Category: Daily Delhicacies

 

Having food, the Thai way!

By Kanchan Bisht

No matter who you are, where you live and what you’ve achieved in life, food remains most of ours’ weakness and it is food that bonds us to people. If you’re a foodie, well then, here’s to you.
If you get tempted to have something because of its aroma, just in case you prefer spicy food, nutritious and delicious curries over regular food, you ought to try Thai food Sydney.

Thailand’s national cuisine, Thai, has every element to get your mouth water, the aroma is tempting and nutritional value is high. When you get on munching, you’d feel the essence of various Southeast Asian traditions and tastes in it. It is spicy but at the same time very delicious.

The culture- Food is one of the most prominent parts of the Thai culture, food is celebrated and never wasted. When you’re having a Thai meal, don’t think it’s going to be a regular meal which would start with sizzlers lead to the main course meal and terminate with the desert. The people of Thailand have their way, there is no 3 meal concept that is followed, whatever food is ordered, is ordered per member wise, separately for each individual and is then shared with everyone. It is hence preferred that when you go for a lunch/ dinner to a Thai restaurant, make sure you go in a huge group.

The dish- A typical Thai dish necessarily includes of all four tastes that is, sweet, sour, salty and spicy. A meal is not considered satisfactory until it has all four of these tastes reaching and satisfying the taste bud. If you notice a group of Thai people dining together, it is most likely that you’d find a non vegetarian dish, a vegetarian dish (mostly, leafy vegetables), a noodle dish and soup on their table. For desert, fresh fruits are more preferred.

Thai snacks- If you’re in a hurry, not in the mood to have a proper meal or have less money in hand, Thai snacks will help you survive. Available in big restaurants as well as roadside stalls, snacks like spring roll, salads, beefy satay, when served with spicy dips are enough to satisfy your hunger and also go easy on your pocket.

Presentation- Apart from the taste, the way a Thai dish is presented to you is enough to steal your heart. The moment the well decorated platter is placed in front of you, you automatically start feeling happy about what you’re having.  Presentation is a must for Thai dishes and is taken care of, specifically.

Must try- There are a few Thai dishes that you must try- fired rice, chicken curry, pork chops, noodles, soups, sea food, typical spring rolls to a name a few. Having a Thai dish is like eating something which involves of mixing of many spices and ingredients together to produce a subtle looking dish which is well presented and tastes exotic.
Thai food is one of the most sorted sections of the food menu of most intercontinental restaurants; apart from this you can find many local Thai restaurants elsewhere, serving authentic Thai food Sydney at affordable prices.

MAD OVER MOCHA

By Ritika Sharma

Mocha lies amidst the exuberance of the elite mall,DLF Place,Saket. Its intensive look entices every passerby. Its vibrant furniture and distinctive roof is a treat to the eyes and something which attracts me a lot is the way they have made their lamps i.e with recycled crushed bottles.

Mocha opened its gate at Churchgate,Mumbai in December 2001.It boasted an eclectic Indo-Tibetan theme and fresh worldly coffee.Mocha was introduced to Delhi in May,2004 and had a cozy feel to it.It had a Neo Middle Eastern Lounge Theme.It has carried on the tradition of having a distinctive style when it comes to décor. Everything inside this café has its own sense of expression.

Mocha serves fast food and specializes in almost everything its menu has to offer.It has a variety of luscious shakes – Kitkat shake, Toblerone shake, Ferror rocher shake,Mocha shake top the charts.One can rejuvenate by indulging in their aromatic hot coffees.I would highly recommend their Kenya AA coffee which is highly refreshing and ambrosial.Lindt Hot Chocolate is something you would like to relish during cold winter evenings.

My favorites are its Pizzas and Pastas. Its Red Sauce Pasta is heavily loaded with Herbs – Oregano, Thyme, Basil, lots of garlic powder ,Red hot pasta sauce.It is accompanied by a Crisp Garlic toast Penne Primavera with Vodka is also one of their scrumptious pastas. It was quite nicely greased & spiced with a flavor of vodka to it.

One can gorge on their farm fresh pizza which is a thin crust and is brimming with Mushroom,corn,assorted bell pepper, black olives, jalapenos and gouda cheese.

