PRODUCT REVIEW: COCOA GARDEN HOMEMADE CHOCOLATES

For all the joy of homemade chocolate with none of the effort

 

Any true connoisseur will agree nothing beats homemade. This winter skip the mass manufactured candy and order an assorted batch from Cocoa Garden, each chocolate is hand made and packaged in small batches. I inhaled my box within a day of receiving it. The dark chocolate and butterscotch were so good they vanished within the first couple of hours of receipt of possession.

Reach them at their facebook page here (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cocoa-Garden/)

PRODUCT REVIEW: RAWLEAF.IN

For when you're trying to be healthy but are also very lazy

I can't get over how well the city of butter chicken with butter naan is adapting to the healthy eating zeitgeist. My latest low cal discovery is Rawleaf, a service that allows you to order individual or family packs of fresh salads online. Rawleaf promises that their salads are made of fresh, pesticide free produce that has been harvested less than 48 hours in advance of being in your box. The individual packs are great for a working lunch and the family packs would make an ideal side for when you have company over.

 

Their portions are generous and the revolving menu makes sure you don't get bored. I really like the Ceaser and Hawaiian Salads and am looking forward to trying the Kale Grapefruit and Nicoise Salads. I'm very fussy about salad dressings - the dressing has to marry the flavors of the various fruits, vegetables and salad leaves without overwhelming any one of them. Also, nothing irritates me more than people being stingy with the dressing. You need to give enough to evenly coat the salad without leaving it dry or letting it get too sludgy. Rawleaf gets these proportions just right.

 

Packing and Paraphernalia

 

While the packaging is perfect, their delivery logistics are cumbersome. You have to order before noon to get delivery on the same day and even then the delivery can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. It's a pain to try to get your order in every morning and it might be best to call them and set up a regular arrangement with them.

 

Find them at (http://www.rawleaf.in/)

DIVE BAR REVIEW: 4S

For lawyers, gossip and comfort

 

Dive bars are really hard to review because their appeal is so hard to explain. I usually comment on décor, food and service, 3 things you're probably not going to find at 4S. But that becomes a case of judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Anyway the people who frequent the place wont be dissuaded by my post and those who don't can't be tortured into it. So I'm not going to use my usual format for 4S, instead here's a bullet point list on how to navigate the place.

 

1. The answer to any question you may have at 4S is to keep drinking.

 

2. The guy at the next table did just use the term heteronormativity twice in one sentence.  Keep drinking.

 

3. If you must order food restrict yourself to the Masala Peanuts or anything dry, chicken and fried. I strongly recommend you keep drinking.

 

4. Do not embarrass yourself by trying to order an Appletini or anything which has more than 2 ingredients (i.e., booze + coke). They do an unexpectedly good Bloody Mary though.

 

5. Someone may or may not have spotted a dead rat in the girl's loo. Let's not make a thing of it. Keep drinking.

 

6. Be nice to the staff, they're worth it.

 

4S is testament to the old adage that you can't argue with destiny. Defence Colony Market is full up with cheap drinking holes with crappy bar food but the universe keeps us all coming back to 4S.   
  

PRODUCT REVIEW: HOKEY POKEY ICE CREAM

For troubled times

 

There are days that can only be survived with the aid of your most comfortable {and most tattered} pyjamas and a tub of ice cream. My preference is usually mango or in particularly dire circumstances, double chocolate. Nature’s Basket and Modern Bazaar are now stocking gloriously creamy tubs of Hokey Pokey for exactly those kinds of days. India’s answer to Ben & Jerry’s, Hokey Pokey’s quirky, yet delicious, flavour blends include Live and Laugh Brownie {Fresh Cream Ice Cream with Crumbled Brownies, Roasted Cashews and Dark Chocolate Fudge} and my current favourite, Manic Monkey {Chocolate Ice Cream with Almonds, Crunchy Praline and White Chocolate Fudge}. The adorable packaging and unabashedly rich ingredient layering all recommend Hokey Pokey over its more mundane, plain vanilla competitors {I can’t wait to try Cherry Chipchunks and the Black Forest Blend} but what really caught my eye was that the products contain no added flavours or preservatives.

