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Imperial Spice, Connaught Place

Connaught Place has a rare privilege of having it all – locational, political and cultural advantages. These advantages lend themselves well to the circular market being a hot spot for attracting food and people from across the city, country and world. Imperial Spice is a fun new entrant to this historic market with its eclectic menu, warm lighting and obliging staff.

We started our meal with an amuse bouche – a tiny Masala Papad cone, which served its purpose of appetising us for the meal ahead. This was followed up by their signature starter – Black Stone Chaat – a platter of tangy and delicious preparations including Palak Patta Chaat, Chukandari Chenna Bhalla and Aaloo Chana.

Next came the Imperial Gin Chicken and the Twice Cooked Duck Spring Rolls. Being a proponent of duck and spring rolls separately, I had never had them together. They were juicy with a sweet tinge on the inside. The dish went well with the chicken which was spicy and soft.

Our mains included Spaghetti Alfredo with Grilled Chicken and Broccoli and the Pan Seared Norwegian Salmon Served with Pepperonata And Olive Caper Buerre Blanc. The Norwegian salmon was pink and buttery, complemented well by the veggies.

One of the more fascinating dishes on the menu was the Lehsun ki Kheer. It takes a fair amount of courage to try something so out of the ordinary as garlic in a sweet preparation. But it somehow worked. With a sprinkling of dry fruits, it would be perfect. Other such different pairings of sweet treats in the menu would be worth giving a shot in the future.

 

Cost for Two: Rs. 2,200 (without alcohol)

Location: M Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi

 

 

Anjora cannot resist a good prawn preparation, finds home in Chinese food anywhere in the world but will eat almost anything if it looks appealing. She is a Potter head and has recently discovered pottery as a hobby (excuse the pun).
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U Like Roll Corner : A Tale of Rolls

Long ago in the year 1996 there lived a humble man namely Mr. Jamil Akhtar, who had a sense that something is missing from the northern region of the foodie capital city. Soon he realised that no eatery around this area sold rolls (a small piece of bread that is rolled around a stuffing ). He took this matter into his hands and inaugurated his very own ‘U-Like Roll Corner ‘ in a small street in the Kamla Nagar market,North Delhi which served a vast variety of rolls ranging from different varieties in both vegetarian and non vegetarian options.

The taste of his tidbits along with the thinnest covering of roti and lots and lots of filling coordinated with a perfect blend of various sauces which drips through your lips while you take a bite of the mouthwatering rolls was what attracted the most crowd to hog into this world of rolls which is still consistent. Whoever visits this place never fails to notice the technique which Mr. Jamil uses to make his rolls, the dedication, the skills , the fluency he showcases while preparing his masterpiece is remarkable!

The stall opens in the afternoon around three and closes till eleven in the night with most of its rush hour being around the nighttime. Pure desi ghee is used in preparing the rolls in the perfect quantity so that the rolls doesn’t turn out to be greasy. As soon as the stall opens the rolls especially the non vegetarian ones sell out like hot cakes.The nonveg specialty items include spicy chicken roll , cheesy chicken roll , egg rolls and various other combinations. The prices of these ranges from rupees 25 to maximum of rupees 90.

The tale of rolls which began in 1996 still satiates your hungry taste buds with the crispy and juicy rolls which will continue its era happily ever after.

Name: U-Like Roll Center

Address: Kamla Nagar Market, Beside Keventer’s

Owner’s Name  : Jamil Akhtar

Contact number: 8800376692

 

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Bun Tikki Wale Bhaiya : IPCW ki shaan

Indraprastha College for Women in one of the oldest college of Delhi University situated in the North Campus near the Civil Lines metro station. With  quite a beautiful campus and very welcoming ambience, there is another thing about this college which is the usual ‘ talk of the town ‘ that is the ‘Bun Tikki‘ stall that resides just outside the college gate in a small corner with the most concentration of people. The traces of this stall goes back to  the post independence era around the 1950’s . The current owner of this stall Mr. Ram Dev  proudly claims this stall to be even older than half a century and how this tradition is carried on from his father to him and how it will be carried on to to the next generation very soon.

The stall opens early in the morning around 9:00 am  and serves its delicacies till 4 in the evening. The menu is not very vast but it shows perfectly what this eatery specializes in. The menu includes the most talked about ‘Bun Tikki‘ along with other tidbits such as aloo chaat , chole kulche , bhel puri , papdi chaat and kulcha roll which is perfectly complimented by a popular go-to of each and every Dilliwala known as Bunta which is perfect to quench your thirst along with the sweet and spicy bites this small eatery serves.

