Beans, Boiled Eggs, Veg. Penne Pasta (yum!), Cornflakes, Muesli, Paratha with pickles- very fulfilling, Pao Bhaji (so delicious), Idli Sambhar (sambhar was spicy with lotsa veggies in it), Butter Toast, Jam Toast and much more. Then there were live counters from the Chef's Section of Omelette (it was really nicely made), Uttapam and Dosa- the dosa was hot, crisp and yummy. There was fresh Apple Juice and Cold Coffees too along with Muffins, Chocolate Cakes and Fruit Cakes. It was a lavish spread of breakfast and everything that I tried was excellent and worth recommending (especially the hot favourite Pao Bhaji).

Needless to mention, all COVID precautions are being followed. Eighteen 71 hosts musical evenings with a mix of retro music in both Hindi and English and also has plans to host comedy nights in Shimla soon so you have another reason to visit Eighteen 71 in Shimla.