Posted on

DARBHAGA FOOD TOUR

 

Situated in the heart of Bihar’s Mithilanchal region, Darbhanga is one of the oldest and heritage rich cities of this north Indian state. Due to the presence of numerous architectural marvels and glorious heritage of arts and music, it is often referred to as the cultural capital of Bihar. This historical city whose prosperity was at the zenith during the rule of Raj Darbhanga, is also renowned for fishes, foxnut, paan and mangoes cultivation. We were there for a day to explore the most popular food. So let’s see what all we ate during this day long food tour. 

We began from Manoj tea stall opposite Bandhan bank. The reticent Manoj Ji had placed a big pot of ghugni on a small table outside the stall. It was served along with either littis or bhunja. We went for the bhunja ghugni combo. It was crisp, spicy, tangy and flavourful. This was followed by a delightful cup of special tea from the same place, which had a little coffee added to it. 

Piyaji Pakoda

Then we walked down the main road and reached Mirzapur to eat at Sardaar Pakodewala. Situated near Gurunanak Singh Sabha Gurdwara, this popular snack point actually doesn’t have a proper name. Here we met the affable and warm Gurmeet ji who spoke about their shop and their signature dish, the pyaji pakoda. It is a unique fritter made with one large onion that was first cut like a blooming lotus flower, then sprinkled with spices and double fried. They served it with chole and chutney. The sweetness and sharpness of the onion complemented the crisp, deep fried besan coating. 

Lassi

 

After that unique pakoda, we reached this amusing place outside of which it was written Hum Lassi Yahin Peete hain. The huge sofas placed inside made it appear like a furniture shop but the lassi counter outside affirmed its actual identity. Those sofas were the part of the fancy seating arrangements inside the shop. So we grabbed a glass of hand churned lassi and went inside to enjoy it slowly. It was rich, creamy and luscious. The topping grainy khoya added to it’s opulence. 

Fish Platter

 

Then we strolled down the adjacent vegetable market, the Kela mandi to reach Suraj Meat House This nondescript eatery is one of the city’s most popular non veg destinations. Darbhanga being a land of fishes, the menu here is dominated by fish dishes. Here we polished off some parboiled rice with rewa fry, sighi curry, jhinga masala and mutton curry. The food was mundane yet memorable. More than the affordable and delicious menu, it was Suraj Ji’s warm and hospitable persona that was a crowd puller.

As we headed further in search of more flavours, we spotted an old man selling Balushahi. This traditional sweet native to Runni Saiyadpur in Sitamarhi Bihar was a syrup laden, cooked ball of chena. Ram kishore Ji, the vendor procures it daily from the above mentioned place and sells it over here at Barabazar. 

Chote Samose

We then took a paan break and moved on to try small samosas from the famous Jagdish Samosewale near Poonam Cinema Hall. But since the place was closed, we had it from Ravi Kumar Samose Wala. The bite sized samosa served with kadhi and onions made for a hearty snack. Ravi ji was such a humble soul who spoke about his journey in brief. 

Sev Nimki

From there we reached station road to check out an old snack shop named Sri Chakradhari Bhojanalaya, whose dalmoth, sev and nimki were a favourite at Anubhav’ maternal grandparents house. But unfortunately we realized that its glory has drastically faded and now it is barely surviving with limited fares. 

Chena Jalebi

 

With a deep sense of longing we took an auto ride to our last destination Sweet Home Sweet shop Laheriasarai. At this Bengali shop we tried orange, raskadam and chhena jalebi. We also visited their sweet making facility. 

This was a gratifying tour where not only did we stuff ourselves with tasty food but also garnered some lovely inspirations from the vendors. 

Posted on

GAYA FOOD TOUR

 

The ancient holy city of Gaya in Bihar, referred to as the land of enlightenment and salvation, is a sacred place for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain devotees alike. Mostly frequented by a large number of tourists and pilgrims, Bihar’s second largest city, boasts of a vibrant street food scenario dominated by traditional fares that are loved by the locals too. So let’s take you on an immersive food tour of Gaya. 

