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Chinese Restaurants |
Most Chinese restaurants in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida give their Chinese chefs a weekly off on Tuesdays or Thursdays. The way it works is that the Singaporeans and Cantonese chefs are off on Tuesdays and the Beijingers on Thursdays. In other words, if you are planning a visit to a restaurant that has a chef from China, plan the day you visit or call them in advance to find out.
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Khao Suey |
It's a meal in a bowl that originally came from Myanmar, but is also found in North Thailand's province of Chiang Mai. It's a soup, noodles, chicken, coconut sauce and vegetables all in one. The Burmese one contains powdered dal in addition, because it is always considered a main meal. The most popular versions are served in Oriental Octopus Noida (the Habitat Centre branch is open to members only) and The Kitchen in Khan Market. Asia7 (Gurgaon's Ambience Mall and Clarion Hotel, Kathwaria Sarai) also does this filling dish.
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Croissants |
All is not gold that glitters: all are not croissants that are crescent shaped. NO domestic airline serves the real McCoy. How to tell if it is the genuine article or not? Simple. Just cut it in half. It should have rolls of cooked dough with large air pockets in between. If it looks like bread, it's not a croissant. If it is very oily, no matter: it just means that it is not well made. If it is free of melted butter, leaves a zillion crumbs all over your mouth and clothes and tastes like angels' clouds, it is the real deal. The French (who invented croissants after all) use a special butter that has less fat, just for making perfect croissants.
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Karachi halwa and other across the border ingredients |
When we speak of Kasuri methi, we are perhaps not aware that Kasur is actually the name of a place in Pakistan where methi grows best. When we talk of Karachi halwa, we are referring to a type of gelatinous sweet that may or may not have had its origin across the border and when we use Multani mitti on our face in the beauty parlour, we pay unconscious obeisance to the mud of Multan (that is actually a type that occurs in hills in parts of India too). Two brothers who don't speak to each other, except through food. And other objects. Rather charming, I think.
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Olive oil |
There is a lot of confusion regarding olive oil that is imported from the Mediterranean countries. First of all, the nomenclature. Either it is extra virgin olive oil, or just olive oil or pomace. Pomace is no better or no worse than groundnut or refined, so the Indian importers, in order to make it look good to the public, claim that it is "pure" olive oil. Oh yeah? Well, let me tell you that there's no such thing. Neither is "light" or "lite" olive oil any recognized grading. Just buy extra virgin. Sure, it's a little more expensive than the others, but the health benefits are undeniable, it tastes a whole lot better and you don't have to use it exclusively: nutritionists tell us that it's best to have several types of oil on your kitchen counter: sesame for South Indian food, mustard oil, refined AND olive oil. And make that last one extra virgin olive oil.
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Inexpensive wine in South Delhi |
Last night I was in Flavors eating a rather mediocre dinner. The memorable thing was that almost all the tables around me were drinking Prosecco. They were not ordering it by the glass either, but by the bottle. The waiter confirmed that they sell a couple of hundred bottles of Prosecco every month, and the reason is the price: Rs 1,550 per bottle! For Italian made sparkling wine, which is served in a champagne bucket and popped at your table. A glass of drinkable Italian Rose is Rs 275. Flavors is in the throes of yet another bout of renovation, so don't go looking for comfortable chairs, restaurant lighting (study table lights glare into your eyes) or the simple, rustic fare that made it so famous a decade ago. Instead, do go there when you want subsistence level food and lots and lots of very inexpensive wine indeed. And that's not a bad deal at all.
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Lassi |
Foreigners hate the concept of a cold drink that is salty rather than sweet, but there's no knocking our very own desi cold drink on a hot summer's day. No doctor or nutritionist will have anything to say against it, unlike their rants against Coca Cola etc. As a general rule, the best lassi across North India is available in those states where dairy farming is important. That includes Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjaband Haryana. The best places to get lassi? At a mithai shop. They do have to do SOMETHING with all that milk, don't they? When I think of lassi, I think of the little place on MI Road, Jaipur. Thick, rich, creamy, high on calories, but you do need some antidote to all that sweat, don't you? Amritsar is the country's capital of lassi. Whether you go to the old city immediately surrounding the Golden Temple or to Lawrence Road's mithai shops, you are assured of the real McCoy.
