aka Om Routray
This is a really small place in the small town of Madikeri. It is run by a couple, we never saw the wife who cooks. Food for two including chicken, mutton, pork and a veg thali that had sambhar and rasam and a bean coconut fry was 360 rupees. The rice portions were massive, we returned a bowl and got a discount too. Now, all the three curries tasted different. The gravies had nothing similar. The pork was the most alien flavour – it was…Continue Reading “Hotel Folksy Food, Madikeri”
Okay, I don’t think I have been so wowed by a place lately, the last I can remember was Guppy. There were three of us, three hardcore, best of the world, eaten pluto out of planethood foodies. And, all three agreed on the same. Jom Jom Malay in Ansal Plaza is how those serious about food should go about their job. In the city of Priyank Sukhijas, there is someone who is sincere. The place is small, there is no fuss, staff is courteous and…Continue Reading “Jom Jom Malay – Malaysian food in Delhi”
On top of Nandi Hills, there is this government run restaurant. It has mixed reviews at best. It is really cheap and has brilliant views and most said it’s only the view that is good. But either my taste buds are bad or those guys are snooty. Let’s settle for them being snooty. The place is right at the top of the hill, in front of Nehru Nilaya. The food was cheap. It seems breakfast is served only on weekends and govt holidays, the menu…Continue Reading “Food at Hotel Maurya Pinetop, Nandi Hills”
Moradabadi biryani. As someone on twitter said when I posted one of these photos – there are more people selling moradabadi biryani in Delhi than there are people in Moradabad. Now, that is a little exaggerated, but just a little. Suddenly, there are so many of them in Delhi that it seems less like a trend and more like a conspiracy. Anyway, the distinct markers of a Moradabadi biryani are shah jeera, yellow chilli and lemon. I always had some confusion about saunf but that…Continue Reading “Moradabadi Biryani, Nizamuddin”
Town Hall. Khan Market. Lovely place, very good service and polite staff. The private room is a nice option if you have any celebrations or a large group. Food was good too. Our visit had only one issue and I won’t call this a minor error. The highly recommended rainbow sushi came with gari and wasabi as usual. The gari was not pink but that’s alright, the color does differ and it not a failing. The wasabi, though, had the texture of a paste and…Continue Reading “Town hall, Khan Market”
Lately, my outings to the well known restaurants have been less than satisfactory. Then, I see a post on a food group about Himachali food fest at a place we had not heard of. 500 buck per head at a place in Gurgaon we had never been to. Seemed worth exploring. Bamboos is located on a broken down road but that’s probably the only thing that was negative about the place. It has bright outdoor seating as well as a covered area to enjoy the…Continue Reading “Bamboos, Himachal Food, Gurgaon”
Reh. As the owner explained means spark or embers. Chingari in Hindi. The place is so small and hidden that without Zomato I would have never been able to find it. So, if you are a Zomato hater, you are just a mean angry person. Anyway, there was just one Kashmiri man at the counter and he had a chicken curry, rajma and yakhni. We ordered a rajma and a yakhni. Both came with half plates of rice that could feed three children. The rajma…Continue Reading “Reh – Kashmiri food in Dwarka”
This is where another place I loved used to be – Schengen. This is built on the grave of a lover and that antagonised me. But you enter and realise they have not done too badly. The lights have been turned on, the interior are a little bolder, the gravel from the open air seating is gone but the lanterns make up for it. And, they have an amazing menu. The mandatory north Indian section is there for those with a conservative palate but the…Continue Reading “Sanadige, Chanakyapuri”
Convenience. We should avoid that evil as much as we can. So, here I am, giving it up. Those who follow the blog would know that I have said not very flattering things about food from the state of Bihar. So, if one fine evening, I just say good things about the food, you may dig up an old post or tweet and see this guy has no consistency in opinion, he is just like the other sellouts. Anyway, a Bihari food specialty opened in…Continue Reading “Bhoj Puria, Dwarka Sector 22”
Recommendations are like any other currency. You send far too many out and they will be davlued. So, I am a little miserly when it comes to putting myself in the line of fire. But this one kind of dragged me out of the house. And, it is not a restaurant. I had written undiluted good things about Hachiba sometime back. The team has moved on and now does something that I know no one else does in the capital – community table on the…Continue Reading “Tasallibaqsh, Gurgaon”