The smoking section is located in the outer corridor and makes for interesting and nice place with a view to sit and have hookah.

The café is very welcoming with extremely friendly waiters. Its quirkiness would make you want to visit this place again and again.

With 19 operational outlets across the country,Mocha stands out as one of the best coffee shops with its own sense of style,

ADDRESS:  252/253, DLF Place Mall, Saket, New Delhi

Phone : 011 40612823, +91 7838520899

OPENING HOURS:10:30 AM to 1 AM

COST : 800 for two people (approx.)

OVERALL RATING :4.1/5

Nearest metro stations:- Malviya Nagar metro station,Saket metro station

 

 

 

RollMaal

By Aisha Bhattacharya

What is in a Roll you ask? Here at RollMaal – That is the question!!! ‘Roll ke andar kya hai?’ Located below Mocha in Defence Colony Market, RollMaal is as easy to locate as a BMW parked among 10 Santros. Okay, Bad joke, But, seriously so easy to find.

The entrance is this fascinating display of ‘Belans’ or Rolling Pins to the uninitiated. Yes, Floor to Ceiling sheets of Glass with Belans stacked in between. Very unique and so original.

The place is small and can probably seat 20 – 25 people at a time comfortably. The waiters are all dressed in kurtas and caps (Anna Hazare movement type) in khaki colour. The outfit is inspired by Rajesh Khanna’s role in the film ‘Bawarchi’. I’m not sure how many of you reading this, have even seen the film. Nevertheless, it has music to match. Old Bollywood songs that would make our parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents… (You get the hint) feel nostalgic.

The menu is easy to go through and is extremely well divided into sections like First Class Rolls i.e. the signature items of RollMaal, Doosra Maal i.e. Gravy items , Side ka Maal i.e. accompaniments, Peenay ka Maal (yes! You guessed it!) – Beverages, Meetha Maal – desserts naturally and my Favourite part RollMaal Classics – Make your own Roll. How cool is that??! Choose your Roll – The roti or parantha you like and choose your Maal – The filling – Veg, chicken or Mutton. So easy and so much fun!

We started with the Chicken Chettinad Southy “Mind It” Roll (Rs. 150) – A spicy Chicken laced with curry leaves wrapped in a wonderfully flaky Malabari Parantha. The Jalandhar Boneless Chicken Makhani (Rs. 180) with Ulte Tawe ka Parantha (Rs. 35) was nice. A regular Butter Chicken by any standards.

I ate the highly recommended Rollu’s Mutton Keema Pav (Rs. 185) – Such a good decision! They serve a ‘Churmuri Papad’ as a side dish with everything – crushed papad with salt, pepper and a little fresh coriander. I topped the Keema Pav with this crunchy little titbit and it tasted out of this world. Keema Pav took me to a third dimension that day!

All this food was washed down with Rollu’s Desi Remix (Rs. 50) – A Lemon, Jaljeera, Soda mixture which actually tasted pretty good! Rollu’s Iced Tea (Rs. 50) is not your usual packet-wala Iced Tea so that might be disappointing for some. For me it was a great drink – fresh tea, ice, lemon and just the right amount of sugar.

Watch out for Rollu – he’s coming around the corner to Gurgaon soon! Try and get your hands on the adorable story about Bade Rollu Saabh from Rollisthan, his grandson Rollu, Rollu’s pet Saandh – Pinky and his quick-witted love interest Rumaali who coins the phrase “Roll ke Andar kya Hai?”

Speedy Chow

By Aisha Bhattacharya

For someone who can eat at Mamagoto almost every day – Speedy Chow is a relief for the pocket! The menu is more or less the same, which is great, but it’s the pricing that really makes once smile! Fast, fresh and tasty food. So Speedy and very Chow!

A group of us went over to this little restaurant tucked away in Kailash Colony market. The location is the same spot previously occupied by Ambarsari and Barista before that. Very special to me because I won a contest with Barista at that very outlet a few years back.

Being one of the two Non-vegetarians in our group I had the pleasure of trying out the meaty stuff. We started with the Chicken Tom Yum Soup (Rs. 140) – hot, spicy and LOADED with Chicken. It definitely hits all the right spots. Just a tad bit too much coriander for my liking but a tasty soup overall.

