Category: Delhi

Delhi, India, Indian, kashmiri

Jammu & Kashmir House (Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi )

Read about our experience at Jammu & kashmir run JKTDC here – JKTDC

Food in kashmir – food

In a nutshell:

Good Kashmiri & other North Indian food served by home-like friendly staff in a well maintained a/c dining hall at prices that surprise.

Address & other Details: Jammu & Kashmir House

Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards

Cuisine Type: SomeVegetarian & predominantly Nonvegetarian

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.

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Afghani, Asian Cuisine, Delhi, India

Kabul Delhi Restaurant (E104, Ground Floor, Lajpatnagar 2, Near Central Market, New Delhi)

In a nutshell:

If u r a nonvegetarian  living in Delhi & haven’t yet been to this place, u have surely missed something.

Kabul Delhi Restaurant

Address & Other details: Kabul Delhi Restaurant

Address & phone numbers

Meal for 2: Rs. 400 onwards

Kabuli Uzbegi – Outstanding Mutton pulao with raisins & carrot

Cuisine Type : Predominantly nonvegetarian but also have vegetarian options.

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

I had read somewhere about food from Afghanisthan – ‘Where the people are tough but the meats are tender’. Never knew I wud get such a hands on experience of Afghan food sitting in Dilli!!!

We started off from home with friends to eat at an Iranian Roadside joint in Lajpatnagar, Delhi. On reaching the place we found out that the shop had closed down 2 months back!!!! Bewildered, we were discussing an alternate place to have a rustic dinner & it was then that a Good Samaritan suggested – Why don’t u try out the Afghani Shops in the road besides the Bata shop?

Cover of the menu card

‘Afghani’food is something that rang a bell – We had earlier quite liked the food at Afghan Durbar, Saket. So we started off towards the new destination. On entering the said road we first came across Afghan Durbar (I guess it is the same Chain – same look). A few steps away was Kabul Delhi Superstore – A full Kabuli Grocery store. Just above it was Kabul Delhi Restaurant & we decided to walk in.

Afghani Grocery store run by the same people

All guests other than us were Afghani – We felt like we were in Kabul!!!!! There were restaurant seating as well as the ‘bed’ kind of sitting. The basement floor also had the ‘bed’ kind of seating.

Afghani decorative pieces on the wall

A huge poster of Camel fight formed the backdrop of the ground floor of the restaurant. Photographs of Kabul, Kabuli decorative pieces & inscriptions on metal adorned the other walls.

The Dining hall with picture of Afghan Camel fight in the backdrop

The guy who came to serve us food, was shy, always had a smiling face & quite smart. We asked for kababs – He said ‘that will take 40 minutes. Do u have time?’ We said – ‘Pls serve us the rest of the dishes & while we eat, the kababs will be ready’. He agreed readily.

Mutton Qorma Afhani style

Food was mindblowing good. The kababs were bursting out with taste & flavour. The pulao was way better than the one at Afghan Durbar & the meat in the pulao was softer than the softest mutton I have ever had in my whole life!!!! The mutton Korma was outstanding again. For Afghani dessert however we had to go to another joint 10 minutes walk away.

Colorful menu card with prices

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:

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Bakery & Breakfast, Continental Cuisine, Delhi, European, Gurgaon, India

L’ Opera (Galleria Market, besides Citibank ATM, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon, Khan Market Delhi, 2nd Floor, DLF Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, Ravissant, New Friends Colony)

In a nutshell:A cool new French Patisserie & Boulangerie (Bakery) in Gurgaon – At last there is a Bakery where u eat & think ‘this is exactly what I have eaten in Europe / US’, in terms of the flavor, feel, taste, texture & everything else associated with a yummilicious experience.

The signboard on the facade

Address & other details: L’ Opera

Every large ‘Party Cake’ also has a smaller version

Meal for 2: Rs. 400 onwards

Colorful macarons on front window

Cuisine Type : Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

The Quiche section

Short Description- In case u r in a hurry:

This little French Bakery Chain has 6 branches in Delhi as of now. They have a french Chef who has surely brought around a point of difference in the Bakery options in Delhi NCR. We have always been to the khan Market one & were pleasantly surprised to see a new store open up in Gurgaon.One of those six shops is inside the French Consulate in Delhi as well & another is inside DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon.

