WHERE THE EATS HAVE NO FAME
A wise man
once said: you don’t need a silver fork to eat good food. Welcome to the small
but golden restaurants of India’s big cities
There’s an AC area at
Eden Park in Bengaluru, which serves the best biryani. But, it is the non-AC
part where the meal must be had
In
a world consumed by Michelin stars, 88 best restaurants in the world and a
flood of food awards, I am happy to play the Pied Piper to the little known,
the rarely-spoken-about and the never noticed places.
Just
the other day, I was sent a mail asking me if I would like to interview a
two-michelin star chef. I panicked. I wrote back to the editor saying that I
was ill-equipped to undertake such a marvellous mission. I cannot even
pronounce words such as degustation, en-papillote and soubise.
My
favourite pet is an underdog. So, here is a list of the places that float my
gloat. These are my go-to places in the cities I go to.
WORLD’S BEST BIRYANI
IN BENGALURU
While
Manu Chandra has masterfully changed the ‘platescape’ of Bengaluru, I confess I
have not had the good fortune to eat at Toast & Tonic, though his Monsoon
Bone Broth and Flash Aged Steak have been showing me their cleavage for a while
and very soon, I hope to be there. But in Bengaluru, the one meal that I
absolutely must have is at Eden Park. Their mutton biryani is fiercely
fabulous. I would rate it as the best biryani I have ever had. Equally
staggering is their chilly chicken (Andhra Style). I time my flight to
Bengaluru to ensure that I am in time for lunch. Bowing to social pressure,
there is an air-conditioned area. But I would never sit there. It is the
unfashionable, non-airconditioned area where the meal must be had.
SARDAR’S, CRYSTAL AND
GUJJU FOOD IN MUMBAI
There hasn’t been a single
trip to Mumbai where I haven’t had pav bhaji from Sardar’s. It is simply
superlative. I like it very spicy and with loads and loads of butter. A statin
after that takes care of stupid things such as cholesterol.
The other nugget in
Mumbai is Crystal on Chowpatty. I love their dal fry and alu gobi. Perfectly
paired with chapattis and butter as the topping.
The Trident at Bandra
Kurla attracts loads of Gujaratis from the diamond bourse nearby. So the
infinitely wise David Mathews decided to hire a Maharaj for their coffee shop.
He whips up a mean dal and saag. It remains amongst my most memorable meals to
date. At the other end, and unknown to most, is the legendary egg curry by chef
Satbir at The Oberoi. The trick that he employs is simple: the eggs are soft
boiled. As you penetrate the egg with a roti, the yolk breaks free and mixes
with the curry to provide a texture and taste that is simply lovely.
PLASTIC
CHAIRS, BAD SERVICE AND A FABULOUS THALI IN KATHGODAM
I go up to the hills of
Uttarakhand every year. And frankly, I am quite done with the Udupiwala
restaurant at Kathgodam. For the longest time, I have suffered their obese
idlis and staid sambar. On a trip last month, I decided to quiz a bunch of
train conductors on an alternative to the agony that Udupiwala has become. The
answer from all of them was the same – bhojanalaya at Kathgodam station. The
place has plastic chairs and plastic tablecloths. The service is godawful. And
because the food is freshly prepared, waiting 30 minutes for a meal is quite
the norm. But when the vegetarian thali arrives, all is forgiven. The chapattis
are hot with a river of ghee flowing on them. Their alu-matar is staggering. As
are the vegetables, the dal and the papad – fresh as a flower. It is more than
a meal. It is an abiding memory.
A NU
VARIETY BREAKFAST, SHIRAZ CHAAPS IN KOLKATA
Lunch for me always is
four leg pieces of Chicken Chaap from Shiraz along with their maida paratha.
