CP – Page 2 – Delhi Food Walks

Posted on October 14, 2014 October 14, 2014

Crispy Kachoris of Janpath

Crispy Kachoris of Janpath

By Anubhav Sapra

I received a tweet yesterday –“the nip is in the air and the nuts are back”, with a picture of a huge mound of groundnuts with a clay pot kept at the centre. The clay pot is filled with the small pieces of wooden sticks. These are lit so to keep the surrounding nuts warm. It also rained in some parts of North Delhi and the mercury dipped further. To celebrate the pleasant weather, I headed out to Janpath to grab a plate of Crispy kachoris, bread pakodas and samosa.

Ranjeet is the man who sells delicious mouth-watering kachoris on the pavement of Janpath. One can easily find him in the morning (9:30 – 12:00) and evening (4:00 to 7:30), sitting opposite Midland Book Shop with a blue box containing kachoris, samosas and bread pakodas, a huge bucket filled with Potato and Chickpeas curry and a half-litre sprite bottle filled with green spicy chutney.

All the three dishes are priced at Rs 10 each. I tried each one of them, starting with Kachoris, then samosas and finally bread pakodas. Ranjeet serves kachori in a dona and adds aloo chane ki sabzi to it. He squeezes the sprite bottle to pour some green chutney over it. The kachoris with the filling of lentils were great in taste, crispy and fresh. The samosas and bread pakodas were equally delectable.

It’s a good start to celebrate the onset of pleasant winter weather with light crispy kachoris. My next stop is Old Delhi’s Khemchand, Gali Paranthewali, who is back with his Daulat ki Chaat, a delicacy of winter!

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

Posted on September 20, 2014 September 20, 2014

Mini Samosa

September 20, 2014

Mini Samosa

By Anubhav Sapra

Long back I read an article titled ‘Samosa trail’by Chitra Balasubramaniam, where she tried to cover the journey of Samosa in Delhi and discussed its variants at great length. Starting from the legendary Embassy’s samosa to the Japani Samosa, she had covered it all! Here are a few of them:

Embassy Samosa: Weighing 300-350 grams, this samosa isfilled with cubed potatoes, paneer pieces, matar (peas) and loads of green chillies.

Where: Lutyen’s Connaught Place.

Farukhabadi Samose: It has mashed potatoes, to which salt and red chilli powder are added.

Where: Shanti Mohalla, near Gandhi Nagar market.

Allahabadi Samose: This variant of the samosa is filled with well-fried dal.

Where: Bengali Sweet House at Bengali Market

Japani Samosa: This snack has a total of 60 layers filled with aloo, matar and very little spice which seeps through the incredibly crisp layers. This is served with delicious, piping hot pindichane and an interesting pickle of lauki (bottle gourd) and mango.

Where: Manohar, Chandni Chowk

Recently, I was at Connaught Place, getting my breakfast packed from an eatery famous for Chole Kulche near Scindia House. While crossing the subway from the Hindustan Times office to the other side of Naurang House, I noticed a man sitting on the pavement near Parsvnath complex, swiftly wrapping mashed potatoes with a thin dough and frying it. The size of the samosa took me by surprise! It was so small that it has been rightly named Mini Samosa. The weight of one samosa would besomewhere between 10-15 grams. Inflation, a key poll issue in last general elections, seems to have no effect on the mini samosa. 6 samosas are served with green coriander chutney at a minimal price of Rs.10. It is a treat to your taste buds.

Sri Ram, the owner, and his son Rajesh, who hail from UP, have been selling this delightful, affordable snack to office goers sincethe past 12 years at the same pavement.

The next time you are in Connaught Place, near Barakhamba Road,find your way to the Mini Samosa wale and gobble up the mini treat! I’m just happy to have added another variant to Ms. Balasubramaniam’s list.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on June 28, 2014 September 20, 2014

Wenger’s Deli

June 28, 2014

Wenger’s Deli

By Somya Kukreti

Wenger’s Deli is a restaurant located at the end of A-block in Connaught Place and could be very easily missed if you don’t know what you’re looking for. You might know the Wenger’s bakery better for its long standing reputation but the Deli too is a fantastic place to take refuge from the C.P crowd and have delicious food.

I love Wenger’s and go there whenever I can. Since I’m a regular there, quite predictably, I have my usual order, though everything else on the menu is a must-have too!During my last visit, I had the chicken lasagne with silken chocolate shake. The chicken lasagne is just a heart-warming and complete meal with the garlic bread. The silken chocolate shake is, well, as smooth as silk and is the best shake on the menu. There have been days when there was too much banana in the shake or when the lasagne was a tad bit burnt (they did replace it) but I’d like to think that those days are behind us.

Other than the chicken lasagne, Wenger’s provides fish and chips with a fun, garlicky dip to go with it, though I’ve always thought the fillets could be thicker. The Penne Arrabiatais smooth and a delight to eat. Among the Panini, the chicken pepper pesto is my sister’s favourite. The pieces of chicken are juicy and big, but for me, the pesto is too overwhelming a flavour. The deli also has desserts, different than the ones you get at the bakery and a wide variety of them as well, which are sure to serve everyone’s palette.

The location of Wengers is fantastic, though I have gone around in circles looking for it, literally. It’s a small deli with seating for only about 10 people, which gives you the opportunity to really relax and be comfortable in a place where your personal space is not being invaded. Beyond the cashier and the glass barrier, you can see your food being freshly made and the aroma that fills the small room is enough to whet your appetite. The menu prices have undergone a change in the last year or so but they still remain very affordable – the silken chocolate shake costs Rs.70 and the Chicken Lasagne costing just below Rs.200.