Croissant Section

The stores in Khan Market & Galleria have similar layout – A beautiful ’glass & wood’ shop window in which large decorated cakes share the space with super colorful macarons & a tiny ‘Eiffel Tower’. The large cakes have smaller versions inside the shop as well.

Store window

As u enter the shop, u get a huge Glass display Counter for all items. There r different sections for cakes, tarts, croissants, sandwiches & other baked items. A section of the wall has huge display of different kinds of breads & sandwiches.

Breads section in L’Opera

The Seating area is little & in the back-end of the shop. It has high stool seating around tables & I am sure u wud struggle for space in peak hours. The interiors overall are very tastefully done & have a nice Classic bakery feel.

The interiors of L’Opera

Super Loved our breakfast here & all those things that we got packed post the breakfast.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:

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Assamese, Delhi, India, Indian

Jakoi (1 Sardar Patel Marg, Assam Bhawan,Crossing of Kautilya Marg & Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi)

 In a nutshell:

Exceeded expectations when it came to eating superb subtle Assamese food in the land of strong flavors & taste – Delhi.

Near the entrance of the Restaurant

Address & other details: Jakoi

Meal for 2: Rs. 700 onwards

traditional setting in open air sitting area

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

The Assam Bhawan Canteen is managed by Jakoi, a restaurant Chain in Assam. The eatery has a nice & warm traditional look & feel to it. U can choose to sit indoors or outdoors. The outdoor seating is quite interesting conceptually – large hand painted metal trunks form a table & people sit around them on cane chairs.

hand painted metal trunks serve as tables.

Traditional bamboo products like fishing hats, fishing nets (jakoi) etc are displayed all over. In the indoor section, there are displays of traditional Mekhla Cloth, silk worms & a lot of interesting things.

Traditional fishing instrument Jakoi & other things on display

The menu card looks like a Jakoi. There are options of set menus as well as ala carte. Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian options are available. Assamese names of all dishes were printed. On the table there was a small ‘special menu’ which was just Assamese words written in English Script……….

Menu card that looks like Jakoi (2D of course)

……….& that is what sparked off a debate. We had heard about a pepper called Bhut Jalokia which is hot but in a different way than Chilly. So we wanted to have a preparation with that. In our conversation with the staff, neither of us understood each other & we got what we did not order. After a tiny debate, the Manager came in & changed the dish to what we wanted. This could have been avoided if the additional menu wud also have had an English Translation.

beautiful traditional decoration inside

Food is subtle & not ‘on the face’. Flavors r enjoyable.  We loved the thali so much last time that we again went for the thali. We were pleasantly surprised to find that all of the dishes in the set menu were good.

parampara thali at Jakoi

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

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bengali, Delhi, India, Indian

Bijoli Grill (Dilli Haat, opposite INA Market & Banga Bhawan, Delhi)

In a nutshell: A pretty good option for those missing good Bengali food in Delhi / those who want to try out Bengali food without spending much. Good but not the best for connoisseurs. Meal for 2: Rs. 250 onwards Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian Description: Fish fry was excellent – Flaky & juicy fish within, flavors of Dhania & very crisp crumb outer layer. … Continue reading Bijoli Grill (Dilli Haat, opposite INA Market & Banga Bhawan, Delhi)

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American, Continental Cuisine, Delhi, India

Hard Rock Cafe, (DLF Place Mall, Saket, Delhi)

In a nutshell:

Pretty Good food with Very Good Drinks & Excellent Music.

massive guitar outside DLF place saket – night view

Address & other details: Hard Rock Cafe

Mammoth Guitar in daytime

Meal for 2: Rs. 750 onwards (without alcohol)

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

inside the ‘cafe’

Short Description – in case u r in a hurry:

If u reach this place before 9pm, u almost get treated like u have been to a restaurant. Post that, depending on the day of the week, occasions, live shows etc, the place converts from a restaurant to a disc ……………. U can see the transformation if u hang around for 2 -3 hours.

Music is loud but peppy, enjoyable & nice usually.