Mahabodhi Temple

 

Before starting with our eating spree we first visited the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, one of the major Buddhist worship sites in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the place where Lord Buddha had attained Enlightenment. The sprawling premises were full of monks and devotees from different parts of the world who have arrived here to seek divine blessings.

Rice Noodles

On emerging from the temple complex, we noticed a few food stalls and vendors, primarily selling Tibetan fares. Here we bought some fresh phaley bread from one of the numerous ladies selling it on the roadside, headed to Three Dolma Noodles Shop and ordered some hearty rice noodles. It was fun eating the noodles in the company of a group of monks visiting from Southern India. The phaley bread went well with tea and as well as the rice noodles soup broth. 

Bihari Thali

Soon we then set out for Gaya and on reaching there we first offered our prayers at the famous Vishnupada temple and then began our food tour. The first stop was Rajasthani Bhojnalaya on South Church Road. As the name suggests their menu was a mix of popular Rajasthani and Bihari fares. Their no onion garlic Bihari thali containing rice, karela aloo fry, aloo rajma, dal, kadhi pakoda, spinach moong, dahi, matar paneer, makhuni etc. impressed us with its homely taste and affordability. Of these, the ghee smeared makhuni i.e sattu stuffed baked flatbread was brilliant. 

Paneer Palak Chaat

The second destination was Kesari Chaat, a family run chat centre at Dr. Haridas Chatterjee Road, Durga Bari. Their spicy, tangy and flavourful palak paneer chaat is the talk of the town. It is a well balanced pot pourri of paneer pakoda, palak sooji pakoda, chole, curd and chutneys, sev etc. This was followed by an equally brilliant aloo malpua, a syrup lagen dessert made with potatoes. 

 

While heading to the next stop, we stopped by an open tea stall at Tower Chowk and energized ourselves with a cup of spiced lemon tea. 

Imarti

Next was the turn of a humongous imarti from Sri Ganinnath Imarti Bhandar, KP Road, Chowk which is probably the best imarti shop in the city. The deliciously crisp, syrup laden ornate orangish loop is made with urad dal based batter. They make them of different weights. Ours one weighed half a kilo in weight which is equivalent to seventeen smaller imartis. The combined aroma of ghee, urad dal and sugar syrup was just divine. 

 

We then took a paan break at Mathura Paan shop at KP Chowk Road. The classic Maghai Paan cleansed our palate and primed it for more food. Here we got a crash course on different varieties of suparis like the dry ones, soaked ones, nirmali, processed and roasted ones. 

Tilkut

Finally was the turn of Gaya’s most renowned, winter special sweet called Tilkut which is made with just sugar and sesame seeds. The preparation entails a lot of muscle work and is quite elaborate. At Jauhar Ji’s shop Ramna road we got the opportunity to witness the complex and laborious process of making these Tilkuts. It is fascinating to see so many people engaged in this elaborate task. We loved the pleasantly sweet and nutty taste of this firm Tilkuts. They were so amazing that we even got some of them packed. 

 

As the food tour kept extending with local inputs, we took another tea break at Mahasay tea stall at Tekari Road to energise ourselves for the upcoming stops. The amusing thing we noted here was the measuring cup that was used to measure out the tea. Locally called napna, it was essentially a bigger measuring cup that was dented from different sides in order to hold the stipulated amount of tea. 

Aloo Kachalu

This was followed by a lip smacking serving of aloo kachalu from Bablu Ji aloo Kachalu wale. It was a spicy and tangy mix of boiled potatoes that has been mixed with some spices that served in a leaf plate. It is one of those quick and pocket friendly snacks that Anubhav grew up eating. Bablu Ji’s wisdom with spices and the other ingredients he deals with is so strong that when Anubhav found the thing spicy, he whipped up a solution with some spices and tamarind flavoured water and added it to the mixture and it’s spiciness vanished. While walking ahead we came across nimkis being fried fresh, hence we pop some to see how it tasted. 