For starters we had the Crispy fried Chicken with a Hot & Sweet Sauce (Rs. 190) – desperately trying to look like KFC did not help this dish much. I would not recommend it if you’re planning a meal there.

The Non-Veg Momo Platter on the other hand was a whole different story (Rs. 160 for 6 pcs) – 2 pcs each of Minced Chicken with red pepper, basil & pepper; Schezwan Chilli Chicken with Bell Peppers and Tibetan Style Momos. Lip-smacking platter that I could have eaten by myself! Even though I was a little sceptical when I read the descriptions, they managed to surprise me.

For the main course we tried all 3 Thai favourites – Red Curry, Green Curry and Thai Basil Spicy Sauce. With chicken, of course (Rs. 250 each)! The Sticky Rice (Rs. 100) that they suggested went well with the Thai curries. They were all adequately spiced and had soft succulent pieces of chicken that you can’t stop eating.

As an experience – Speedy Chow is the fastest Chinese/Thai on this side of Delhi. The décor says as much. Clean spaces, colourful graphics of Rabbits on the walls. They are rather cute – Rabbits sporting Aviators, Chinese moustaches and bearing cutlery. The identity of the restaurant has been designed by Shruti Shyam and I have to say she’s done a fabulous job in keeping with the fun, quirky look that the other restaurant of this hospitality chain – Mamagoto has.

If you’re ever wandering about in Kailash Colony wondering where to eat, think no further. Just ‘Hop’ in to Speedy Chow for a meal that’s quick on the plate and light on the pocket! They also do Home Delivery so call them at 011-41015260 if you’re feeling lazy to walk over.

 

An Afternoon in Jamia Bazaar

                        – Shreya Chowdhury

Jamia Bazaar 3 was organised by CEQUIN at India Islamic Cultural Centre on 26th-27th October 2013 with the agenda of improving the socio-economic conditons of the marginalised women of Jamia Nagar.

Sara Pilot and Laura Prabhu founded CEQUIN, Centre for Equity and Inclusion in 2008, an NGO which works for the welfare of women and children. They train these women in various skills to become economically self sufficient. Jamia Bazaar gives them a platform to showcase their skills and talents which, in turn, gives them economic benefit.  Sara Pilot feels that, unlike Purani Dilli which has a culture of its own and people are familiar with it, Jamia does not. Hence, Jamia Bazaar is a way of familiarising people with the flavour and elements of Jamia. This event is created with sustainability in mind and is not just a one-time show.  2013 is the third year of the Jamia Bazaar. It has seen a growth curve in terms of the number of people attending it and the number of people participating in it. The Jamia Bazaar also gives these women a space to come out of the dingy lanes and interact with people from different walks of life which has instilled them with confidence.

The two-day mela displayed items of various artwork, diyas, salwar suits, accessories and a wide assortment of food. Jamia Bazaar was conceived with the idea to meet the wants of those who come with their families to spend a pleasant weekend ,shopping and sampling the array of delicacies. The food was, however, not the highlight of the event though there was a good range of choice from the valleys of Kashmir to the deserts of Rajasthan to Park Street’s Flurys.  Though the Biryani was light and flavoursome, the taste was average.

The Shammi Kabab was the highlight of the meal. It melted in the mouth and was a total hit. Their original shop, Shabnam Shammi Kabab, is located at Batla House. The paranthas accompanying these kababs were soft and delicious. The seekh kabab was aromatic and well-seasoned, though a little hard. The shawarama was also quite a delight with good flavours.  The Kashmiri stall was popular amongst the buyers, with their Gostaba, Rista and their famous drink, kahwa.  ‘Apno Rajasthan’ also gave us a variety of dishes ranging from kachori to dal pakoda to mawa kachori. The meal ended with a delightful fudge cake from Flurys. The only sentence to describe it would be, ‘heaven on a plate’.

Colourful kashmiri shawls, glittery accessories, good food and Qawali playing in the background created a nice ambience. The event had a very cosy and family-like environment, which can be attributed to the people who made it possible. Overall, it was an afternoon well spent.  We will be looking forward to Jamia Bazaar next year!

Photos by Foodie Photographer:Kali Walia