Recently, I visited 689(Six Eighty Nine) —a Japanese-inspired Asian restaurant located at Quorum, Two Horizon, Gurgaon. Quorum, historically a members-only club, has now opened its doors to the public with this restaurant.
The visit, however, started on a less-than-ideal note. The staff was a bit finicky about seating arrangements. I requested a specific table, only to be told it was reserved, despite there being no signage indicating this (some tables were clearly marked as ‘Promised’). When I checked again later, they claimed the guest had stepped out for a smoke. Interestingly, I was there for two hours, and no one showed up. Apparently, the smoking pollution in the city could be credited to this one elusive guest!
Chef Jayaraj, a courteous and informative host, shared the origin of the restaurant’s name—6, 8, and 9 refer to the sizes of skewers they use on their grill. The skewer size, however, is determined by the ingredients being cooked, so guests don’t get to choose. He highly recommended the flame-kissed avocado from the Robatayaki section. To be honest, I wouldn’t typically consider a vegetarian dish from the Robatayaki, but his recommendation was spot on. The buttery avocado, dressed with a soy-mirin glaze, had a perfect balance of saltiness and sharpness, thanks to the drizzle of shichimi lime—a truly delightful and innovative dish.
The Salmon Carpaccio with truffle ponzu dressing was good, though the truffle flavor was quite muted. The Thai Pomelo Salad was another standout, with its sweet, juicy pomelo adding freshness to the dish.
We also tried the XO Mac n Cheese. Unlike typical mac n cheese, this one wasn’t overly cheesy, allowing the XO sauce to shine through, complemented by a nice crunch from the panko topping. While decent, it didn’t quite hit the high bar set by the grilled avocado.
The one disappointment was the Vietnamese Banh Mi. The bread wasn’t a proper baguette, so we missed the crunch on the outside and the chewy texture inside. The pork belly filling was tasty and may appeal to some, but the bread fell short of what makes an authentic banh mi so special.
For dessert, we sampled Sakura—a rich chocolate mousse—and Yuzu Crème Brûlée. Both were visually stunning and tasted just as good, making them a must-try.
If you’re after a place with mellow music, decent food, and well-crafted cocktails, 689 should be on your list.
Ratings (Out of 5):
Food: 3.75
Service: 2.0 (Please don’t deny a table unless it’s truly reserved, especially when a guest is already seated.)
Ambience: 3.0
