It was a Saturday morning & we were upto our customary ‘Earn ur breakfast’ – Walked 5.8 km to reach Asia Alive to enliven ourselves. Called up the Restaurant the night before & confirmed that it will b open in the morning. So we walked all the way excited to have Asian food for Breakfast – like at Sakura / Sen5es.
We were very disappointed to find Continental & Indian spread in place of an Asian spread for breakfast. In fact we were expecting live dimsum / congee / stir fry counters but ended up at a live Dosa counter!!!!!
The decor was obviously nice but nothing special to remember.
The staff members were very warm, attentive & efficient. They surely took care & contributed positively to our breakfast experience.
Food was very good in general that does not qualify for a ‘wow’ though. Loved the breakfast here – small spread, good ingredients, simple but good food without any twists / turns/ surprises. Sen5es Pullman Hotel breakfast spread beats this hands down on spread & the wow factor.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy readin:
Day 1 & Day 2: Simplicity, back to basics (Roots), a great idea, superb execution, unbelievable prices & excellent food are words that come to my mind while describing Roots café. Day 3 : Quite dissappointing & average food
It was a Saturday morning & we were upto our customary ‘Earn ur breakfast’ – Walked 4km & then renewed our energy at Roots Cafe situated in Renewable Energy park, leisure valley, Gurgaon.
Moong dal chilla @ Roots cafe
For many of us in Gurgaon, central air-conditioning, glass house buildings & high rises have become a part of existence. Lots of us have lost touch with the way we used to be in our childhood – simple fans / air coolers. Roots Café reconnects us to our roots with its basic but tastefully done décor in which almost no man-made materials have been used, the simplicity of its menu, partially open-air structure & the huge air coolers.
the interiors of Roots Cafe
The structure, as mentioned above, is of wood, bamboo & other natural materials. The roof is thatched. The furniture is all wood. The coasters are natural & so is the beautifully made cover of the menu card & the ‘cheque’ folder.
Furniture at Roots cafe
As mentioned above, there is no A/C but even in the heat of June the two mammoth non noisy air-coolers do a good job of keeping the place cool.
The all natural Menu card – only the lamination inside is plastic
Unlike in other places where the waiting staff gets the order, here u r supposed to write ur choice of food on a little ‘order slip’. Really liked this concept as that reduces chances of wrong ordering / wrong order interpretations.
A huge wall cabinet with an inbuilt refrigerator in the center
The waiting staff is very non-intrusive but well behaved & nice. Their product (the food that they serve) knowledge is good as well.
The urge & passion to serve tasty & good food (even though it is not gourmet food) is really commendable.
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One of the many micro-breweries – ‘Freshly brewed Beer’ places in Gurgaon that not only serves good beer but also beer cocktails & thankfully focuses on serving some excellent food as well.
Micro breweries are popping up every here & there in Gurgaon. It all started with Howzzat few years back in Galaxy Mall. While all of them serve 2-3 options of fresh unbottled beer, most of them serve really average food. My experience of food at Lemp has been very average – same for Downtown & of course for Rockman’s & Howzzat. Its different that post a couple of glasses of beer the tastebuds tend to numb & taste does not really matter at that time, but food is surely not the forte in most of these places – all of them have some good / popular / chatpata items but in general food is average to good – not outstanding / excellent.
A view of the bar area
Brauhaus is an exception. I was pleasantly surprised by the good food (I tried the German food section only) at this place & am willing to get back to try & ‘eat’ more stuff – a feeling that I have not got in other places so far.
The interiors are very good – high ceilings ensure that the place seems airy & non-claustrophobic. However, the seating area is quite cluttered. In fact the seats are so near that if the music stops, u might be able to catch a whisper from the table beside u. A part of the seating area has trees (with leaves) etc & u get the feel of sitting beneath the tree (without the threat of bird droppings).
The crowd was almost a 50:50 mix of Indians:Expats.
Music was good. I liked the little note-slips kept on the tables that looked like audio cassette covers – they were meant for music requests to the DJ.
Music request slips that look like audio cassette covers
The waiting staff who was in charge of our table was a very good guy & he positively contributed to us having a very good experience.
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This is a review of Breakfast at The All American Diner
In a nutshell:
A drop of water in the desert – that’s what this place was like, but take note, the water is surely not a mineral water like ‘Evian’ but it is pond water carried in leather bags on a camel back for maybe 2 days!!!! To top it all, its offering is not as unique as before.