In my opinion, everyone should eat at Wengers at least once because once is enough to get you hooked!

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on May 17, 2014 April 26, 2015

Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle

May 16, 2014

Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle

By Anubhav Sapra

After a long stressful day at work, coming back home and switching on the TV to see the same old rhetoric by political parties can make life despairing. However, a visit to an ice-cream parlor can rejuvenate the senses beyond measure. I realized this when I was invited to review different varieties of ice-cream at Pabrai’s Fresh and Naturelle at Connaught Place. The outlet is opposite to Haldiram’s in outer circle, near Bhape da Hotel. The franchise is owned by Mr. Harsh ( Cell no. . 9582812144) There is another outlet of Pabrai’s in East Patel Nagar, run by Mr. Harsh’s son-in-law, Anujeet Singh.

This Kolkata-based ice-cream parlor was founded in 2008 and has 28 outlets across India.The brand claims to deliver natural ice-creams without any artificial essence or added colours. The ice-cream is procured from Kolkata by Rajdhani Express twice a week. In fresh fruit flavors, I tasted Watermelon, Musk Melon, Chikoo fruit, Tender Coconut, Anjeer and Alphonso mango. They also have the kind of flavors that, regardless of our age, can make our heart pine for- Bubblegum and Banana Toffee. But the ones I liked the most were Pabrai’s Nolen Gur, Chandan, South Indian Coffee and Toasted Almond. The scoops are priced between Rs. 39 and Rs. 129 (excluding taxes), and tubs (500 ml) between Rs. 222.220 and Rs. 417.780.

Pabrai’s Nolen Gur ice-cream is served with real nolengur (a variety of molasses) and has chunks of jaggery in it. It is a treat to the taste buds. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The South Indian Coffee has the taste of strong filter coffee, popular in South India. The owner informed us that this flavor has seen an increase in demand since the time it was introduced.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this parlor. It certainly is worth a visit. After all they do have an impressive clientele -The Park, Sheraton, Taj and many others.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on December 31, 2013 April 26, 2015

Dilli ke Pakwan Festival

By Prerna Sinha

This street food festival organized by the Delhi Tourism from 23 – 29 Dec’13 was an experience, back to back stalls for kilometers, and free entry, what else does a foodie need?

The fest, organized at Baba Khadak Singh marg appeared so colourful and happy, visited by thousands of people from all walks of life- children, students, professionals and elders, everyone turned up to satiate their taste buds. Stalls serving street food had decked up the whole area- Rajasthani, Punjabi, Bihari, Mughlai, South Indian, you name it and you could savor on it.

Sweet, Spicy or sour every delicacy was yummy, carrying the traditional touch from its area of origin, be it Changezi Chicken, Daulati Chaat or Moong dal kepakore. Menu from different stalls covered wide range of food from the states. Stalls from Rajasthan tempted people into trying Daal bhaati choorma, moong dal ke pakode, pyaazkikachori, kesariyajalebi. The stalls serving fish and Changezi chicken were some of the most popular ones since the non vegetarian food stalls were lesser in number than vegetarian food.
Typical street food from Delhi included scrumptious chhole bhature, mashhooor cheele, tikki chaat, soya chaap and bread pakore. The variety of food presented from different parts of the country was incredible.

A very successful fest, gave Delhiites the reason to come out of home and taste the traditional food from across the country at one place. People also looked at this as an opportunity to spend time with family, friends, away from the monotony of life and thoroughly enjoyed it, with bright sun!

We look forward to more fests of the kind in future.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on November 29, 2013 April 26, 2015

Indian Coffee House

Back to the bygone era: Indian Coffee House, CP

By Sanskrit Nagar

A place where you have an almost ideal mix of sunlight and shade, where the wild and the civilized are in perfect harmony, no one disturbs while you brainstorm over a meal that is as cheap as it was quite a few years back. And when I say, “quite a few years back”, your mind takes you to just one place, yes Indian Coffee House.

The oldest café in Delhi, where revolutionaries and freedom fighters once met, greets you with unbelievably cheap prices and plenty of space to sit in. The balcony or the inner area is entirely up to you. The space is enough to accommodate the daily footfall but lacks maintenance. The benches might be a tad bit uncomfortable for some but they make you feel like the second floor of Mohansingh Palace has seized time.

The staff is polite but not too interested, their uniform which has lost its charm over the years still will fascinate you. Your order will take a minimum of 20 minutes to be served unless you have super-human communication skills or a constant smile on your face. My cold coffee with ice-cream and chowmein arrived in exactly 10 minutes and were both value for money. I played safe by filling my tummy with the popular items but you could also try Dosa, Scrambled eggs or the Cheese omelet. The food has that typically generic North Indian flavor to almost everything you but it is all served fresh and hot. You could probably try everything and even then the bill wouldn’t burn a hole in your pocket.

A few things to note about ICH are, first – the bamboo stick beside every table. These are to shoo away monkeys who stroll about almost every day. Second – the desperate fact that ICH needs a makeover or soon it will be nothing but a place that serves cheap food. Third – please carry a lot of patience and time when you visit ICH as you may just want to chill for a while.

Personal recommendation- Cold coffee with ice-cream

Price for two- Rs 200

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com