Anarsa

Our penultimate stop was Jai Shree Ram Tilkut Bhandaar, near Panch Mukhi Mahadev Mandir. We were there to try a very special Bihari sweet called Anarsa. These ghee fried rice flour based deep fried dough balls fresh out of the kadhai were so delicious. Their kala jamun and samosas caught our attention so we tried them as well. The former is a dark brown coloured deep fried sweet made of khoya whole the later one is the ubiquitous potato stuffed pastry. 

Aloo Dum Chaat

The final destination of this immersive food tour, that spanned for the whole day was Srimani Prasad Chaat Wale in Dhamitola. Both the dish and the vendor selling it were quite fascinating. The robust aloo dum chaat was a potpourri of nearly 4 to 5 curries, chutneys and small snacks. Srimani ji was super amusing too. 

We wrapped up this surfeit food tour that acquainted us with so many wonderful flavours contained in the lanes of Gaya.

Posted on

PATNA CITY FOOD WALK

 

 

Patna City is a small neighbourhood in the capital that is full of stories from the past. It is the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth guru of the Sikhs. Moreover it is home to one of the most sacred gurudwaras in the country named Patna Sahib Gurudwara or Takht Harmandir Sahib and so it is of great significance to the Sikh community. During our Bihar Food Journey, we had stopped by at this place for a brief food exploration to discover it’s prominent and popular flavours. Let’s tell you what all did we tried.

 

Before starting our food tour, we visited the holy and peaceful precinct of Patna Sahib gurudwara to seek the divine blessing. After offering our prayers we headed to the langar hall where preparation for the daily community meal was underway. A team of assigned cooks and volunteers who are devotees themselves were engrossed in different tasks like cutting of vegetables, making rotis, washing and arranging the utensils etc. This voluntary service carried out in any sphere, with deep devotion for the guru and love for the brethren is called seva. Here we first partook the kada prasad and then relished the humble yet delicious meal of dal and roti at the langar hall. This eating service is open to all irrespective of religion, caste or any background. The common rule is that one needs to sit down on the floor in rows with all other devotees and eat the meal. It was quite a surreal experience.

 

We hit the street to try the stuffs that defines the food scene of this place. First we got some kachori and ghugni from Nandu Lal kachori shop in Sabzi Bazar Chowk. The combination of crisp, small-sized sattu stuffed kachoris with an equally amazing kala chana sabzi, locally called ghugni was brilliant. This shop has been around for 100 years. No wonder their deep fried treats is phenomenal. Apart from the taste what’s laudable is the pricing which is quite reasonable. We also tried some crisp fritters made with khesari dal. The kick of garlic and chilli made them a fun treat.  

 

While heading to our next destination we took a short tea break. The tea at this tiny makeshift stall was very impressive. 

 

After that energy shot we arrived at Manish Kumar Aloo Puri wale opposite the Marwari school to have aloo puri with aloo dum. Yes this again is a much loved street food in the locality. The sight of the crisp and puffy aloo stuffed puris served with a ladle of aloo dum made us restless. As we got our plate, from the very first morsel we realised why this place is such a hit with the locals especially for breakfast.

 

This thumbs up combo was followed by a crisp and juicy Imarti from Vinod ji Imarti wale at Gulzari Bagh. This traditional sweet is an ornate loop of deep fried urad dal batter that is filled with thick sugar syrup. Urad dal adds more a body to the taste and texture of these Imartis. If you ever feel like trying it, always go for the fresh and hot Imartis. 

As we walked ahead we came across a Lathkto seller in Sabzi Bazar. These are jaggery coated deep fried sweet treats made with maida. They were firm yet somewhat addictive because you can never go wrong with stuffs that is fried, sweet and has maida. The cart also had few other traditional treats made with jaggery and puffed or flattened rice. 

We then tried some ubiquitous samosa from the renowned Tandon Ji Ke Samose shop in Sabzi bazar. The taste was much familiar to the ones that are available in Bengal. Along with a great crust it had a humble yet lip smacking potato filling, it had a distinct charm of its own due to the Panch Phoran or five spice mix based flavouring. 