 

A walk down HKV revealed that they’re opening up a full fledged ice cream parlour where you can realize all your ice cream fantasies but till then we’ll have to make do with their pint tubs!

 

Dig into a tub of Hokey Pokey and you’ll find the texture is palpably creamier than most Indian brands, and you don’t have to feel guilty about having bought a product with a larger carbon footprint than you. No added colouring and preservatives mean there’s less chemical gunk floating around in your system at the end of the tub. Crazy flavour combinations mean you’ll never get bored.

 

Available at Godrej Nature’s Basket  and Modern Bazaar stores across town.

Find more on their Facebook page, here.

Photos courtesy Hokey Pokey

PRODUCT REVIEW: JUGMUG THELA - ARTISANAL TEAS AND COFFEE

 

There’s more than one chaiwala gaining social currency in the capital these days. Jiten Suchede decided to put his talents as a designer to unexpected use by cobbling pallets into a makeshift thela that serves exceptional tea and coffee across the city.

 

Disgruntled by the step motherly treatment being meted out to tea shops in a city increasingly invested in café culture, Jiten decided to make the chai ki dukaan relevant again. Metamorphosing that run down, unglamorous fixture of our youth into a charming mobile dispensary of teas, {surprisingly} coffees, and homemade snacks, so Delhiites can reconsider rushing into impersonal coffee chains and reconvene at their favourite artisanal chaiwala.

 

 

Stop by for a cup of tea, a refreshing Vietnamese Iced Coffee, or the fiery Mattha. Unfortunately, till Jiten sets up his café, we have no option but to chase him down at the various exhibitions that’ll sprout up across the capital this winter. If you’re too lazy to bother, Foodcloud and Jaypore will home deliver you some Jugmug!

 

Making the conventional chai ki dukaan, relevant again, Jugmug Thela serves up teas, coffees and homemade snacks. Till they set up shop, catch them at exhibitions around the capital, or order online.

 

Follow them on Facebook page, here.

Shop online, here.

BEST RESTAURANTS FOR AMAZING WEATHER! PART I

“Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.”
― Kim Hubbard

 

1. Indian Accent, Friends Colony - Generally the best restaurant in Delhi at any point of time but when the weather cools down the sunny patio is the perfect place to enjoy Chef Manish Mehrotra's culinary genius.

 

 

2. Market Café, Khan Market - This laid back terrace is where you want to catch a gentle breeze and a drink with a friend without worrying about the frenetic Diwali shopping going on in the market below.

 

3. Le Bistro Du Parc, Defence Colony - A perfectly pretty balcony suitable for romantic evenings and gossipy lunch dates.

 

 

4. Townhall, Khan Market - Bright and full of buzz, watch Khan Market's young and beautiful get their sushi fix on this spacious terrace.

 

 

 5. Café Lota, Pragati Maidan - Amazing food, an adorable craft store next door and a patio meant for breezy afternoons and pleasant evenings.

 

 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: MI FOOD CENTRE

For amazing kebabs. And that's all that matters.

 

I have a love hate relationship with Meharchand Market. I know the India we inhabit, the one with food blogs, holidays abroad and instagram accounts isn't the one everyone gets but nowhere is that more obvious than at Meharchand. Just a few years ago, the place was overrun by small tailoring units with a semi-slum in the back. The tailoring units are gone. The slum remains. Almost every store opened after I moved to this city and the poverty persists, side by side. Fancy cupcakeries with pretty glass doors that are smudged with the hand prints of street children looking in. Pretentious French restaurants with half naked babies sleeping unattended on the sidewalk in front covered with flies. You can stand on the doorstep of a foofy boutique and actually feel you have each foot on a different planet.  Every time I go back there are fewer tailors and more stores peddling Indian kitsch. The restaurant scene has also really taken off but I'm not fan. Elma's is bizarrely structured, Café 88 is pretty much a total bust, Chez Nini gets mixed reviews and after a bad first impression I haven't ventured back. The only place I liked was Bagel's Café which has now been replaced with something called "Tikka Town." In the middle of this blossoming identity crisis, MI Food Centre stands solid, watching fads fade in and out while serving out super kebabs.

