Month: June 2016

KENNEDY’S

By Prakriti Bhat

West Delhi is full of culinary treats that often go unnoticed. When one talks of Street Food, the brain conjures images of Chaat, Momos, Kebabs, Chaap and what not! Areas like Chandni Chowk, Bengali Market and Connaught Place are more than often supposed to come up in such foodie daydreams. Going by ethnic geography, West Delhi has a majority of Punjabi population. Food is an integral part of their culture and every Delhite delights in the glory of Punjabi khana. Therefore, it comes as no shock that West Delhi has several street food joints, given the Punjabis’ love for food.

West Patel Nagar is not very popular when it comes to food, with hardly any options but Kennedys has definitely changed that. It is a paradise for all foodies out there and acts as a one stop shop for street food. The co-owner Mr. Piyush Kennedy told us the story behind the name. His grandfather, an admirer of J.F. Kennedy named his son after the great leader. It was then added as Mr. Piyush’s surname by his father and that’s how the shop got its name. They initially started as a Shawarma shop but the high demand for Chowmein in the neighbourhood made them add it to their menu. Since then there has been no looking back.

A trip to Kennedys is incomplete without ordering their dips. Each dip comes at an affordable price of Rs.10. The flavours range from Chipotle, Mustard, Mint Mayo to Tandoori Mayo and Salsa. Most of their dishes are given a twist by playing around with sauces and dips. Tandoori Shawarma was made by using Tandoori Mayo on one side of the roll. It wasn’t very great, but worth a try. Fusion Fried Momos were simply fried Momos topped with 4 kinds of dips like Plain Mayo, Mint Mayo and Salsa.

Chicken Orly is Kennedy’s take on the famous Fish n Chips. This one is made with chicken which is batter fried until a beautiful golden crisp texture is attained. No chips or fries are served alongside which is a major departure from the traditional fish n chips. Chilli Chicken Burger brings together American and Chinese cuisine in a mouthwatering combo. Chunks of chilli chicken are placed between the burger buns to give you a spicy and saucy treat. Another gem here is their Dahi Ke Sholay called Curd Bomb. A mixture of hung curd and a few chopped veggies is placed on a piece of bread and rolled in a Harvest Bread wrapper to give it the traditional shape. It truly is a bomb of goodness in your mouth.

The chicken combo comes with two types of chicken. One is chilli chicken while the other one is chilli chicken tossed in a creamy sauce. It is a tsunami of flavours and textures in your mouth as the chilli sauce and creamy sauce blend together in perfect harmony. The Creamy Chilli Chaap was disappointing. One of the characteristic features of a chaap is its melt-in-your-mouth texture. But here the chaap is fried which gives it a hard exterior. However, the sauce in which it is prepared is delicious. The Butter Chicken Pasta was definitely my favourite here. Loaded with buttery richness in every mouthful, this dish is a must try here. My only complaint is the lack of chicken shreds in the pasta; it’s too less.

Overall, Kennedy’s is a place that definitely deserves your time, money and tummy space. There is no seating area so if you are living in Patel Nagar, they have a home delivery service or you could just opt for a takeaway.

Address- B-1, West Patel Nagar

Cost for two- Rs.400

JORDAN FOOD FESTIVAL AT ZERZURA

By Prakriti Bhat

Delhi is an amalgamation of cultures. As a Delhite, I feel proud of the diversity we have and our acceptance of different cultures and traditions. This is quite evident from the wide variety of cuisines this city offers. From Japanese to African and European, the world is served to us on a platter, quite literally. Every food lover is on the lookout for new flavours and new cuisines. The ongoing Jordan Food Festival in Zerzura is sure to help one on such an expedition.

Zerzura is known to serve some lip smacking Middle Eastern delicacies. The ongoing Jordan Food Festival here focuses on bringing Jordan’s cuisine to the Indian palate. I was fortunate to be a part of their Bloggers Meet where I got to sample their dishes. The ambience is beautiful. Going by the lore, Zerzura was a mystical city, supposed to be located near Libya. A camel rider Hamid Keila is thought to be the first person whose experience of the ‘white city’ was recorded. While the city of Zerzura continues to remain sheathed in an envelope of mystery, this restaurant gives you a glimpse of the fascinating cuisine that might have been served there!

Jordanian Cuisine involves the recurrent use of a few key ingredients like dried yoghurt (jameed), lamb and olive oil. We began our meal with the Non-Veg Mezze Platter from the regular menu. The platter consisted of Hummus (chickpea based dip) with olive oil, Baba-ganoush (eggplant based dip) and Cacik (yoghurt based dip). Other items in the platter included Tabouleh (salad made with parsley, mint, onion and lime), Kibbeh, Chicken wings and lamb tarts. Each of the dips was brilliant, whether eaten separately or with Pita bread. I could not pick a favourite! The Chicken wings were quite succulent and well spiced. The little Ankara style lamb tarts are like a blessing to your taste buds. Properly baked, these were definitely one of my favourites. The vegetarian variant was equally delicious with cottage cheese as the filling.

The Lamb Kibbeh was so good that we ordered a separate platter of it. These are essentially Lamb cutlets made with minced meat; crunchy on the outside and soft from within. The Bedouin Pizza derives its name from a nomadic tribe found in the Arabian and Syrian deserts. Instead of Pizzas, they look like Quesadillas but are sealed from the curved edge. Spiced and ground lamb is used as a filling. This became another of my favourites. The non-veg Fatayar had a filling of minced lamb whereas the Vegetarian one had Spinach. The non vegetarian version was very dry as compared to the vegetarian one. Fatayar is to Arabs as Samosa is to Indians!

We started our main course with the national dish of Jordan, Mansaf. Jameed is dry yoghurt prepared with sheep or goat’s milk. This is used to make a broth in which the lamb is cooked and then served with rice. The dish is topped with nuts and caramelized onions. Traditionally, Mansaf was served in a big platter from which many people would eat together and thus it propagated a sense of community. Here, it came with a delectable gravy and braised eggplant. The flavor was very similar to the Kashmiri Yakhni. Another dish from the special menu was Maqluba which literally translates to “upside down”. Rice, lamb and vegetables are cooked in a small pot and served upside down on a plate. This was similar to our regular Biryani.

Zerzura disappoints with its drinks. The Jaffa Orange and Date Mojito failed to strike a balance between its ingredients and tasted extremely sour towards the end. The Cold Coffee was very basic, akin to what we make at home. From the special menu we were served Kanafeh as a dessert. The crust is made of fried vermicelli and the mascarpone cheese adds smoothness to this dessert which disintegrates instantly in your mouth. Thankfully, it is not too sweet. Baklava is one of the most popular Turkish desserts and is made with a layer of chopped nuts placed between two delicate and crisp layers of dough which is then baked. Honey is poured from top to soak the layers and make it soft. I found it to be too sweet for my liking though.

The festival is on till 30^th June. Don’t miss it!

Address- Qutab Hotel, Near Qatwariya Sarai Marg, Qutab Institutional Area

Cost for two- Rs. 3400

Contact No. – 01133106108