Our penultimate eating destination was  Suraj and Mahadev Gupta Sweets in Kachori Gali. It is an old sweet shop that is known for its pure milk and ghee based sweets. Our pick from the wide variety of traditional sweets included dahi, khurchan, peda and gajar burfi. Among them the khurchan was a simply a piece of art. It was a stack of pure malai layers that were lined with bhura and cardamom powder. The sweet and rich taste elated the milk lover in us. The peda and gajar burfi too were quite good. 

Finally we ended the food tour with some ber which is a highly nutritious tropical fruit native to this state. The food journey in these sleepy and holy lanes of Patna city stirred up some divine emotions that we carried back with us. 

Posted on

PATNA VEG FOOD TOUR

The historically rich land of Bihar has a diverse cuisine with a plethora of delicacies. The scrumptious and unique Bihari dishes are a treat for foodies hankering for local flavours. Fascinated by the enticing food stories from the state, we decided to explore its vibrant foodscape beyond the most celebrated litti chokha. So here we are all ready with an amusing food series that brings you the gastronomic details from different regions of the state. It is not just a journey of taste but an expedition to collate stories – stories that delights, stories that informs and stories that inspires.

 

Today we bring you an fascinating food exploration from the capital city of Bihar. It is a busy city with an amazing heritage and culture and also full of amusing people. So let’s see what the journey holds for us. We are so glad to have been joined by Mayank who is a young and passionate food blogger from the city. 

 

We began our journey quite early in the morning from the vicinity near the Patna station as we wanted to start with some amazing local breakfast. Before heading to the most crowded eatery in the area we went to the very famous Mahavir Mandir to pay our reverence to Lord Hanuman. We partook some prasad and set out for Bhola ji’s nashte ki dukaan. It was an insanely crowded place stuffed with people jostling to catch a quick breakfast. The affordable breakfast thali available here consisted of fresh hot puris, jalebi, potato and chana sabzi, dahi vada and raita. Just for 30 rupees the quantity of food is so good that it keeps you  going for a long time. The home styled food was quite good and filling. The place was thronged by office goers waiting to fill them up with some carbohydrate rich stuff before setting off for the daily grind.

From there we went to the iconic Puraani Litti Ki Dukan very close to the previous place for the taste of Bihar’s legendary litti and chokha. The place was abuzz with people busy eating the delicacy. We interacted with the genial owner who introduced us to the nuances of this dish. The freshly made litti and chokha tasted heavenly; especially the interplay of the flavours from mustard oil and ghee. Here we also tried crisp hot chandrakala which is a disc shaped traditional fried pastry filled with khoya and dry fruits. 

Next was the turn of another famous street side snack called sev buniya and our destination was Bhanu sweets. Before trying a delicious plate of sev dahi buniya, we made a quick visit to the facility where it was being prepared. Among the three types of combination we went for the sev, buniya and dahi combo and it was super hearty. We finished it off with a cup of tea and some light hearted conversation. 

 

The following destination was a fuchka stall. These crisp and hollow puris stuffed with potatoes and flavoured water are amazing flavour bombs. It is a much loved street food here in Patna and being fuchka lovers ourselves we couldn’t escape the urge of trying some. First we tried the aloo cut which was a zesty boiled potato and spice based mixture and then the ubiquitous fuchka. 

From there we arrived at a humble cart that had some neatly arranged transparent boxes full of different healthy munchies and a hot wok placed over a potable coal fire. We were there to try a pocket friendly wholesome snack called Bhunja that is a popular snack for those who are inclined towards affordable nutritious stuffs. It is a mixture made with a preferred amount of grains, cereals and legumes. You can choose your preference and witness them being dry roasted right in front of your eyes, mix them with or without onions, chillies etc. Just pop it and keep munching till your heart content. 