 

 

Looks Like

Nobody here has the patience for frills or frippery - the place is clean and efficient without a single bit or bauble to distract you. This austerity extends to not having any seating space so either stand on the sidewalk or get your kebabs to go.

 

Tastes Like

A friend of mine recently had a facebook status that read "It's blasphemous to diet in Delhi, the city that makes the best aloo paranthas and butter chicken, the city that hosts Nathu's and Karim's." In addition to these temptations the average Delhi-ite must also resist the charms of, amongst others, all day happy hours, kebabs/ rolls, biryani and chole kulche which threaten every minute to destroy any attempt at restraint or dieting. It's no wonder I managed to pile on 10 kilograms within months of moving here.

What can I say about the kebabs, rolls and other meaty joy at MI Food Centre? The meat quality is breathtaking and the cooks clearly know what they're doing. Spiced, juicy, succulent (yes, succulent - what can I do I know the word is overused but it's apt here!) morsels of meat, there isn't a weak link in the menu because this isn't that kind of place. These guys aren't "trying," "experimenting," "having fun with flavors." This is real. This is proof that if you have quality ingredients and know, really intrinsically, deeply, experientially know how to cook them, you don't need gimmicks and logos. Hell you don't even need chairs.

Try the transcendental Mutton Seekh, the inspired Chicken Tikka (with butter - the butter makes this chicken butterier than the butteriest butter chicken you've ever tasted. I swear, don't skip the butter), the skillfully Roasted Chicken or the over the top Changezi Chicken with Khamiri Roti.

 

Feels Like

Standing on the street while hungry customers milled around me, this is one of the more memorable meals I've had in a while. As a food blogger I eat out all the time and I sometimes find myself becoming jaded. It was nice to go back to a place that focused solely on making good food. Clearly (and hearteningly) most people seem to concur, the establishment only opens up in the evenings and people flock there every day. The portions are generous and would make great party snacks.

I love my cafes and bistros but I can't help but feel relics like MI Food Centre, with only their food to speak for them, without slick PR teams and jazzy interiors need more of our love and attention.

 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: CAFE LOTA

For celebrating a great idea

 

It's been about a month and a half since I've witnessed pleasant weather in Delhi so when it rained recently I ran out of the door before the humidity had a chance to catch up. Airy, semi-open Café Lota is the perfect spot to enjoy a good weather day in the capital.

 

 

Looks Like

Refreshingly minimalistic, the space is demarcated by jute screens and houses little more than simple tables and chairs with the occasional terracotta knick knack. Set up outside the National Crafts Museum, the café is a favorite of design students doing research and lawyers who loiter after court. Adjoining the space is the charming museum gift shop. While the nets of jute offer playful peeks of sunlight during the winter, they can't hold off the blazing summer sun and so go only when the weather cooperates.

 

 

Tastes Like

I'd heard great things about Lota but wasn't prepared for how much individual character the menu has. Indian classics are reinterpreted in playful and unexpected ways - the dishes reminiscent of the inventiveness of Indian Accent at a tenth of the price.

I loved the Palak Patta Chaat (Crispy Spinach Leaves, Potatoes and Chick Peas topped with spiced Yoghurt and Chutneys). I was expecting a Papdi Chaat with spinach and was totally fascinated by the batter fried spinach leaves that paired perfectly with the cool yoghurt mix. Also amazing are the Mini Rava Idlis (Molgapodi), which is basically a dozen mini idlis tossed with pungent, orange molgapodi and served with coconut chutney. Highly recommended and a priority on my wishlist for my next visit is the Beetroot Chop with Cream Cheese.