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Lal Maas in Jaipur |
For the number of tourists that visit it, Jaipur has distressing few good restaurants. Most of the heritage lodges, guest houses and hotels that exist, cater to their own room guests, and because most of their guests are westerners, any number of culinary crimes are committed because foreigners are trusted "not to know better". The only accessible place that does a good rendition of lal maas is Handi, the open air restaurant on MI Road that you get to through a corridor. It's not fancy, and it is not the best place for a first date: Rajput men tend to congregate here after a hard night drinking, so though their behaviour is impeccable, it doesn't really set the tone for moonlight and roses. Prices are cheap at Handi and the cooking is authentic (their claim to fame is their tandoori items) but if you really want a one of a kind meal, go to AD 1135, a little known restaurant inside Amber Fort. No, you don't necessarily have to buy a ticket because you can access the fort from the back. You can take your vehicle to a certain height, and then you have to walk up a steep but short ramp, past the Kali Temple. There are no signages, and if you are really stuck, you can call the manager Amit Arora 9829037170 for a car to the restaurant from your hotel (for a price). AD 1135 is a palace lookalike made a few years ago. The Rajasthani food is some of the best in its kind. Ignore the "western" food. Price: RS 2,500 per head, and worth every penny
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Great Pizza |
One place that does a phenomenal pizza in a central, easily accessible location in South Delhi is Ca Va, Def Col market. The crust is pleasantly crisp and the oodles of cheese that is slathered atop it makes it almost sinful. It is priced at Rs 345 (that's the quattro formaggi pizza). Sadly, Flavors' pizza is steadily going downhill. The Big Chill (I always go to the first floor branch in Khan Market) is as good as it ever was. Some things don't change. Fortunately.
My vote for the greatest pizza in the entire country would have to be the one in the Namgyal Cafe, Dharamshala. It's inside the Tsuglag Khang, the complex where the Dalai Lama lives. It's all vegetarian out of respect for the residence of His Holiness and it is madly atmospheric. Service in the tiny cafe is not a strong point, but the pizza does not come better than this: the crisp base and the melting topping fuse together in a perfect marriage, so that you don't know where the topping ends and where the crust begins!
The best pizza I've ever had in my life would probably be Rosso Pomodoro or Red Tomato in Rome. It is a pizza chain with several branches. The owner is reportedly a footballer who hails from Naples which is the home of the pizza. Their pizzas are not thin crust: far from it. But then, they are light years away from being the bready American version. Rosso Pomodoro gives tough competition to little Namgyal Cafe. Incidentally, Richard Gere visits often, being a friend of the owner!
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South Indian food in the NCR |
Amaranta in The Oberoi Gurgaon is not a South Indian restaurant: it's a coastal one, but their best chefs are from Andhra Pradesh and Central Kerala (where Syrian Christians come from) so that's where to head for fabulous seafood, pork and tenderloin from these two states.
Gunpowder is owned by the maverick Sashi Warrier who is in the kitchen all throughout operation hours (lunch and dinner, closed Mondays, up three VERY steep flights of steps, no lift; call for a reservation). It overlooks Hauz Khas - or the 13th century structures built in that era, so the food and the view both vie for your attention. Don't underestimate his podis: just one of those, an appam or two and some great sesame oil, cold pressed, is a great authentic meal that is really cheap, but Sashi won't thank you for blocking a whole table to spend Rs 200! (There ARE only 10 tables in Gunpowder).
My personal favourite is Spice Water Trail. It's not just seafood, like Amaranta, but unlike Amaranta, is all authentic, just like grandma makes, all the way. Kootu Paratha, Lobster Fry, Meen Moillee, even the vegetarian offerings that nobody else bothers to do correctly are raised to an art form here.
Zambar is more mass market, but to do them credit, they've never lowered their standards for a minute, in spite of being located in malls (Ambience Gurgaon and Vasant Kunj). Sagar Ratna is what all of us in Delhi knew as "South Indian food" while we were growing up. It's no more South Indian than my left toe, having been tweaked over and over again to our palate, but it's popular. Its big brother Swagath (only in Janpath Hotel and Def Col market) is head and shoulders above Sagar. It's not "South Indian" as we understand the term, but coastal Karnataka or Gomantak. Crabs, oysters, mussels, clams in flamingly spicy masalas tempered with coconut are great here, but don't overlook Chicken Ghee Roast.It may or may not be on the menu, but do ask them for it, along with a box of tissues. You'll need it.
Poppadom is a serious eatery in Ambawatta Complex. The food is of a particular community of Andhra Pradesh - the Rajus of the east coast. Sadly the owner has tried to gussy up the interiors with the perfume of lemon grass and the music of a night club, so you feel a bit schizophrenic, but the food is as authentic as if you were sitting in a shack on the beach of Vishakapatnam.