 

Next was the turn for some sweets and what could be better than spotting the famous Maner Ke Ladoos, a traditional sweet treat from the small town of Maner. These are a special variant of another popular North Indian sweet called motichoor ladoos that are adored for their deep fried super tiny chickpea flour based pearls. It was soft, luscious and they just vanished inside the mouth. It was followed by Bergami, another traditional sweet that is made up of paneer chunks that was firm and syrupy. 

 

We wrapped up this simple food tour with a special paan that was intended to cleanse the palate and aid digestion. The street food here is a mix of fun treats and healthy filling stuffs. The Bihar food sojourn started on an exciting note.

Posted on

Ek Pyaali ‘Tandoori Chai’ dila do

One word, a thousand emotions. Chai. A cup of Chai is perhaps the most indispensable item in the Indian kitchen. It binds together the household like nothing else.
It is not uncommon to see a hot brewing cup calm a rather heated conversation or how easily conversations flow over cups of Chai. Perhaps that’s the magic of this drink.
Chai or tea leaves are cultivated extensively in our country and every state offers a very unqiue type of chai. Like its sourcing, it also has a variety of preparation styles. An insanely different style is the one I shall elaborate on. It’s the Tandoori chai.
‘Alpha’ss Tandoori Chai’ in Mukherjee Nagar seems to be the talk around town for introducing an innovative yet extremely tasty version of this staple household favorite. Open from 9 in the morning till late in the evening (11 PM), the shop is happily satisfying the caffeine cravings of its many customers.
The roots of this unconventional idea of having chai being made in a tandoor stemmed from a rather everyday conversation between friends. They wondered that if something like the popular street food-momos could be made in a tandoori style,then why not the beloved Chai?


The name of the shop is unique as proclaimed by one of the shop owners. It is an acronym for the names of all the people who started the shop.
The Kulhad, a traditional earthen pot is a popular dish used to serve Chai. The process involves baking this dish in the Tandoor and pouring half cooked Chai in this. The hot Kulhad then diffuses a rather smokey tinge to the Chai and this is how this beverage gets it’s unique taste. Although the shop is in it’s nascent stages,it has been getting a great amount of recognition and has already established a broad base of loyal customers.

What makes this a must visit stall while exploring the food scene in Delhi?
A. It is the only place in Delhi that serves this sort of preparation B. the theatrics of making this chai. It’s an experience in itself to witness its creation and lastly, and perhaps the most obvious one,its chai!

So come and enjoy this extraordinary Chai at the NBT Flavors Fest on 20th and 21st October’18, at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Delhi.

Posted on

Tea Trails

TEA TRAILS

By Prakriti Bhat

While Delhi is full of restaurants, pubs and cafes, there are places that tend to stand out in a crowd. With its pleasant ambience and concept, Tea Trails Bistro creates an aura of tranquility in the midst of the ever bustling Connaught Place. Done up in hues of white, aqua blue and green with wooden upholstery, it is one of those rare places in CP which bespeaks comfort and has a languid demeanour. Tea Trails is a well known name in Mumbai from where the saga began in 2013. Since then the franchise has successfully opened up many branches in Hyderabad Chennai and Mumbai itself.

IMG_4823The menu comprises of over 80 varieties of teas ranging from Green Tea, Black Tea and Herbal Tea to Tea Mocktails. The USP of this place is the use of tea leaves in their food as well. Fermented tea leaves are used as a garnishing ingredient in some of their dishes like bruschettas and salads. Another unique quality of this place is that they use whole tea leaves in preparing all their teas rather than using condensed forms like powder or tea bags. This brings out the flavor properly and the quality of the end product is not compromised.

Gazpacho, a Spanish cold soup is served as a welcome drink here. Fresh cubes of tomato, black pepper and finely chopped coriander blend in to give you a taste of Spain. This was served in shot glasses. All their teas are served in an extremely organized manner with a kettle, tea cup and plate, small spoon and a Palmiers cookie (which was amazing). Each tray also has a sandglass as the servers explained that a good Green tea like Kehwa requires a steeping time of about 2 minutes while Black Teas require 4 minutes. In contrast to Green tea which is bland but healthy, Black tea is not very healthy but has a strong flavor. The Kehwa was good but I did not relish the Black Tea which had a distinct smoky flavor.