The meat is succulent and the gravy thick with spices. All of it swimming in an
olympic-size pool of oil. Their biryani has gone down the tube and is rank
inferior now. The other alternatives for lunch are Kwality’s on Park Street
where the Ghais have maintained a charming consistency with their saag meat and
chickenMbharta. Down the road, Bar-B-Q is ethereal as ever. Their Chimney Soup
is historical as is their chilli chicken. It is also imperative to have the dal
chilas from the cart opposite Dimple Court on Wood Street. Paired with their
garlic chutney, it makes for gastronomic glory. On my last trip to Kolkata, I
was also introduced to the kachori-alu at Tea Junction. The alus had their skin
on them. That was such a significant spin. The kachoris were light and
tasteful. Dinner for me is koshamangsho from New Punjabi Hotel in Shyambazar. The
mutton is beautifully black. It is hard as nails and spicy as hell. It is
cooked in mustard oil, which adds distinction to it. The luchis are made of
maida. One plate of these clears the nasal passages. It is a culinary Nasonex.
I have no time for the rolls
of Kolkata. Both Nizam’s and Gupta Rolls are nothing but forgettable nostalgia.
LOTAN
CHOLE WALA MEETS DELHI CLUB HOUSE IN THE NCR
Where does one begin?
Perhaps with breakfast. Here, two stars shine brightly. The bedmi puri from
Shyam Sweets in Chandni Chowk. The puris have just the right mix of urad dal.
And the alus dance to the beat of full flavours. The accompanying pickled
carrots are such a glowing rider to them.
Much has been said about
the kulche chole from Amritsar. If you ask me, Amritsar has lost the plot on
that score. The best
kulche chole are from
Breakfast Point in Rohini. The chole are soft and thick. The kulchas are packed
with alu and just the right amount of anardana. Magical.
For chole-bhature, it has
to be Nand Di Hatti in Sadar Bazar. The bhaturas are light and fluffy thanks to
the semolina they add to the flour. And the pickles there are frightfully
fantastic. My chilly tolerance levels are unmatched. But Lotan Chole Wala in
Chawri Bazar can even total a guy like me. But the fact is they are simply
delicious. For mutton curry, nothing comes close to Ahuja & Ahuja. The
mutton is soft. The curry is thick with the spices and reeks of ghee. Best had
at their stand-only eatery in Sadar Bazar. The other masterful mutton curry is
the one by Mutton By Kilo. The one cooked in mustard oil is heroic.
Asfaras chickenis
concerned, nothing comes close to the Gorkha Langar Chicken by Rumi’s Kitchen.
It is devoid of unnecessary atmosphere. And is light yet flavourful.
As a family, we are huge
purveyors of Chinese food. In particular, egg fried rice. There was a time when
Taipan would make a mean one. Personally, I think Dine-Esty in Gurgaon takes
the cake now. It brims with fluffy eggs and vivacious leeks and spring onions.
I have also done exhaustive research on two soups that I am terribly fond of:
lemon chicken coriander soup and chicken manchow soup. I am not a fan of the
clear lemon coriander soups. I like mine thick with generous amounts of chicken
and egg. Nooba in Gurgaon is my favourite spot for it. And as far as chicken
man chow soup is concerned, Big Wong in Gurgaon makes a magical one. I have one
almost every day.
I am also particular
about my momos. And the only place I have it in or from, is Delhi Club House.
The momos are firm. The meat is tender and the accompanying sauce is sheer
genius. It is also the only place where one can get a decent khau swey.
When it comes to cold
cuts, there are just two places that I subscribe to. For the finest mutton
burger patties and great hand-stuffed sausages, look no further than Artisan
Meats. And for the best pork cocktail sausages, ham and the earth’s best salami
it has to be Pig Po.
Finally, for pickles,
there is no life beyond Preeti Chadha.
So that’s my pick of the
places that do the trick for me.
Each day, a new favourite
enters my life and an older one bows out.
And, as Paul Prudhomme
once famously said and I totally agree with him: “You don’t need a silver fork
to eat good food.”
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