In a nutshell: From Excellent kababs , average to good North Indian curries, warm & efficient service to good ambience & nice décor – I guess it has all the ingredients of being able to successfully since 1959 . Address & other details: Havemore (Click on the link to access google map. Once you reach the market, u cannot miss the restaurant. Meal for 2: Rs. … Continue reading Havemore (11-12, Pandara Road Market, New Delhi)
In a nutshell: Not ‘the best I have ever had’ but quite good & close to the original thing – I guess as good as it can get in Gurgaon for kathi rolls. Rest – I’ve had better. Address & other details: Near Canara Bank, beside Super Bakery,Galleria Market. On the stretch between Citibank ATM & Post Office. Meal for 2: Rs. 300 onwards Cuisine type … Continue reading Calcutta’s Chef (Beside Super Bakery, Galleria Market, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon)
In a nutshell: A new North Indian & Mughlai food joint that serves traditional as well as innovative dishes , no nonsense grunge look interiors that stands out, polite but abysmally uninformed staff, well planned menu but still suffering from executional glitches that wud surely need constant quality control & monitoring by the Chef. A place to watch out for…………… Address & other details: Bhatti … Continue reading Bhatti Kabab Company (102/103, First Floor, Cross Point Mall, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon)
In a nutshell: Traditional Mughlai food restaurant type of eatery with general section, AC sections & also a ‘sit on the floor & eat’ section, marvellous Hyderabadi Biryani that is surely better than the famed Paradise & some other good food. Address & other details: Shadab Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards. Cuisine type : Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by … Continue reading Shadab (21, High Court Road, near Charminar, Hyderabad)
In a nutshell: A super tiny neat & clean restaurant with a see thru kitchen that serves a whole list of Indian regional food (more North Indian options) that is good to taste but not necessarily authentic & surely not the ‘best I have had so far’ kind. Considering this to be a neighbourhood shop, it surely scores way above most neighbourhood shops of that … Continue reading Maal Gaadi (GF 147, Sushant Vyapar Kendra, Phase 1, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon)
In a nutshell – A super YUMM ‘bhar pet’ Mughal cuisine lunch for Rs. 247 for 3 people in Delhi, with few dishes much better than the famed Big Boys of Mughal Cuisine like Jawahar or Karims. Address & other details: Pahalwan Dhaba is the second shop to the entrance of the Dargah of Sufi Saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Best way to reach here is … Continue reading Pahalwan Dhaba (near the entrance of Dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Mehrauli , Delhi)
In a nutshell: Surely serves better curries than the legendary Karims, almost as good Kababs as Karims & some ordinary food that might not leave a mark. Situated in a small two storeyed setup where nothing seems to have changed in decades. Address & other details: Enter the road perpendicular to Jama Masjid Gate no. 1, first shop is Al Jawahar, next is the lane … Continue reading Old Jawahar (Opposite Jama Masjid, Gate no. 1, beside Karim’s, Old Delhi)
In a nutshell:
A cafe that is perfect for getting together & enjoying a adda amidst a very good ambience & some excellent food
Address & other details: Cafe’ The’
Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards
Cuisine type: Vegetarian & non vegetarian
Background:
The Bengali’s love affair with tea started in the 1800s when the British started mass producing it in India. Tea stalls sprung up over time all over & so did the ‘cabins’. Famous among many were Anandi Cabin, Basanta cabin etc which wud typically serve tea with Anglo Bengali snacks. For a good section of the middle income group, these cabins were equivalent to fine dining places that they wud visit on occasions.
Bengali cuisine of today has many British influences like batter fried fish, orly, chops, cutlets, fries , kabiraji, dimer devil etc. By the way, Kabiraji is the Bengalification of the English word ‘Coverage’ since the fish / chicken is deep fried after covering it with whipped egg. ‘Dimer Devil’ is the Bengali version of ‘Devilled Egg.’ It is called ‘Devilled’ coz the original yolk of the egg is replaced by minced meat / potato filling.
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
Cafe’ The’ menu card describes it as ‘the favourite place to meet & eat for artists & poets, musicians & singers, writers , thinkers, lovers, young & not so young’. It is also mentioned that the ‘cha & chop’ (beverage & snack) menu is inspired by the Cabins that dotted North Calcutta.