Monday mornings are as they are. Talking about awesome food helps. If the food comes at a bargain, it works wonders. Most of you believe that Guppy by Ai and deal can’t be said togerther. But, surprisingly, a place where a meal for two costs four thousand, has a lunch set menu for around 1000 bucks and it is the awesomest thing in town. The best part of the sit down menu is that it is not a buffet, which would have been a disaster…Continue Reading “Set lunch menu, Guppy by Ai”
The only Evergreen I knew was in GK. And, I had been there once in half a lifetime. Parking was always an issue and I avoided the place. My only recurring brush with the outlet were the sweets that someone or the other brought over. The kaju katlis were supposedly too good. I didn’t find them extraordinary. Anyway, they have a bigger outlet in Dwarka which has ample parking, during the mornings or when it is too sunny for people to come out. So, I…Continue Reading “Evergreen, Dwarka”
If late at night, your guide car turns into a dark, dusty side lane in Gurgaon, you are probably in a gangster movie. If the car stops in front of a non-descript building with an ill-lit entrance with no one in sight, may be, you are the one that gets a bullet in the back. If you cut the over-imagination out, you may be at an interesting place that attracts people with word of mouth than billboards. Hachi ba is massive inside, must be seating…Continue Reading “Cafe Hachi Ba, Gurgaon”
That’s Japanese. Grilled food. Good to know Japanese learnt the use of fire. I was really getting tired of the sushis and sashimis. Anyway, Robatayaki originated in some fishing communities and was overwhelmingly about seafood. To my knowledge, in Delhi only places serve this – Akira Back and B Bar, Saket. B Bar just launched their Robatayaki menu with a fest that’s on till 30th September. Coming to the food, as is the case with such minimal cuisines, the meat is not marinated and is…Continue Reading “Robatayaki Festival, B Bar, Saket”
This is one of the strongest recommendations that I have made in a long time. I am not usually the order in types. No matter what the situation is, I believe either it is eating out or home cooked food. Anyway, I wanted to try this place so bad that I ordered in. The best thing about the place is they have starters, meals in bowls, Thai, Chinese and what not…all at affordable bachelors can eat on most days price range. Before I come to…Continue Reading “Happy Hakka, Lajpat Nagar 1”
I have been planning to go to this place for a year. Finally, a small detail made the place irresistible. Khushka – an item on the menu that’s just rice and butter. It is a UP dish with ghee that I have not seen on any other menu. Located in the DLF South Square mall, the place is done up like a dhaba. Straight back chairs with cushions, kitsch posters on the walls and a tractor in the front, Rang De Basanti does impress on…Continue Reading “Rang de basanti dhaba, Sarojini Nagar”
Yup, the impressive Park Baluchi used to be here. Now, there is The Project – a massive and impressive space right in the middle of the deer park. The best part of the restaurant, the outdoor seating – will have to wait till the monsoons or winters to see any occupancy. But the glass walled interiors are not that bad either. I was there for a bloggers table and was seated at the far end of the restaurants, overlooking the grazing deers. The interiors are…Continue Reading “The project, Deer Park, Hauz Khas Village”
Recently, there has been marginal rise in interest in regional cuisines. A small parsi starts doing well, a kashmiri place in Gurgaon draws crowds, South Indian means more than the dosas and idlis, Gujarati thali places run full houses, a quirky café that repackages regional dishes becomes chic. Bengali outlets in CR Park have always done well, so I will skip adding them to the list. All in all, it seemed a small tide was bringing in regional places to Delhi. So, I was really…Continue Reading “Mandaa, Hauz Khas Village”
I am one of those illicit, lecherous, non-committal men when it comes to restaurants, operating on the principle that why go back to one when there are so many out there. But when friends come visiting, I have inevitably taken them to The Toddy Shop for the Karimeen Pollichathu. Banana leaf wrapped pearl fish that you falls apart at the touch of the little finger. I had tried the dish first at the Palate Fest and have not stopped since. The only time I tried…Continue Reading “The Toddy Shop, Hauz Khas Village”
When we were young and parents would ask where to go for a dinner out, we will pick the farthest place. May be not just measured by distance, but nothing close, ever. Eating out meant going far, what’s the point of going out to eat to close to home. Now that age has caught up with me, I prefer places that are close, where I don’t have to drive etc etc. Though the name of this new place in the neighborhood is depressing, someone happened…Continue Reading “Relax Restaurant, Lajpat Nagar 1”