This post is co – contributed by YUMMRAJ (Jan 2015), Guest Bloggers YUMMDOOT (June 2012) & updated Dec 2014 by Rakesh Kumar YUMMRAJ’s Post (Jan 15) – In a nutshell: Very good nihari, outstanding Kulcha & some great Biryani sum up this signboard -less eatery in a narrow lane of Lucknow. Address & other details: Rahims (this is correct Google map link) Meal for 2: Rs. 100 onwards Cuisine … Continue reading Rahim ki Nihari (Akbari Gate, Chowk Bazar, Lucknow)
The look & feel of the interiors of the restaurant is same as u wud come across in North America. The wooden sofa / chair seating, the beautiful red & white designed tabletops, the numerous funny & not so funny but smart posters on the wall & so on. For 4 – 6 diners there were sofas & there were plenty of table-chairs for couples. Loved the concept.
the red bright table-tops
One of the posters said ‘I want my baby back ribs’ but sadly those were not being served. I loved the buffalo wings wall post.
buffalo wings
However, unlike the Delhi & Gurgaon ones, most of the American ones are not in Malls but are standalone.
Trio filling for Fajitas – chicken, shrimps & tenderloin
The guys on service are very good, polite, warm & quite friendly as well.
The menu card was colorful & was full of excellent photographs of food.
the menu card
We decided to stick to ‘Mex’ (Mexican) & our friend & Guest Blogger Neha decided to try ‘Tex’ (Food from Texas, USA) as well.
Prawn Jambalaya
We liked the food & wud surely get back. Not at par with the stand-alone Tex Mex restaurants in Southern part of USA but quite good on its own – given that its a restaurant chain.
Huge 3D poster on the wall
Good alternate to TGIF which is quite good itself.
mixed grilled meats & shrimp
Pricing here is quite interesting – Food is quite cheap but drinks are just the opposite. e.g. A trio fajita (read details below)that can fill up 2 people for an evening snack is for Rs. 400 whereas a margarita is for Rs. 350. So u pay Rs. 700 for 2 drinks & only Rs. 400 for a meal that totally fills u up!!!!
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
This is a part of the series ……. For the Chef in u Contributed by YUMMRAJ’s favourite Chef ANONYMOUS Super easy to make & Super good to eat…………… Whats interesting about this absurdly easy cooking is it takes 15 minutes to prepare & 5 minutes to cook. First time cooks / early teenagers can also make this delightfully YUMM dish & surprise all. The taste … Continue reading Boiled eggs Scrambled (Unda Chaat)
Famous for its rolls that I found to be expensive & good but not upto the expectations, this tiny takeaway place also sells some good biryanis, kababs & curries.
Kolkata has come up with some innovative permutations & combinations in kathi rolls (generally called rolls) over the last decade or so. What started as a basic egg roll, has now I guess 20+ combos like double egg roll (made with 2 eggs), double egg chicken roll (2 eggs & 1 portion chicken), double egg double mutton roll ( 2 eggs, 2 portions mutton) , paneer roll (no egg & 1 portion of paneer )etc …..just to name a few. So most places selling roll wud have a long rate chart that wud list prices of these. While going thru the rate card at Zeeshan , Park Circus, I noticed they sell bheja roll (goat brain roll), bheja egg roll etc as well. Fish being a bong favourite, has also rolled into rolls of late.
As of today none of those rolls cost more than Rs. 60 (the 2+2 combos), including Nizam’s Kolkata. Nizam’s Gurgaon however charges Rs. 160 for a double egg double chicken roll which is surely high by any standards. I am a person who comfortably parts with huge amounts of money on food if the food is that good – but this seemed more to me as well. However, we decided to order expecting that at least our tastebuds wud rejoice after eating roll from the legendary Nizam’s.
We also ordered Mutton Burrah Kabab as that is a dish which clearly demarcates the great Mughlai chefs from the Good, ordinary & bad Chefs.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
Interesting Korean Fast food place with outstanding service, some great food & some confused ones.
The logo
Address & Other Details: Tomato
Meal for 2: Rs. 800 onwards
Assorted cutlets @ Tomato Restaurant
Cuisine Type: Predominantly Nonvegetarian with some vegetarian options
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
Came to know of this place post shopping at Spencer’s Hypermart the other day. The Korean lady who is either the Owner or the Manager of the Tomato Restaurant was herself distributing pamplets outside the Spencer’s Retail shop. It being unusual, caught our attention & we decided to try out this new Korean Joint run by Korean Nationals.