The logo outside the restaurant
Address & other details:The All American Diner
Meal for 2:Rs. 500 onwards
the beautiful interiors at All American Diner
Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
The Restaurant is Better than some other similar options in Delhi (in terms of food) but surely not comparable to good American Breakfast joints in America. Infact, Restaurants in Delhi like Choko la Khan Market , L’ Opera Khan Market, Eggspectation Vasant Kunj etc which r not just American, serve better breakfast egg dishes.
interesting competition at All American Diner
The Price is Indian for sure. That’s one argument that the Restaurant might have, for serving sub-optimal taste – An American Breakfast for approx. US$4 per dish? – u don’t get that in US for sure.
The interiors r superb – Black & white tiles , lots of bright colors, a colourful jukebox, outstanding posters all over the wall – Automobile ads of the past, Marylin Monroe ads, Alcohol ads & food ads like ‘People eat People’s meat’ – refers to a brand of meat called People’s meat. Peppy retro music that played in the background was enjoyable too.
The Guy who planned out this place is a genius & I admire his/her attention to detail. However, I am surprised at how they have left out the shop management in the hands of a bunch of uninterested people.
Retro stuff inside the diner
Service is much worse than even the smallest of most roadside eateries I have visited of late – at least in Dhabas waiters smile, greet, do not usually forget to inform ur order to the kitchen & try to accomodate people in a rush hour.
bacon & eggs platter at All American Diner
You may skip the description of our experience of bad service (in italics) if u r in a hurry –
The experience here at AAD was a disaster – We reached the Restaurant at 9.15 am. As we entered, we saw loads of people waiting. The guy in Black tee shirt (all others wore White Tee shirts) & a notebook in his hand appeared before us after about 5 minutes – till then we were looking all around trying to figure out what was happening. Even in Saravana Bhawan, a security guard notes ur name as soon as u reach there. As we asked him to note our names for getting a table, he looked at us with a facial expression that clearly said ‘oh S**t, two more morons’. Leave about being excited about getting customers, he was actually pissed. The sentence that he spoke post this & the tone was even more shocking ‘ There is a waiting of 1 hour. Do u still want to wait?’. I was getting the feeling that I was in a Govt. run ration shop where every customer is looked at like a pest who has come to spoil the shopkeeper’s time.
interesting retro posters & pics all over the walls
We decided to wait & to sit on the high stools on a side. We asked the same guy to give us a menu card so that we cud order some shake / smoothie to beat our hunger (we travelled all the way from Gurgaon). ‘Sorry, we do not serve food on the high stools’. We said – ‘We r not asking for food but drinks. This is a Rs. 1000 note – now that u r assured we will not run away, pls get us the menu card.’ He reluctantly handed us two menu cards with disgust writ all over his face. We decided on 2 drinks & as we wanted to place the order. The guy walked in front of us 3 times pretending not even to see us – almost running away & consciously avoiding eye contact. Finally we had to actually hijack his attention by getting in his way to stop him to take the order. See how desperate become when someone plays around with their hunger!!!
We got the seats at around 10.00 am – that also after one waiting guy in white tee tried to tell us that our name was not listed in the waiting list & I challenged him to get back the notebook in which names were written. He came back, without the notebook & said ‘ ur seats r ready’!!!
Orders were placed at 10.00am as soon as we sat & at 10.15 the guy returned to us – ‘Sorry, I forgot to punch the order on the system. Can u pls repeat the order’!!!! I failed to understand how that is possible. We obliged & finally got the food at 10.35. I had no idea it cud be such a struggle to get a breakfast after paying for it!!!!
the bar area at All American Diner
I also noticed that while there were people waiting, there were few couples seeing pictures from a laptop, or another group just chatting & not really eating something!!! Try that in other high traffic Restaurants like Saravana Bhawan & see what happens.
The food is not bad but not great either. I guess the myth of All American diner stems from the fact that when it was launched, there were no good alternatives & this was probably the best choice in town. Its surely time to deconstruct the myth – how about this:
If the joint is so popular & has so much waiting, why not have some more Restaurants? Why not have some more space? Why have snobbish staff with disasterous body language? Where does that pride stem from? The waiting guys? …………………… Well, nothing lasts forever. If someone else opens up a similar joint in Delhi on a larger scale, this one will not take time to wither.
another view of the interiors
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
Outstanding Nihari, nalli & few other traditional Mughal food in a simple setting with warm people & fast service.