 

The mains were impossibly hard to choose, all the options looked so good and I eventually settled on the Parsi Salli Boti (Boneless Goat in a Sweet and Sour Tomato based Gravy topped with Potato Straws). The curry was appropriately rich with a generous helping of crispy fried potato. Whilst usually served with parathas, I preferred pairing the curry with appam to add more tang to the otherwise mild Boti.

 

If you have a sweet tooth, don't skip dessert. I really liked (and my companion nearly passed out over) the Bhapa Doi Cheesecake (Sweetened Steamed Yoghurt on a Crunchy Biscuit Base topped with Almonds and Pistachios). If you're not up for a whole meal stop by for a Bel Sherbet or a cup of a single estate artisanal coffees or a sport of a single estate specialty tea.

 

 

Feels Like

 

In my head Café Lota is a cross between the laid back charm and prices of Gunpowder at its best and the whimsy and imagination of the food at Indian Accent. Considering the phenomenal success the café's enjoyed I hope the appropriate authorities get their act together and start equivalent cafés at the other lovely museums we have in Delhi.  

 

 

PRODUCT REVIEW: DIVIN-E-LICIOUS CUPCAKES

I'm a huge fan of the good work being done by the lovely sisters behind Divin-e-licious, Gayatri and Anushka Kakkar. They're an embodiment of my favorite modern fairy tale, both sisters fought off the siren song of filthy lucre to pursue their gourmand dreams and made a huge success of it. The princesses then lived happily ever after pursuing a lifetime of successful entrepreneurship.

 I'm not the biggest cupcake fan so I was really excited to hear they had decided to push the baking envelope and expand their menu to include a variety of mini jar cakes. Each eggless cake is baked into a little jar dripping in pearls and packed into a gorgeous floral box just in time for the festive season.

I tore through the classic chocolate, licked the jar of chocolate ganache clean and wept with joy over the red velvet. My personal favorite though was the chocolate nougat which made me feel like my mouth was surfing through waves of impossibly rich chocolate interspersed with perfect, little bursts of nougat-y crunch.

  

Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Divin.e.licious.cupcakes

Contact: 9811961572

PRODUCT REVIEW: I SAY ORGANIC

I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because they'll find an easy way to do it.

- Bill Gates

 

How cute is their van?

 

Trying to eat healthy often seems impossibly hard and I'm a very lazy person. Unfortunately my advancing age has made it obvious that I can't survive on a diet of just beer and cake. I try to order grilled chicken or fish when I'm eating out but I usually fail so the only option left is to try to eat as healthy as possible when I'm home.

From my conversations with nutritionists I understand the biggest problem with our diet is how little raw vegetables and fruits we're eating. The only way I can figure to add raw vegetables is to eat salads but ordering a salad at a restaurant makes for a pretty huge stomach bug risk in the summer/monsoon. Salad leaves aren't easily available in local markets and all of this makes I Say Organic a godsend - they have a wide range of organic produce, including fruits, vegetables, cereals and some miscellaneous seeds, honey etc. All of their products are organic and delivered straight to your doorstep. The website is super easy to navigate and you can either swipe your card or pay cash on delivery. My favorite feature is that you can choose the time slot you want delivery to be made - this way you can schedule exactly when you're home and want to get your groceries. Also, if you don't have any idea what to do with the vegetables you've ordered, check out their cute blog for healthy recipe ideas. You can order from their website (http://www.isayorganic.com/)

RESTAURANT REVIEW: AL BAKE, NEW FRIENDS COLONY MARKET

For the wackiest shawarma (and the honey chilli potato)

 

I don’t know of any other eatery that's so popular for just one dish. One singular snack is Al Bake’s hallmark. The Chicken Shawarma. Unlike other shawarmas the rolls here are slender, cut into tiny bites and made of a thin romali roti stuffed with spicy chicken mince. The unexpected accompaniment to this oddball interpretation of a shawarma is a generous dollop of creamy mayonnaise manufactured in-house. It doesn’t sound like much until you order it and realize you’ve inhaled a couple of rolls without bothering with niceties like chewing or breathing. These hot off the pan chicken parcels make for a satisfyingly soft, spicy bite. If you’re vegetarian, you can bask in the golden glory of Al Bake’s Honey Chilli Potatoes – crispy, sweet, spicy, and perfect. Forget Lays, and their idiotic new flavors, the phrase no one can eat just one fits Al Bake far better. They've got "Manchurian" and "Mughlai" on their menu but their hottest seller is the shawarma.

