From four-day fermented sourdough and Moroccan pulled lamb to theatrical cocktails and an unexpected ube-matcha dessert, Joker’s menu keeps surprise at the centre

It’s that wild card in your pack which can change your game. The willingness to mix the familiar with the unexpected. A cocktail changes flavour as you drink it, and ube meets matcha. Nothing plays by the rules—and that, perhaps, is the whole point. Joker!

The restaurant goes by the philosophy – surprise, deception, and illusion. And that’s the idea that runs through the food and beverage menu. Durgesh and Sumeet, the two guys responsible for the reiterate the thought with their amazing cocktail presentation.

The morning begins with the Thermal V60 pour-over coffee, where delicate berry notes come through beautifully. But it is the Moroccan Pulled Lamb Sandwich, recommended by Shahid, that quickly becomes the meal’s star. Generous pulls of delectable and delightfully flavoured lamb are tucked into homemade sourdough, whose dough is fermented for four days. The result is deliciously light bread with character. Suggest you keep wait tissue handy as you eat this juicy sandwich with hand.

We move to cocktails and I start with a Negroni before I experiment with their signature. Slightly gin forward. To accompany the cocktails are their Crisps and Dips. You can choose the crisps and the dips to go with from the multiple choices available.  I choose Wonton Crisps, Sweet Potato Chips and Pita Squares. In the dips tzatziki and tomato ricotta stand out. The latter is fresh and creamy without feeling heavy. And then there is truffle—the aroma alone is enough to make you lean in before the first bite. They make potato and sweet potato chips in house and with skin-on.