Super YUMM Nihari at Haji Sharbati Nihariwale
How to get there: Get into the lane perpendicular to Gate no. 1 of Jama Masjid. Keep walking till u reach a ‘y’ point. Take the road on the left – almost in the same direction as u were walking. U will an old gate to a Haveli on ur left. Walk into the gate & on ur left is Haji Shabrati Nihariwale.
Jama Masjid, Delhi
The smartest thing to do is to take a rickshaw from Chawri Bazar metro station & entrust him with all the above details. U shud be there in not much time.
Road perpendicular to Gate no. 1, Jama Masjid
Meal for 2:Rs. 150 onwards (see rate chart as of July 2012)
The menu card (hung on the wall) at Haji Shabrati Nihariwale
Timings: Summers – 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm (best time to go 7.00 to 8.00), Winters 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm. The shop is shut at all other times.
Cuisine Type:Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
In case eating out for u includes ‘ambience’ / ‘professional service’ as a must ,pls do not go here. If ‘eating = health food’ for u, I wud strongly advice u not to even think of going here. However, if u r a foodie & believe that there is only one life & we shud make the best out of it, u must give this a try. Ur tastebuds will thank u for taking them to Haji Sharbati. All u will maybe need to do is to increase ur dosage of cardio exercises the following week.
curry made with nalli (bone marrow)
The shop is very old & does not seem to have been renovated for years. Everything there seems to have stood the test of time. Even the signboard outside the shop had almost turned black due to the smoke of the ovens. There are elements that might look messy but no one really cares. People come, wait in queues, eat & go.
the facade of the shop – the signboard with the name has also faded / blackened out
As u stand outside the shop u see a huge Handi (metal cooking container) fixed to the oven with clay atop a platform that is almost 2.5 feet high & an elderly gentleman sitting besides it & serving the contents to eating plates. Behind him is a tandoor & a guy sitting there is constantly making tandoori rotis here.
The elderly gentleman sitting on the platform in front of the huge handi
The platform (with the tandoor) covers half the shop & the rest is the sitting area.
View of the platform from inside the shop
The furniture is as basic as it can get.
the simple seating area at Haji Sharbati Nihariwale
The guy who serves the food is just another Human being & his responses are exactly like that – unlike trained restaurant waiters who are smiling & polite even when yelled at. My smile & friendly behaviour ensured that he treated us like his personal guest & we really had a good time.
A view of the entrance from inside the shop
The food rules – This is one of the best Niharis I have had so far. The gravy beats the Karim’s one hands down. The meat at Karim’s is slightly better textured than at Haji Shabrati.
Detailed description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
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)
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:
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:
I was overwhelmed by Arab Food at Persian Room, Arizona , USA & was looking out for a good Arab meal in Delhi NCR. My friend mentioned this new Restaurant that has come up in Gurgaon & so we set out for it.
The restaurant is situated in Ninex Mall that still has serious footfall issues. As we walked into the mall, we noticed a welcome desk of FOA. The Guy had the menu card (that we had browsed on the net already) & walked us up to the lift.
Zaa’tar Chicken at FOA
The Restaurant had nice interiors, a bit too dark though but not bad. There were lamps on each table that not only illuminated the food but also gave a mystic feel. In fact, a great place to have a candlelight dinner. Seeing the darkness I was thinking that maybe I wud not b able to take good photographs – but nothing of that sort happened. Came up with quite good pics.
The Dining Hall
Beautiful plush sofas with abundant cushions contributed to the cozy setting of the dining tables. I noticed a uniform design of grill on all windows & separators – Typical Arab look. Also saw interesting decorative items on table tops.
Grill on the wall
There is an open air section as well – shud be great during Autumn & Spring. There are two party rooms as well that can be booked- a small one & a large one. We went to take a look & found those to be quite interesting.
In the background they played peppy Arab music as well.
The people were quite warm & knowledgeable. One thing was very irritating though – One guy is placed in the middle of the Dining room (see picture above) with the intent of attending to needs of guests. However, what he ends up doing is staring at the guests constantly. So every time u happen to look there, u might have an eye contact. I was getting the irritating feeling that I was being watched all the time – as if I was under house arrest. The intent is good but the training has been bad.
Open Shawarma at FOA
The Menu card is huge & has more than 10 pages. Lots of known & unknown food on offer. Good place for veggies as there are many options in all sections. There is seafood & fish on the menu as well. Fusion dishes are marked with a ‘*’ on the menu card. Authentic ones do not have ‘*’. I was told that the Restaurant is open since about 3 months ¤tly has no alcohol license – though expected soon.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
