The Changezi trail

Chicken Changezi

Genghis Khan the founder of the great Mongol empire would never have imagined that a delicacy would ever be named after him, forget, be cherished at least a few centuries later. Yes, I am talking about Chicken Changezi, a Ramzan delicacy and patronized by a small motley restaurant near Jama Masjid. As the story goes , Genghis Khan was fond of food which was not quite spicy and was presented with a delicacy of chicken prepared in milk and ghee, replacing water. The rest has been history. Half a decade ago, when we ( +Jameel Ahmad Khan and me) first set out in search of this place, we were advised to lookout for a pehlwan (wrestler), and while walking through the alleys near Jama Masjid, we spot a guy sitting in front of a shop, almost the dimensions of a Sumo wrestler and the intuition was confirmed by a tiny board announcing "Chicken Changezi".

Chicken Soup

Chicken Changezi

Half a decade later and few dozens trips later, we still cherish the taste of Chicken Changezi and much more, the price as we run out of money at the end of the month. The place has rarely changed including the bearers, except for a new expanded seating arrangement, and a new kiosk where you can collect your coupons. The taste still remains the same, the price has marginally changed. For the less adventurous, and who have attachments (family, I mean), there is a more amicable place for you at Darya Ganj, just next to Golcha Cinemas. 

Must try:

Chicken Changezi

Chicken Soup

Reaching There

Take a rickshaw from Jama Masjid Gate No 2 or walk down the narrow road. Ask for directions if you get lost.

Summary points:

Food 9/10

Ambience 4/10

Service 4/10

Value for Money 9/10

Get Drunk Drinking Milk

The Milk Tawa

I know that is a preposterous statement. No, I did not want to make you a fool on April 1, nevertheless I am happy that you want to know more.

For all who hated drinking milk as a kid, yes we are on the same page, and believe me, if you did not try this place, you have missed something. The place is just outside Jama Masjid Gate No 1; the corner shop just before Karims. You will see a guy in front of a huge tawa boiling milk, and a modest crowd surrounding the tawa, each waiting for their turn to gulp a glass. The milk is boiled to a to a slurry and topped with a bit of Rabdi (condensed milk), and served in earthern pots. Gulp a glassful, and you should be immediately feeling a burst of serotonin.

Where: Kallan Sweets, Near gate No 1, Jama Masjid

Must try :
Tawa Milk

Reaching there:
The restaurant is near Gate 1 of Jama Masjid, just near to Karims. If you take a metro, get down and Chawri bazaar and get a cycle rikshaw. Parking is not available near the restaurant.

Summary points:
Food 9/10
Ambience 5/10
Service 4/10
Value for Money 9/10

Step aside if you could'nt get into Karims

Brain Curry

For many, eating at old Delhi means just Karims, but many at times the place is too crowded especially if you are taking your family or friends. There are quite some places around which offer authentic Mughalai cuisine I you have been unlucky to get your foot in Karims. Al Jawahar is just next door to Karims. The place is roomy and has a family section, and of course, air-conditioned. The staff is quite well behaved, prompt and friendly unlike at Karims.

Roomali Roti

The menu is quite a comprehensive list of Mughalai dishes. The dishes come in substantial proportions and usually unless you are quite a glutton more than sufficient for a person. There are quite some dishes you should try. If you are adventurous, yo should try the yummy Brain curry. For the less adventurous , you have Chicken Jahangiri and Chicken Kalimirch. If you want to take a safe bet, try Chicken/Mutton stew.

If you visit the restaurant in the morning , you could try Paaya for breakfast .

Must try :
Paaya (breakfast)
Brain curry
Chicken Jahangiri
Chicken/Mutton stew

Kebabs
Sheermal and Roomali roti

Reaching there: 
The restaurant is near Gate 1 of Jama Masjid, just near to Karims. If you take a metro, get down and Chawri bazaar and get a cycle rikshaw. Parking is not available near the restaurant.

Summary points:
Food 8/10
Ambience 5/10
Service 6/10
Value for Money 8/10

The Oriya way to your heart

If eating was in the genes, count on the genetic similarities between Bengalis and Oriyas. Never in my life could I imagine crab could be cooked in as man as over a dozen ways till I had visited Puri. If you are looking forward to eating the Oriya way, without a pinch on your pocket, the restaurant at Orissa Niwas in Chanakyapuri is where you should head out to.