IMG_4830Amongst the Chais, I tried the 5 spices chai which was definitely my favourite among all the hot variants. Made with spices like Cardamom, Cloves and Ginger, it was served in a glass cup with a Palmier cookie. Every spice made its presence felt. It would be the ideal choice for a relaxed winter evening. Amongst the cold teas, you must definitely try their Litchi Bubble tea which is like a pop of flavour in your mouth. While Sangrias are usually made with wine, Tea Trails has introduced a Tea Sangria made with herbal tea and Cranberry juice with small pieces of apple floating on the top.

Gulkand Bun Maska is basically an Iranian Snack where a fruity bun is buttered with Gulkand Maska. It is light on the stomach. Eggs Kejriwal is a popular snack in Mumbai. The name comes from Mr. Daya Prasad Kejriwal who would bring a snack of Pav and Omelette to the gymkhana. A lightly fried Omelette is placed on a buttered Pav and sprinkled with finely chopped onions, green chilies and red chilli powder. It is delicious and quite filling as well. The Green Tea Bruschetta, one of their specialties is made with onions, bell peppers and fermented green tea leaves. For the health freaks there’s Burmese Tea Salad prepared with Lettuce, nuts and fermented tea leaves. It tastes best with the dressing that comes with it.

IMG_4842Vada Pav was definitely the highlight of our meal. A fluffy vada made with boiled and mildly spiced potatoes was pressed between Pav breads smeared with green chutney. Smoked Chicken Sandwich had a distinct flavor of the barbeque sauce used for dressing the chicken. Among Desserts you have to try their Choco Chip Muffin which is quite big and mouth watering. The Dutch Truffle comes with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream on top and the combo is delightful. Plating for both the desserts is pretty impressive.

If you like to have your cuppa in solitude, Tea Trails is the place to be.

Address- Shop 9, Scindia House, Opposite N Block, CP

Cost for two- Rs. 850 (approx)

Contact No. – 01133106292

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.
Posted on

Chaayos

     

                                                                  CHAAYOS

           By Ritika Dhawan

With all the quirkiness surrounding Hauz Khas Village, there is a new member in the neighbourhood – CHAAYOS. It has just been a month and  people are already loving this place which promises to serve a good cup of tea every time you walk in .

   As you start walking into the colourful lane of Hauz Khas Village, on your left a bright big green door catches your attention and the minute you walk in, a characteristic aroma of freshly brewed tea will greet you. Sack cloth covered seating , big windows, ‘for the love of chai’ posters gracing the walls and lampshades made out of traditional chai glasses add up to the great ambience.

Picture1As you start going through the menu, you are spoilt for choice as they have a variety of teas- speciality teas, classic teas and the best one ‘meri walli chai’, which gives you the option to customize your tea according to your taste. There are 12 add ons for the ‘meri walli chai’ alone. Classic teas include the green tea, English breakfast tea , Darjeeling first flush and many more. The speciality teas range is something to look out for, with flavours such as Moroccan mint and aam papad chai, they truly stick up to their motto ‘Experiments with Chai’.

The people behind this creative venture are  Nitin Saluja and Raghav Verma, two IIT graduates who wanted to preserve and flourish the heritage of chai addas. Be it tulsi chai, paani kam chai, adrak wali chai or even a hari mirch chai, they make sure that everyone can sip a perfect cup of tea in a cosy environment. With their increasing popularity, they are set to open many more outlets in the coming months. Talking about their favourite cup of tea, marketing and business development head Raghav Verma loves his hari mirch(green chilli) chai. These ever smiling faces of the owners show how proud they are of their creation.