Apart from that there r ‘not too many restaurants serve this in Kolkata’ items like Welsh rarebit, Escalope of Chicken Milanese, fish pie, eggs Benedict etc.
The place is ideal for adda (a Bengali word for nonstop chat on a vast range of unrelated topics) & get togethers with friends & family. The ambience is very good & colourful without being jarring.
The waiting staff are attentive, warm, knowledgeable but not intrusive.
We loved this place so much that we walked in for a second time in a span of two days. We were lucky to eat the food served here during a Bangladeshi food festival named ‘Festive Platter from the Kitchens of Erstwhile Nawabs of Dhaka’. Also tried the regular fare. Super liked the food.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy Reading:
In a nutshell:
A super duper single menu joint that is just a hole in the wall shop but serves some excellent kababs.
Address & other details: Alight at Central metro station (towards Poddar Court end). U come across a statue of Maharana Pratap on ur left if u r facing Girish Park. Once in front of the statue, take the road to the right (if u r facing the statue). Take first right turn from there & go straight. The shop is on the left near Haji Allauddin Sweet shop.
Meal for 2: Rs. 80 onwards
Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian
Description:
Many years back, I was floored by the sutli kabab here.
For the uninitiated, Sutli kabab is made by wrapping a paste of meat & spices around a metal sheekh, tying it with a cotton thread & then doing it on a barbeque pit. Once the kabab is done, the thread is removed & the kabab is served.
The sutli kabab I had then was unbelievably soft, spicy, hot, awesomely tasty & was just out of the world. I thought it to be the best in its category then. Earlier this year I had a similar thing at Babu Bhai Kababwale, Chilti Qabar, purani Dilli. I was very impressed but I thought that Adam’s was better.
Back then Adam’s Kabab name was not written anywhere. The elderly guy at the shop used to sit on the floor. This time we found a young guy with earphones manning the shop, sitting on a high cement slab with Adam’s kabab written. In case u r wondering about the name Adam, it refers to the first human being according to Islam who is also considered the first prophet.
YUMMRAJ Demystifies the Legend of Shiraz
In a nutshell:
A long History of excellence, sadly struggling to keep up with its earlier Glory – A lunch here left us with a cold feeling & also food that was surely lower than expectations.
Address & other details: Shiraz Golden
Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & predominantly Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
Shiraz as a name rings a bell with Most Calcuttans (since the Days when Kolkata was Calcutta). I have had many good experiences in the past here like many others. Over the years I have seen a decline & had stopped going here & insead to the newly opened Arsalan. Similar experiences cud b heard from others as well. This time around I made it a point to revisit Shiraz & check it out myself…………….
There are two restaurants at Park Street Mullickbazar area. One is a few shops away from the other. The newer one is closer to the crossing & the older one is a few shops away. The newer one is swankier as well. We decided to go to the Old one.
The old restaurant has a non airconditioned ground floor & an airconditioned first floor. Furniture, look & ambience of the first floor is much upgraded as compared to the ground floor. The look at first floor was that of an old Eightees restaurant. Cubicles made with set of sofas facing each other. Lighting was dim.
The staff of this place need a special mention. Some of them seem to walk out of a 70’s movie. They have been in the same job of waiting tables for decades, have got bored enough & that shows on their face every moment, appear at the tables like robots without any facial expression & at times frown if too many questions are asked. The uniform has quite a ‘Nawabi Khansama’ look. The relatively younger Manager who I guess was the only person in suit, was also quite serious faced. He was continuing to speak to me in English even though I was speaking in Bengali. It was then that I did what I do best – mentally poke. I striked a conversation on ‘what is popular her / what is legendary her, I have come from far to eat here/ what is ‘mash-hoor’ (famous) here etc & within 3 -4 sentences each, the customer – server barrier fell apart. We were talking to each other as two human beings & the interaction was excellent since then for the rest of our stay.
The food is surely very good in isolation but as compared to others, this one takes a beating – Straight away from Arsalan Park Circus & surely from Aafreen, Metiabruz. We were unlucky to get stale meat in one of the dishes, very happy to get a replacement after we reported the same & even more disappointed when the replacement turned out to b stale as well.
However, inspite of that, people throng to this place in thousands, more due to emotional reasons than pure culinary ones.
Continue reading “Shiraz Golden (Park Circus – Mullickbazar Crossing, Kolkata)”