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Burgers |
Don't think that burgers are something to be taken lightly. They're serious food. Beware the restaurant that slaves over foie gras but leaves burgers to whoever's manning the kitchen that shift!
My choice for best burger is 1911 at The Imperial. The tenderloin patty can actually be made rare if you make your request known. They grill it over a real charcoal fire, so you can actually taste the carbon flavour in the scorch marks on the patty. (You can also get mutton and chicken patties, but if your religion is a great burger, mutton and chicken - or vegetable for that matter - just don't count). They put a small amount of sweated onion rings in the burger, to contrast nicely with the meat. Then there's tomato rings and mayo along with shredded iceberg lettuce. Burgers don't come better than that.
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Easy dining - world cuisine |
Consider YWCA Kitchen for your next evening out. No parking hassles, close to CP (down Sansad Marg/Parliament Street) easy prices, non pretentious, eclectic menu, most items new to Delhi: mac and cheese NEVER makes it to a restaurant menu, does it? There's a gooey Bhutanese cheese sauce dish with chillies called Ema Datsi, there's an outstanding Sungat Diya Misa Maas or prawns and coconut in a bamboo shoot flavoured with raw mustard oil. Don't miss the Chikoo Mousse in this homely little cocoon.
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Best Dining area in Delhi/Mumbai |
In Delhi, you can't go wrong with Khan Market, the Saket malls or the Vasant Kunj malls. Just walk into one or the other area and you have a vast choice of dining, cafes or snack bars. In Mumbai what works for me is the road leading to the Gateway of India: The Table, Le Pain Quotidien, Indigo Deli, Busaba - take your pick. There's a vast choice. The other place is the mill area in Lower Parel. There's everything from Movenpick Ice Cream to Gajalee!
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Delhi's worst pizza |
If you really want to punish yourself and/or a guest, head to India Grill, Hilton Garden Inn and order a pizza. The pizza menu looked a little too liberal: quattro formaggi had fried garlic and spinach on it, in addition to four cheeses. How can anyone take such liberties with a classic? I asked for the topping to be served to me without the spinach and garlic and I was punished with a cardboard-like pizza base and a miniscule amount of cheese on it. It hardly matters WHAT four cheeses they promised: it didn't taste like anything at all. For upwards of Rs 500 it is a complete rip-off. Beware!
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Great Old Delhi food in West Delhi |
West of Karol Bagh, every flavour that you'll find is Punjabi, pure and simple. One of the few exceptions to the rule is Zune, Hilton in Vikaspuri. It is called Zune after the Kashmiri word for moon: zoon. The decor is vaguely Kashmiri, but that's not where the talent in the kitchen lies. It's the Muslim food of Old Delhi that is the best thing on the menu. Bhurra meat - shredded lamb seasoned with spices, Salim raan - leg of lamb that actually melts in your mouth with a drop of extra flavourful gravy... I haven't tried the Punjabi section of the menu, but sadly the Kashmiri stuff falls woefully short. Best of all is the ghazal group. With four players including two singers, they have great voices and the crowd goes wild asking for favourite songs! Travelling time apart (It's one and a half hour from my house) I would go there regularly!
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Great hang out place in Hauz Khas Village |
If you're visiting Delhi or just want to hang out for several hours, do consider Flipside Cafe in Hauz Khas Village. Like all places there, this one isn't very well marked, but that doesn't seem to deter regulars, who include backpackers from the western world, and expats who have made Delhi their home. I was the only Indian in the cafe for the two hours I was there! Service is predicated to laidback westerners and would infuriate Delhiites. There are no waiters - you go and order at the counter, and pick up your order from there. You want water? Get up and get it. The food consists of so-so crepes and pizza wedges (that I did not try). The desserts are displayed in the counter and are of the "mom makes great cakes" variety rather than Wengers or the Oberoi! Bring your laptop here and pretend you're in Manali or Goa, depending on the weather outside!
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South Indian flavours at down to earth prices |
Ever since it opened its doors, I have loved Spice Water Trail. The no-fuss, gracious interiors with the vaguely Carnatic music serves the food of all four southern states. It does all of it brilliantly, but special mention has to be made of the Kerala section. Their tenderloin chilli fry is an art form, as is their Kerala fish curry. What is specially noteworthy is that whether you are eating meats, seafood or pure vegetarian, you will get a great meal with plenty of choices. Kuzhi paniharam like in a Chettinad wedding, cocktail idlis napped in a milagu podi, pumpkin elisseri, neer dosa, appams - it's a great restaurant that does not dumb down the flavours of the South!
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