 

 

 The place has no décor – it’s just a bunch of tables and chairs which in itself isn’t a problem but NFC Market is filthy so I wouldn’t blame you if you just wanted to order these in. They don’t store very well though so make sure you get them in your mouth asap. This won't be hard.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: KERALA FOOD CHANNEL

For lazy Sundays

 

 

Delhi is accused of many things but diversity isn’t usually one of them. People seem to imagine us as a horde of muscle tees, swigging whisky and gorging on butter chicken. All of which I wholeheartedly endorse but we aren’t as predictable as that. Set aside the butter naan and check out some of the unexpectedly authentic (and delicious) Mallu food being served up in this city. The proof, as they say, is in the parotha.

 

LOOKS LIKE

 

Keeping the old guard of Mallu eateries like Kerala Hotel at INA Market and the unnamed joint in Gowtham Nagar, good company is the unassuming Kerala Food Channel. Nestled into a bylane of Kalkaji, the place only has 3 tables – the single page menu and service are equally fuss free. Since they don’t have air conditioning and these guys aren’t really into “decor” I wouldn’t blame you for just ordering in and eating in the cool comfort of your home.

 

TASTES LIKE 

The menu is a lovely single sheet offering dosa, uttapam and various curries. In the spirit of full disclosure I need to explain that I love short menus, life already involves making too many decisions for my taste without someone trying to paralyze at me at lunch with a menu that doubles as an encyclopedia of global cuisine. The portions are very generous and I doubt I could finish any one dish myself. I tried the chicken curry/ egg curry and set dosas - the curries are explosive, and appropriately paired with the faintly sour and yeasty slab of dosa. If you’re really hungry try the Kerala Meals which come with a shot of rasam, a bowlful of tart sambhar and a couple of vegetable dishes. Dedicated carnivores will want to order the off menu buff fry, the meat so rigorously and ruthlessly spiced and fried it’s almost too much to handle.

FEELS LIKE

Though so basic in terms of infrastructure, Kerala Food Channel is one of the few places I’ve eaten at recently without fear of picking up a stomach bug – each dish is scalding, straight off the stove and into your plate. To cool off after, get yourself a Chickoo Shake or freshly squeezed fruit juice at Chawla Juice and Shakes Corner next door. Order yourself the chicken curry and set dosa on a lazy Sunday when you can spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping off the effects of the fireworks that went off in your mouth.

 
 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: SMOKEHOUSE DELI, KHAN MARKET

For good food and pretty people

Delhi's indigenous restaurant chains make me quite proud. Big Chill, Mamagoto, Ritu Dalmia's Diva chain, Amici and of course the Smokehouse lot all consistently deliver quality food and distinct themes in very presentable settings. All of these have an outpost at Khan and I've recommended each of these places to friends and acquaintances numerous times. Smokehouse Deli, in particular, is a perfect fit for Khan Market and the crowds have been flocking in from the day they opened their pretty, painted doors.

Looks Like

Smokehouse Deli has spectacular interiors, Kriti Monga's much feted hand painted murals are endlessly charming. There are a lot of artist/designer types floating around in this city smoking weed and talking about projects they're never going to start or forget to complete. All of them need to learn from this very talented young woman who's doing phenomenal work.

Coming back to Smokehouse Deli, I love the quintessentially Delhi but very current motifs along with couplets and quirky symbols (including the Kamla sign on the ladies room door). A very, very stylish effort that never takes itself too seriously or tries too hard.