Picture1If chai is not enough for you, they have a variety of delectable sandwiches available for you to binge on. A highly recommended item on their menu is the Chocolate Bun. A crisp, toasted bun layered with chocolate hazelnut spread will make you drool and leave you asking for more. Their hari mirch chai is worth trying, when you take a sip the flavours of adrak, cinnamon and elaichi take over your senses but suddenly you get this kick of green chilli which makes this chai a master creation. We recommend that with every visit of yours to Chaayos, try every combination on their menu and be experimental with this favourite beverage amaongst Indians.

Looking for a place with a cosy environment, to sit and chat with your friends over rounds and rounds of chai – Chaayos is a pit stop.

 

                                             

 

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.
Posted on

TYPHOO

TYPHOO Introducing Environment-Friendly Tea Drinking

By Shreya Chowdhury

21st April, 2015, Delhi learnt about drinking tea in an environment friendly manner. Typhoo, UK’s premium tea brand brought to India by ApeejaySurendra Group, bearing the prestigious Rainforest Alliance seal, launched a plethora of new products for the Indian Tea market.

The four Rainforest Alliance Certified Tea launched by Typhoo are 24 Carat Leaf Tea, Gold, Classic Assam and English Breakfast.The Gold is a lovely, golden- liquored, flavorful tea which can be relished anytime of the day. The English Breakfast is classic! Light and flavorful, it is perfect for breakfast. For health conscious tea lovers, their Decaf is a must-have. You can enjoy that beautiful cuppa without having to worry about the caffeine.

assortnment of teaThe Green Tea products of Typhoo are extremely interesting and a personal favorite. The most fascinating flavor is the coconut green tea. When you take the tea bag out of the pouch, the creamy coconut-y aroma fills the air around you, and when you take the first sip, it feels like you can almost taste the coconut, but it is light and refreshing, like all their other green teas. The masala green tea is also very nice and different. It smells exactly like the masala chai you get in any tea stall in India. So, you get the best of both worlds, the aroma of the masala chai and the health benefits from green tea. The traditional Tulsi, the Moroccan Mint, Lemongrass and Jasmine flavours of green tea and their Green Tea are all brilliant! Typhoo has a great range, catering to the tastes of all kinds of green tea lovers.

masala chai green teaTyphoo also has a variety of flavoured tea bags. They have the quintessentially Indian Adrak Chai, Elaichi Chai and Masala Chai. Now all you need is a tea bag, some milk, sugar according to taste and you have the perfect cup of tea! They also have the Earl Grey and the Lime and Lemon tea, which are refreshing brews.

The most exciting teas are the caffeine- free fruit infusion flavours. The orange spicer is an absolute hit! It is a delicious concoction of orange, hibiscus, clove, cinnamon and ginger. The Blackcurrentbraser and the Lemon and Lime Zest are fruity and fresh and are best served as ice teas, perfect for the summers.

Typhoo has introduced a new kind of tea drinking in India. They have not only produced an assortment of teas, they also offer customers the environment-friendly choice, which may be small, but, is a crucial step towards sustainable development.

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.
Posted on

Yahya Tea Stall

Yahya Tea Stall

Everyone always ignores the small tea stall on the side of the road or at the corner of a street. No one knows the history behind a small tea stall. Even Shah Rukh Khan’s father had a tea stall and served tea at a very well known drama company in Delhi, and if it was not for the star, we would probably never have known that such a tea stall existed.

WP_20141117_037Likewise, there is an old tea stall in the lane of Gali Qasmijan, right at the entrance of Phatak Luharu in Ballimaran. This tea stall was started by the late Haji Mohammed Farooq in 1969, carried on by his son the late Mohammed Yahya. It has been forty-five years since the pouring and serving of tea has been going on here. Now, the grandchildren, Mr. Farhan and Mr. Faizan, who are reporters with a newspaper, are still taking care of their family business. Their father, the late Mohammed Yahya, also owned a dairy shop named after his wife, Sabra and a hotel where the tea famously known as “Haji ki Chai” was served. Since the grandchildren did not have the same aspirations as their father, they gave up the place for rent and but have still kept the touch and name of their father through the tea stall.

When I looked at the boys preparing the tea, I was completely amazed at how it was being prepared. It was nothing like the way we prepare it at home.