The Restaurant turned out to be a standard Mall shop in this almost shop-less Mall. By shop-less I mean most shops are unsold / unoccupied. The Glass façade of the Restaurant was covered with a huge poster of the food available in the Restaurant with names of Dishes written both in English & Korean. One can read this standing on the mall walkway without even entering the Restaurant.
pictorial menu card on the facade
The interiors are nice but not overdone.They have a very simple touch & feel.
interiors of the restaurant
The Korean Lady herself came to welcome us with a traditional bow. We were shown a place to sit & soon after along with the menu card came a 1 litre bottle of Korean cold tea (on the house) & 2 empty glasses. The several interactions with the lady & her team-members were a mix of verbal exchange & sign language.
Korean cold tea served on ‘tomato’ table mat
The Place was filled with superb aroma of koraean food. The foodie in me jumped out in joy at the prospect of some imaginary YUMM food. I soon realized that this cud b counter-productive as well for vegetarian guests / those not used to Far Eastern food smells.
The Menu card had pictures of some of the dishes. The corresponding no. of the item in the menu card was mentioned alongside the picture. The pics & text were same as in the huge menu on the outside glass wall of the restaurant.
the 2 page menu card
Soon enough we noticed that except us every other diner were Korean & so were all members of the host team. This seemed to be quite exciting as it showed us a hope of authentic Korean food.
There are three kinds of food available in this restaurant – cutlets, spaghetti & Korean soups & noodles. I had no idea that Cutlets are part of Korean cuisine. A call to my Indian friend who happens to visit Korea frequently answered my question – Cutlet is not a Korean dish.
Cutlet section , Spaghetti section – seemed to be fusion kind & Korean food section
A ‘must not miss’ Dum Biryani experience in Lucknow
the wow ‘Idris ki Biryani’
Cuisine type: Nonvegetarian
Meal for 2:Rs. 100 onwards
The school besides which the biryani shop is located
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
My 5th visit to my in-laws’s place in Lucknow was very different than all the previous ones. Unlike in the past, I decided to go &savour the culinary surprises of Lucknow & I stumbled upon an unexpected partner – my father in law. His eyes lit as soon as I shared my plans & he offered to accompany me to a list of eateries I was carrying with me.
extra colored sheermal @ Idris ki Biryani
What surprised me wholly about eateries in lucknow was the fact that most of the places didn’t have even a rudimentary sign board. I mean one would expect those ‘lucknow ke mashhoor’ kind of stuff written but even that is not common here. But, yeah, everybody seems to know about these eateries, everybody loves them and so they authenticate/vouch for these as well.
mutton being cooked
We then headed to the chowk around 6.30 in the evening where our local kadardaan Mr Sayeed Khan was waiting for our company. He was a gentle soul with a ‘laheza’ tone so eminent in Lucknow . This man was Around 60’s & was one of my Father in law’s friend – he had a superb knowledge of the place and food since he has resided here for many many years.
The shop / shack of Idris ki Biryani is around 30-40 years old & can be termed as the latest hot-shot in the area of Top culinary excellence it Lucknow. The claim to fame is coverage in several electronic & print media.
The area at the entrance of the shop looked like an old shack with coal tandoor on one side and huge patilas with curry lying all around on the floor. It actually reminded me of makeshift kitchens that u see in Marriages.
near the entrance of Idris ki Biryani
The kebabs were being made literally on a huge griddle on an oven on the road –to be precise, on a coal pit dug out into the floor.
the kababs being made
The eating area had around 4-5 tables which were jam-packed with people sitting on‘tea stall’ style benches. I noticed the floor below the eating area – it was jet black & even after looking at it for some time, I could not understand whether it was kutcha or pukka.
the eating area – where u share a table with people whom u have perhaps never met.
Everybody including my companions were eating biryani with their hands. I raised my hand & habitually asked for a spoon. Soon I realized that to enjoy the mutton biryani in to the core, one has to better leave the spoon and dive in with one’s hand.
Needless to say that the Biryani was made in the Traditional Lucknowi Dum system – slow cooking over a long period of time.