Tastes Like

The menu at Smokehouse Deli is full up with goodness but my favorites come from their all day breakfast menu. The Skillet Fried Chorizo and House Sausage are as the description would lead us to believe, a no holds barred meat and eggs fest. While nobody really needs more than that, there's the Smoked Salmon and Philly Omelet which will blow your mind with its pillowy eggs holding in an unfairly lavish quantity of cream cheese and chunks of salty salmon. If you can't eat breakfast food at all times of the day like I can then you can try their thin crust pizzas which are perfectly portioned for 2 people, I really like the whimsical "Inverted Hawaiian" (Ham, Chicken and Pineapple) and the very indulgent Pepperoni and Bacon. Amongst the pastas, my vote goes to the Boss Style Aglio Olio Pepperoncino Spaghetti with red onions, field mushrooms and your choice of meat. My friends swear by the John Dory with Smoked Shimla Chilli.

A meal at Smokehouse Deli is nicely rounded out. I appreciate the well put together bread basket (which they've sweetly replenished for me when I was starving and couldn't wait for my order to be brought in) and the fact that a cup of coffee comes with a couple of cookies. Small touches like that can really class a place up and it's heartening to see more and more restaurants in Delhi extending these tiny courtesies towards their patrons.

 

Smokehouse Deli also has an extensive cocktail menu and while I feel that the bartender is too heavy handed with the sugar syrup, if you can reign him in the Red Wine Sangria and the Smoked Melon Martini are worth trying.

Feels Like

I have it on good authority that Rahul Gandhi has eaten here. I can't promise RaGa will be there when you visit but you'll easily find a couple of characters from Delhi's pantheon of page 3 personalities. The tweezed and manicured mobs tend to swarm here in the evenings so I prefer to go during the day.

The staff is okay but can be slow and snarky.

 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: SAKLEY'S, GK I, M BLOCK MARKET

For the love of the hills

 

 

Sakley's is where I plan to spend the scorching Delhi summer. Unless I get leave in which case I'm going to make a dash to some actual mountains. If you are (as I suspect I will be) stuck on the plains, this tiny chunk of hilly heaven is the respite you need.

 

My trip to Sakley's followed a couple of fun new restaurants I'd just been to, including Diggin and the Colony Bistro in Kailash Colony Market. There's also a bunch of new places I've heard great things about but haven't gotten a chance to get to yet. All of which adds up to the promise of some exciting eating this summer!

 

 

Looks Like

 

If you (or anyone you know) is planning to open a restaurant, try to get the guys who put together Sakley's as designers. Whoever they are, they aren't just designers, they're magicians. I saw the giant hoarding for the mountain café from across the street in hectic GK I, M Block Market while ducking harried Punjabi aunties and street shopping college girls. Up two flights of stairs and I walked into an almost story book representation of a hillside lodge.

 

Thankfully, on the second floor you can't see the rest of the now totally unglamorous M Block Market. The giant windows have, as would be appropriate for an establishment in the hills, a view of tree tops. The (I'm guessing false) stone walls, fire place and ceiling covered with logs all add to the après ski ambience without ever feeling too weighed down.

 

I personally loved that there are a couple of books kept on each table and a few bookshelves dotting the place in case you want to pick out something else to read. The restaurant is funnily shaped so don't just sit at the first table you see, check out the small corner at the end if you'd like a little more privacy.

 

 

Tastes Like

 

Sometimes at restaurants with decors I really like I hesitate while ordering because if the food is crap all that prettiness goes down the crapper. Exhibit 1 in said category: Café 88, Meharchand Market. Sakley's is not going to be Exhibit 2.

 

 

The menu is a charming collection of unfussy classics that the mother branch in Nainital made its name selling to boarding school brats. There's a range of hearty generic continental including breakfast dishes, thin crust pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and burgers. The designing and sweet references to hill stations, well known boarding schools and Beatles songs makes the menu fun to flip through and keeps the usual pizza/pasta spiel fresh. I think my next order will be the Doon Valley Grilled Basa Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce, with a side of Matterhorn Jacket Potato with Cheddar Cheese and Jalapenos and a Norwegian Woods Cappuccino. A meal and a happy trek through the hills in my imagination.