WP_20141117_049The tea leaves are boiled in water in an aluminum kettle for a long time and on the other side, the milk is kept boiling, letting it form a layer of cream, commonly known as malai. The first step is to put a spoonful of sugar, a teaspoon of milk and boiled tea, and a spoon of malai. It is then stirred well and served hot. If you desire for a strong cup of tea, they add a spoon of fresh tea leaves, while pouring the boiled tea, in the strainer to give it that dark look and a strong kick. Mostly it would look like filtered tea that is served at a fancy tea shop.

There is a lively history behind this tea stall. Believe it or not a hundred and fifty cups of tea were made and served at a time which impressed me so much since there are so many different steps to get a perfect cup of tea. It definitely did not taste like the regular tea that one drinks every morning.

Nearby the tea stall, there was once a college named Tibbia College which has been shifted to Karol Bagh. This college offers education in medicine, and therefore, numerous and frequent doctors, professors, and students would be attending this college. Now a morning without a tea would not be complete and Yahya Tea Stall completed the mornings of a lot of people in the college and around. Tibbia College ordered six hundred teas almost every day, and without fail they were served with the same quality and standard.

WP_20141117_041For a couple of days, the tea stall had been shut down but by popular demand of the people living there and expressing their love for the tea and the family, the stall was back with a bang, serving tea with as much as dedication as it did when it first started.

The grandchildren besides being modernized and familiar with the media profession did not leave their ancestral house and believed that living there would keep the culture and history of the place alive. Surprisingly, the haveli that they reside in was once the haveli of Ghalib Mirza’s second wife. It definitely must be exciting to live in a house with intricate Mughal style designed pillars, doors, windows, and houses. Farhan Yahya said that the love and the respect of the people could not make him leave the place where he spent his childhood.

A must visit if you want to have a perfectly made hot cup of tea.

 WP_20141117_066  WP_20141117_041 WP_20141117_044

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.
Posted on

CAFE 6

Cafe 6

By Pramiti Sapru

Craving amazing food in the middle of your classes? Cafe 6 is here to the rescue. Located near Hauz Khas market, Cafe 6 is a common hang out spot for college students from NIFT, Gargi and Kamla Nehru. For the people who don’t know about this place, you’re about to be introduced to Foodie heaven!

Although the Cafe is tiny, its quaintness adds to the ambience. With an indoor and outdoor seating as well, Cafe 6 is the perfect place to spend hours talking to your college mates or to just sit and enjoy a book.

I, myself have spent hours here doing ‘peth pooja’. I would definitely call myself a Cafe 6 lover. There menu is bursting with variety and it’ll take ages to try each one of them (I really want to).  My standard order here is the Cheesy Chicken Burger along with Fries and Peach ice tea (I’m drooling just thinking about it). The amount of cheese in the burger is just about right. Neither too ‘drippy’ nor is it less. The chicken is juicy and filling. Wedged between vegetables, this burger is a doorway to heaven. Their Peach ice tea is like the cherry on the cake! Out of every restaurant that I have ever visited, this serves the best Peach ice tea. And all of this just for Rs.190. *Gasps*

But hold on! This is just the tip of the ice-berg. There is more. For cheese and potato lovers like me, you have to try cheesy-greedy potatoes and no do not think about the calories, just think about the concoction of the mozzarella and potatoes melting in your mouth. Italian junkies, Mushroom Sauce Pasta and Chicken Panini’s are on their way. And finally for the sweet tooth, there is the famous chocolate pudding and brownies!

Imagine this is not even 10% of the menu! There is a lot to discover at this joint. For the lazy bums they also home deliver so not to worry!

So come on down to Cafe 6 people! It won’t burn a hole in your pocket but it’ll definitely put a smile on your face.

Address: D6 Ground Floor, Hauz Khas New Delhi

Number: +91 9313700550

Cost : Rs.300 for two (approx.)

cafe6

Cheesy Greedy Potatoes

.cafe6.png

Peach Ice Tea

2nd September,2013

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.