June 2014 – Page 2 – Delhi Food Walks

June 06, 2014

Dana Choga’s Kitchen

By Anubhav Sapra

The weather has become really harsh these days, with the temperature reaching 46 degrees, breaking the record of 16 years. The rise in temperature and the sudden weather changes have become the cause of an onslaught of seasonal diseases. Last weekend, I was down with viral fever and severe body pain and my doctor advised me to be on antibiotic medication for 5 days. The taste buds stop sensing food when one is on medication but this is precisely the time when one yearns for spicy food. After recovering from the fever, I decided to satiate my dead taste buds by visiting Dana Choga’s recently opened 9th outlet in Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh.

The original Dana Choga was a fine dining restaurant established in 1994 by Deepak and AmitaChandhok. Inspired by its success, Dana Choga’s Kitchen was founded in November 2012 by their son Anukul Chandhok at Sohna Road, Gurgaon. They aspire to open 100 outlets in the next 5 years to serve the major cities, and be recognized as the face of North Indian cuisine across the country. The interesting part about DCK is their promise to deliver food at your doorsteps within 45 minutes, and if not delivered, the food is free! An even more fascinating aspect about this outlet is its slew of catchy slogans that adorn its interiors. Here are a few of them – ‘Soya Achari Tikka – So ya, we make the best tikka in town’, ‘Murg Reshmi Kebab – Meat that melts in your tongue, no haddi in this kebab’, ‘Matar Mushroom – Jannat ke khumb, Rest in peas!’

I started my food journey with DCK’s recommended starters, Murgh Reshmi Kebab and Soya Achari Tikka. The much-acclaimed Murgh Reshmi Kebabs were not up to the mark.The outer layer of egg overpowered the taste of the Chicken. Nevertheless, the Soya Achari tikkas were absolutely delicious. I then tried a non-veg kebab platter- Murgh Tandoori, Murgh Seekh Kebab and Murgh Malai Tikka. The Murgh Seekh Kebab is worth trying- it has a nice texture, is flavorful, tender and juicy. In curries, I had Chicken Chatkara, Rogan Josh, Rara Gosht and Punjabi Chicken Curry. Chicken Chatkara had a nice tangy flavor. Rara Gosht reminded me of Gullu meat wala in MalkaGanj, where the gravy is made with minced mutton. It went well with Rampuri Parantha- a type of parantha made with chilli flakes. I ended my food journey on a sweet note with Desi Fudge which is Rabri with dates balls and choco chips, an interesting dessert indeed. To quench your thirst in this scorching heat, DCK has interesting drinks on offer- Mango Magic- Aam Panna and Refreshing Java- a Jamun( blackberry) based drink.

Good news for the foodies of North Delhi, they are opening another outlet in Kingsway Camp on 20^th June. I hope my foodie friend Subhash, who is a kebab freak and lives in Kingsway Camp, is reading this blog.

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.

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

June 03, 2014

Amore di Pane

By Aisha Bhattacharya

In the blistering Delhi heat, the only option people have is to stay indoors. For those who can’t, walking into a shopping mall is the next best thing. After hours of walking, taking elevators and escalators to find the next ‘in’ thing, the most natural urge is hunger. So, on one such horribly hot Delhi afternoon I strolled into Select City Walk to try the Amore di Pane Festival at Spaghetti Kitchen. Located between Gelato Romano and Harry’s on the second floor, Spaghetti Kitchen has a large seating area which isn’t exactly noticeable from the outside.

Once seated, the Senior Sous Chef – Chef Ashun greeted us and gave us a little background about the festival. According to him, “We wanted to do more with Italian cuisine and in the process broaden peoples’ palettes. To show them that there is more than just Pizza and Pasta we decided on this bread festival. Pane in Italian means bread and is an integral part of their cuisine. The idea here was to create something light and easy to eat in summer.”

This festival is on till 10^th June, 2014 across all Spaghetti Kitchen outlets in the Delhi/NCR region.

The festival offers a variety of delicious Panini’s and Wraps available with Veg and Non-Veg ingredients. We tried four items from the special menu – First up was the Fresh Mozzarella and Bocconcini Panini (Veg) – Plump tomatoes, bocconcini Mozzarella also known as buffalo mozzarella, fresh pesto on a lightly toasted and buttered Oregano Panini. WOW! That is really all I can say. The ingredients were fresh and the pesto was outstanding. I would have gladly eaten an entire bowl of it with a few slices of plain bread.

Next we tried the Muffaletta – A baked Panini with Chicken Sausages, Ham, Scarmoza cheese and an Olive-Jalapeno tapenade. The tapenade was a tad bit overpowering and made the meats taste bland. But, otherwise it looked good. It could have tasted better.

The smoked Chicken wrap that arrived soon after was everything you could want on a hot summer afternoon. Freshly sliced tomatoes, onions and grilled chicken tossed in Brie and honey mustard dressing, on a bed of lettuce and wrapped in a flour tortilla. As Donna Hay says, “Fast, Fresh, Simple” It is a little messy to eat because the ends aren’t closed but a delicious wrap which encapsulates the idea behind the food festival beautifully.

Last but definitely not the least their Ham & Cheese Panini. For most meat lovers (pork specifically) just the thought of Honey roasted Ham makes us salivate. Now pair that with Gouda cheese, plum preserve and Granny Smith Apples. It is a whole new sensation. The tart sweetness of the plum preserve with the crunchy fresh not-so-sweet apples paired with a strong flavour like Gouda and melt in the mouth Ham. Between two slices of perfectly buttery toasted bread, it’s like biting into a piece of heaven.

All this bread and no water, was luckily not the case. The Peach Iced tea made with Monins’ Syrup, a virgin Peach Margharita which was truly excellent and the King Alphonso – A summery mix of Mint and mango served chilled were the perfect accompaniments to this no-so-light meal we ate.

All the panini’s and wraps are served with a side of fries and some fresh salad. Ketchup, only on demand. A must visit for those who like sandwiches and are willing to try some new combinations and have a little time to kill while roaming in the malls.

Bon Appetit!

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com