 

 

The salad, the name of which I've unfortunately unforgotten was a star with the perfect salad leaves to strawberries to vinaigrette ratio. Proof that healthy options don't need to be drab or flavorless. I also loved the Six Pack Summer High Protein, Low Carb Egg White Omelette with Spinach, Tomato and Exotic Herbs but the deep flavor left me wondering who's six pack the eggs were referring to. I don't know the dish's nutritional details but each rich and buttery bite was perfectly cooked - one of the best omelettes I've had in a while. If you're not interested in half hearted calorie counting, I'm proud of you and I recommend you head straight for the Half Pounder Lamb Burger topped with Gherkins and Iceberg, a gargantuan but impossibly soft and satisfactory lamb patty, grilled gloriously to make a meat lover's day. Every mouthful an explosion well seasoned red meat and cheese.

 

 

The lemon iced tea was a little too sweet and the dessert selection insipid and uninspiring. But these are small quibbles, you can be sure I'm going to be back in Sakley's trying out more of their menu this summer.

 

Feels Like

 

The staff is pleasant and helpful as well as capable of making good recommendations. It gets quite busy at meal times but also makes a great place to relax away from the market mayhem.

 

RESTAURANT REVIEW: DHABA BY CLARIDGES, SAKET

 For when you want dhaba food without the ambience

 

I’m never surprised by North Indians who can’t get by without their daily dose of food from home. North Indian food, including of course the wham-bam culinary style of Mughlai, is the epitome of comfort food. It’s unfortunate this style of cooking isn’t globally applauded like the French and Nordic. The Dhaba by Claridges jumps headlong into this hardcore heartiness and almost every dish on the menu falls square in the middle of the holy trifecta of cream, meat and masala.

Looks Like

The Dhaba’s décor is a playful interpretation of the bright, kitschy dhaba/ truck art which frankly has outlived its charm. While the cutesy slogans and pop art motifs are tired and ubiquitous this is the kind of restaurant where they belong and this context makes the space bright. This is the Mamagoto school of design, young, funny and lively. Sit up on the faux truck if you can – it would also make for a great space to host a bollywood theme party.

 

Tastes Like

For a restaurant in a mall the food here is delightfully authentic. The Vegetarian Galouti Kebab is the culinary equivalent of chancing upon a unicorn. An absolute must try, even if you’re non-vegetarian and want to have the actual Galouti, just to see the depth of flavor and the richness imbued in vegetarian food at the hands of a skilled chef. This display of skill flashes again in the unabashedly flashy Mutton Tawa Masala and once again in the Mutton Seekh Kebabs, so soft they hold together just long enough for you to get them in your mouth. For the mains, don’t miss the almost too much to handle Baalti Meat, cheekily served in an adorable copper bucket.

It’s very unlikely you’re going to have room left for dessert and if you do I would recommend you go back and hit the list of kebabs again. If you must have something sweet, the Phirni is a cool and restrained way to end this binge of a meal. I really appreciate the Dhaba’s dedication to play to its strengths – the upscale dhaba theme is loyally carried from the décor and across the menu. This food is fireworks and excess and the chef is pulling each punch.

 

Connoisseurs will object to the shiny, cuteness of the place but the Dhaba is a great dining option for when you want to reward yourself for surviving Saket’s malls and also a perfect way to introduce Dilli ka khaana to tourists fearing Delhi belly.

Feels Like

Places like Mia Bella need to take notes on how the Dhaba is run. A tad twee for my taste but they deserve every compliment for knowing what they’re selling and selling it well. The service is helpful and breaks into choreographed dance periodically which I found adorable when I got over my initial surprise. The price is reasonable for the quantity and quality of food being served. If only they’d open up outside a mall.
 

 

Should you go: I say yes!

Vegetarian Options: Yes
Liquor License: Yes
Smoking Area: No
                          
Phone:011 30146033 Ext:879