Detailed description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
Hot & spicy mutton sheekh kabab at Jammu & Kashmir House
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
The Restaurant is the canteen of Jammu & Kashmir House in Chanakyapuri. Unlike some other states – Assam Bhawan (Jakoi), Odisha Niwas (Dalma) etc, who have let private bodies manage their Canteen professionally, the Canteen at J & K House is still run by the State Government. Food is made based on the occupancy of the Rooms upstairs + some extra for guests like us. The menu varies according to availability of ingredients & also from day to day – to offer some variety to the ‘long stay’ guests.
The Dining hall is small but has very nice & expensive, heavy, pure wood furniture & even the walls have wooden panels that are seen in posh Kashmiri Restaurants / Showrooms. The airconditioning works excellent & was good enough to keep the room chilled while outside it was 42 degrees.
Woodwork on the walls of Canteen at Jammu & Kashmir House
The guy serving us was surely not professionally trained, did not wear gloves, did not shave, did not have a uniform on nor did he wear shoes – he had slippers on. For me none of that made a difference & what overwhelmed us was the fact that he always had a smile on his face, said ‘sab accha hai (all items r good) ’ when asked for suggestions on the menu & made us feel at home. In fact he treated us as if we were guests at his home. With him it was more a human to another human interaction instead of a customer – waiter relationship that u come across in professionally run setups.
Mutton Roganjosh at Jammu & Kashmir House, Chanakyapuri
So I guess that u have already guessed that there is no printed menu card. Infact there is no blackboard on which the ‘menu of the day’ is written with chalk. The menu is rattled out by the guy serving u.
On the day of our visit, the menu was daal, pumpkin curry, chicken curry, mutton roganjosh & mutton sheekh kabab. I asked ‘what about haaq (a splendid Kashmiri saag preparation) , Gushtaba & Rishta?’ He said ‘We do not have haaq today, we make it at times though. Gushtaba or Rishta is made on special occasions when more guests are expected or can be made on order for a group of 8 – 10 people. Just call a day in advance & ask for it.’ For the uninitiated, Gushtaba & Rishta are Kashmiri meatball curries – one red in color & the other white in color.
The guy also clarified that the meat balls are made in the traditional way – the meat is hand pounded with spices & not on the machine. That made my eyes to glow & my mouth to salivate.
chicken curry @ Jammu & Kashmir Bhawan
We settled for the kabab, chicken curry & mutton roganjosh………………… & we did not regret at all. Interestingly, 3 nonvegetarian dishes + rice costed us Rs. 350 for 2 people in Delhi!! Quite a steal.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
A tiny but masterfully done ‘hole in the wall’ Full service Restaurant that serves ‘just OK to good’ Arabic food at a moderate price.
Arabica
Address & Other details: Arabica
Meal for 2: Rs 250 onwards
The beautiful interiors at Arabica
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
At the entrance to this super tiny restaurant, is an Industrial Shawarma machine from where customers choosing ‘takeaway’ option can buy their food. There is only one machine & it being Gurgaon, the only meat on roast is chicken.
As we entered the Restaurant on a hot summer day, we were welcomed by the chilled air-conditioning inside & also by a warm welcome smile by the lone server at the place. The seating capacity at this place was looked to be approx. 15. The furniture was all made of pristine white colored cane, beautiful ‘Arabic – look’ pictures adorned the walls & interesting things e.g. traditional hookahs, jars, vessels, traditional lampshades added to the beautiful decor.
beautiful lampshades at Arabica
The walls were made to look like those inside typical dwellings in the Desert – as if roughly coated with mud & painted white. Little boxy shelves were also made on the wall – exactly the way u see in those desert dwellings.
the walls & decoration of Arabica
I must say that the owners of this Restaurant had come across a superb interior decorator / designer who optimized this tiny space into a ‘wow’ ambience Restaurant.
inside Arabica
However, I only wish they cud hire a chef of such High Calibre.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
A unique weekend poolside cafe serving tasty Gluten free food, with different themed buffets almost every Saturday round the year.