This place experiences the most rush during the break time in the afternoon when all the hungry peeps including the students of the college and even the teacher staff are in a search for something delicious to fulfil their hungry tummies and the rush is sometimes even more than that of the college canteen itself . The hot piping tikki  sandwiched between the perfectly buttered buns along with the tangy sweet chutney and a perfect seasoning of various spices makes it just irresistible as it sounds. Another most loved dish here is the aaloo chaat which is made from perfectly shallow fried potato cubes seasoned with the spice mix and topped with the spicy green chutney which we can customize according to our preferences by consulting our very own taste buds.

Mr. Ram Dev is very particular about the hygiene of the stall and keeps it as clean as possible, he particularly mentions about how he uses the fresh ingredients  to make these mouth watering snacks. What makes this eatery even better is the price of the items, none of them are above a range of Rupees 30 . Such flavoursome and zestful snacks at such low costs with maintained hygiene ! What else do we need ?

Address : Beside the main gate of IPCW, Civil Lines

Owner’s Name : Ram Dev

Contact no. : 9319533687

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Sudama Ji Ki Tea Stall : One stop for all the chai lovers

Feeling cold ? have chai (tea) . Want to have a important conversation ? Meet up at chai. After all , who says chai cannot be the solution to your every problem. Chai is the most loved beverage among India and the love indeed doubles when it comes to Delhiites. One such place which was established around 30 years ago by a very humble man popularly known as ‘Sudama ji ‘ by his fellow customers , is “Sudama ji ki Tea Stall” which is located right on the main road from Kirori Mal College to Ramjas College. At any mentioned time of the day you will see people flooded on this tea stall, there doesn’t exist a single person in the North Campus who doesn’t know about this stall. Once you name it and people will tell you the exact spot where it is located at. Sudama ji serves his special tea at as low as Rupees 10. You can taste the flavor of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom in the masala chai  he offers.

The best time to visit this place is the late evening hours especially during the winter nights, you will see every person including the cops patrolling around the area  to the students living in the campus to the staff and even the fellow rickshaw and auto drivers breeding around the stall waiting for their chance to get a glass full of the ‘most talked about ‘ chai  of the campus. This stall stays open until late night with never ending rush for chai which can always be seen boiling down in big vessels by Sudama ji with a lot of passion to make his chai perfect for his customers.

You can also have some rusks , biscuits to accompany the perfect cup of tea even to make it more perfect. While crossing through the university you will always listen people mentioning this tea stall and especially students quoting it very often. So, if you are on a search of a perfect cup of ‘garma garam chai’  along with a swarm of people who are equally passionate and  in love with chai as you are or else need a perfect kick start to your day or want a much needed break then surely this is the place you are searching for.

Name : Sudama ji ki tea stall

Owner’s name : Sudama ji

Address: On the main road between KMC and Ramjas

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Labib’s : The crowded nukkad

Roaming around north campus with a hungry tummy and confused state of mind ?  In this situation enter the very famous   “ Chatori lane” which is a small street in Kamla Nagar beside Mc Donald’s in which you will capture the sight of food in every direction you look at. This street ends with a very famous nukkad food joint  known as “ Labib’s”, it can be seen from quite a distance that this place is very crowded all the time. The first thing any person who visits this place observes is a very long menu with numerous options ranging from various kinds of shakes, rolls and sandwiches etc. This place serves both vegetarian and non vegetarian delicacies.

It is very famous among the college students due to the pocket friendly menu, who can be seen mushrooming on the stairs nearby this joint with the amazing food this place serves. This place is famous for its shakes, black forest shake is a must try and even they serve the best ice mocha. You can even have the rolls including the shawarma roll and the double egg roll. They also  have a best seller called the “chicken chatkara sandwich” which is as delicious as it sounds. This shop generally opens around 12 pm and closes late around 10 pm with its rush hour being mainly in the evening.

They offer their food accompanied with great dips such as the cheesy dip and if you are new to this place they offer your first mayonnaise dip for free. Even the service is quick and the owner is very friendly too. So, if you are looking for somewhere great to eat with numerous options and pocket friendly budget, this place is exactly what you are searching for. So, don’t forget to  visit this place and grab a lip smacking  snack along with a gulp of thick and cold shake and have a very happy meal and leave this place with a satisfactory grin and eagerness to visit it again.

Name: Labib’s

Address : UB-101, Chatori Lane , Kamla Nagar

Contact number : +91999432924