The menu is the same as any other Hard Rock Cafe in any other country. There r ‘India special’ dishes too. The serving staff is good & the Manager comes at least once to check if everything is fine. The food is mainly American stuff with some tid bits thrown in from around the world. The food tastes much above average – I call it ‘good’ to ‘very good’, nothing I ever ate here was below expectations – but not many of these dishes fall into the category of ‘outstanding’.

Cocktails r really good – Every time we have been there, the cocktail suggested by the serving person was usually the best – as compared to others that we ordered.

the cocktail that we liked the most last time we went to HRC

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

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Delhi, India, Indian, north Indian snacks (street food)

Jalebiwala (Chandni Chowk, between Gurdwara Sheeshganj & Red Fort)

Meal for 2: Rs. 60 onwards (Rs. 30 per piece) Cuisine Type: Vegetarian These r super large & fat jalebis that taste very good – very different from rest of the places – A bit salty & a lot sweet. In this shop, jalebis r fried whole day & most of the time u need to wait there to get ur share of the pie … Continue reading Jalebiwala (Chandni Chowk, between Gurdwara Sheeshganj & Red Fort)

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Delhi, India, Indian, Mughlai

Karims (opp Jama Masjid, Delhi, also in Gurgaon, Noida)

In a nutshell:

A restaurant that has lived 98 years, Karim’s offers some extraordinary dishes & many more ‘mellowed-down’ good dishes. My taste buddies thank me every time I take them to Karim’s

Address & other details: Karim’s

Karim’s at Gali Kababian, Opp Jama Masjid, Delhi

Meal for 2: Rs. 300 onwards

Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

If u r looking for white Gloved service , very polite waiters , an excellent ambience & very healthy food, do not even think of going to Karim’s. But if u r willing to give less importance to all these & rather want to pamper ur tastebuds, this is the place to be.

Kurry at Karims

Mutton Burra kabab is drooling good & the mutton seekh kabab is unique, juicy, spicy, soft & the best. Like the oily gravy of mutton istew & also the egg stuffed with minced goat. Love the Nihari & paya that is served in the morning.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

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Delhi, Gurgaon, India, Korean, YUMMRAJ & Guest Blogger

Gung the palace (bikanerwala parking, Gurgaon & also at Hauz Khas Delhi)

Contributed By carnivorous  YUMMRAJ for nonvegetarian &  herbivorous Guest Blogger  Krishna Dorai  for Vegetarian

In a nutshell:

Ur tastebuds will thank u for taking them to this place …… only if u have started to appreciate the tastes & flavors of the Far East.

Gung the Palace

Address & contact details – Google map – Gung the palace

the accompaniments that come ‘on the house’ with anything that u order at Gung

Cuisine Type : Non vegetarian & Vegetarian.

nice decoration at the entrance

Dinner for 2 : Rs. 1500 (without beverages)

Short Description:

At the face of it the dishes sound expensive – Rs. 600 to 1000 but when they r served, u realize there are around 6-8 different, exciting, cool & tasty accompaniments. The tastes, flavors & the whole experience in this place is memorable. We went for the mixed meat grill & to our pleasant surprise, a live grill trolley was brought to our table & we were served the food straight from the grill ……….. awesome.

Detailed Description – In case u have time to read & enjoy:

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Delhi, Gurgaon, India, north Indian snacks (street food)

Go Chhatz – Chhat & North Indian Snacks stalls in many malls & food courts

In a nutshell:

Lots of Tasty & Hygenic Quick bites – Very Good for a short food refill but none of these r the ‘best in Town’.

Go Chhatz shop at Galleria market, Gurgaon

Address & other details Go Chhatz

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian

Meal for 2: Rs. 80 onwards

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

Street food & Hygeine are no more oxymorons as Go Chhatz serves tasty North Indian Street food. However, must mention that none of the food in the menu wud qualify for ‘best in town’ but they r surely good on their own. Papri poppers , Dahi gappas, Papri chaat, gol gappas, papri chaat, samosa cocktail are some of the show stoppers here. I found Desi nachos to be outstandingly chatpata. Kalakhatta breezer for a drink is super col too.

Detailed Description: If u have the time to read & enjoy:

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