Cafe Amaltas
Address & other details:Cafe Amaltas (DDA Swimming Pool Complex, Green Avenue, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi)
Map of cafe amaltas – click on it to enlarge
Meal for 2: Rs. 800 (usually its a buffet @Rs 400 per person for adults, lesser for kids)
CuisineType: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian (keeps changing every week)
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
When I heard about the cafe & the line ‘gluten free food’, I had no idea what Gluten free food was all about. So resorted to our friend Wiki & in short this is what it said – A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as “dextrin”. A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease,the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis and wheat allergy.
So it sounded like quite a good thought to me – To serve great food to anyone who thinks that living gluten free is deprivation. People who have certain ailments have certain dietary restrictions (Gluten free food in this case) & this Café aims at serving Gluten Free diets that are not only tasty but are also different every time u go there!!!! The Cafe also serves food to people with many other kind of food intolerances or allergies – after discussing & booking a table on telephone.
The Restaurant operates a little differently – they send out invitations to an evergrowing list of people for each event. They work out some theme every time and take the suggestions also, suppose someone wants to go for some specific cuisine. It’s an open house kind of thing – this gives them an opportunity for free interaction and to connect with people. They encourage food enthusiasts also, like if somebody wants to try their culinary skills, he/she can be a guest chef or a pop up chef at the Café.
Café Amaltas claims to be ‘Delhi’s First 100% Gluten-free Restaurant’. Café Amaltas tries to incorporate seasonal & natural whole foods in its menus & the themes are done as per seasons & festivities.e.g. Mango festival in summers, Bangla Ranna before Durga Pujo, Navratra food during Navratras & so on (Links to many of these very diverse but interesting menus are given at the bottom of this post).
After reading about all that, we decided to pay a visit to see how my tastebuddies have to say about the food here.
The Restaurant / eatery is a partly open air area besides DDA swimming pool. It has basic furniture & buffet food is laid on simple tables in front of the Open Kitchen. The set up is not like a restaurant & we felt like we were visiting a friend’s place. Inspite of there being no A/C, we did not feel the heat maybe coz it was evening & also maybe coz it was besides a pool.
A view of the Dining hall
The food was made & served piping hot – infact not everything in the buffet was laid out at once. The dishes were coming in one by one straight from the kadhai. The owner himself was present all the while in the Kitchen & I cud see him supervising the staff & also walking into the dining area at times, welcoming regulars,greeting newcomers& explaining the concept of the café. There was an unparalleled personal touch in the place without being intrusive at the same time.
Loved the food – fresh, interesting, tasty & good. I wud not say that the items in the menu were the best I have ever had in a Restaurant, but they were surely good & some were excellent. Infact it felt more like a YUMM dinner at a friend’s place than a Restaurant – the food tasted more ‘home cooked’ than the usual ‘commercial cooked’ versions.
There was a small counter at the cafe in a corner where Gluten free flour etc were being sold.
. Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:
Apologize in the beginning for not having YUMM food snaps as u see in all posts on http://www.yummraj.com. There was a ‘no photography’ policy at this restaurant. I was told by another foodie friend that this policy cud b exempted for us if I wud have said I was a food blogger. But that is precisely what I hate doing. If I tell I am a food blogger, I might get a lot of extra attention which an average diner wud not get. As mentioned in ‘about’, I believe in dining like any normal diner & passing on the feedback to u in my posts so that it is as unbiased as possible.
This Restaurant is inside Culture Gully, the food court cum shopping area of the Kingdom of Dreams. One has to buy tickets for Rs. 750 (pls check exact amount as it keeps changing) per person & can spend the same on anything from food to decoratives. If u are not able to spend the full Rs. 750, a part of the balance is returned.
The Restaurant is very beautifully done – traditional Green & white decor with outstanding intricate designs in everything from the walls to the pillars to the furniture, right up to the cutlery. The look & feel is like a Nawabi Court of the Olden days.
The center of the pillared hall is devoted to the Qawwals who sing throughout the evening. They are ‘theth’ as in as ‘rustic’ as one can get – not the polished Bollywood inspired Qawwals that we come across these days. If u dislike Qawwalis or Sufi music, u might be irritated but for a Qawwali fan like me, it was an excellent experience.
The waiters are Old School – They are knowledgeable, smile less, are not smooth talkers & the types u come across old restaurants that have been around for say 50 years.
The food has been good & we had always liked the Awadhi Dum Biryani on all occasions sans the last. Kababs are good as well.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