Must try
Crab curry
Prawn curry
Mutton curry
Small fish fried

Rasagullas
Chanapoda

Reaching there
Orissa niwas is off Kautilya Marg near Ashoka Hotel. Do not confuse it with Orissa Bhawan which is a stones, throw away. At the end of Kautilya Marg, take a turn into Bordoloi Marg. It is th second block n your right side. Parking is available outside the place. The nearest metro station is Race Course.

A slice of Korea without cutting through your wallet

Crab Kimbap

It is not surprising to find restaurants that offer exclusive foreign cuisine at quite improbable places in Delhi. This one is Korea Restaurant at Kingsway Camp (aka GTB Nagar).

Kimchi Ramyon

This unique restaurant is one of the few Korean restaurants in Delhi authentic and run by a Korean. The other popular ones are in South Delhi. The restaurant is quite simple, in sync with the Korean simplicity, with wooden furniture and simple interior decoration. The joint is frequented by a large number of students, mostly from North-Eastern states and Teachers at Delhi University.

The staff is friendly and usually are patient to explain what each item is cooked and what they contain. The restaurant procures items from Korea directly, especially things which are not available locally and even have a noodle machine. The owner is quite friendly, and would fondly recite to you of his years in Delhi university years ago as a student and how he fell in love with Delhi.

Food is quite modestly priced, a fraction of what you would otherwise pay at a South Delhi counterpart and offers modest sized portions.

Must try : 
Crab Kimbap / Tuna Kimbap
Kimchi Ramyon (Noodles)
Jeyuk Bokkeum (Spicy Pork)
Tang Su Yuk (Sweet and Sour Chicken Fried)

Reaching there:
Take the turn on ring road towards Mukherjee Nagar. The restaurant is a block away from the Cafe Coffee Day restaurant at Indra Vihar, Mukherjee Nagar.

Summary points
Food 8/10
Ambience 7/10
Service 7/10
Value for Money 7/10

There is more to Carnatic than music and dance

Carnatic Cafe

Wall hangings inside the restaurant

If you thought Carnatic was a prefix to music, you might be wrong until you start exploring what carnatic cuisine could be. It was sheer accident I discovered this place, neatly tucked in a not-so-conspicuous corner in New Friends Colony. We had lost our way in the weekend madness only to discover a small board announcing a cafe in the ground-floor of India Mall (hic!) while I had to take my die-hard vegetarian friend out for dinner. The place looked legitimately vegit.  Being from South, my reflexes are set to look away from anything that announces "South Indian Food" in Delhi, nevertheless the place had a charm: cute and homely that could attract a carnivore.

Platter

 The place was minimalist, unlike most restaurants in Delhi, with neatly set tables and ambient lighting. The walls had neatly arranged frames of colorful photographs and posters of movies and aroma of fresh ground coffee and steaming ghee which rightly reminded olden days in college canteens.

The menu was modest, with a strikingly large list of Dosas, and yes, of course modestly priced, and of-course everything comes with a set of coconut chutneys: red, green and white.

The staff was cordial and more than happy to guide you through the menu and explain the details.

Things you should try:
Dosas / Ghee Roast
Lunch Platter
Sweets: Obattu

Summary points
Food 7/10
Ambience 7/10
Service 8/10
Value for Money 7/10

Alas, all things wicked start from innocence

"Good taste is the worst vice ever invented" --Edith Sitwell

It has been long I have been thinking of putting together my expeditions in Delhi for food, which is not trivial as you might think. Being a solitary soul, life everyday is constantly adapted to where you can find dinner at night. I have missed the deadlines quite some time, and have a ready stock of biscuits and coke to tide over in case, but it has been commonplace that you find the old Sardarji at Kingsway Camp happily invite "aap andar bait jayiye" despite him having his shop half closed and employees ready to leave at 12.30 midnight.

I have traveled to probably all major cities in India, but nowhere could I find the warmth of the Sardarji who readily offers me food, despite the shop is half closed and employees yearning to get back home. I have been shooed away from a Chennai restaurant at 9.00 PM, denied food from a roadside shack at Kochi, but never denied dinner anywhere in Delhi if they could by any chance afford to spare me one.

As a "honorary consultant" on food matters to many of my colleagues, I have had many ask me to write about the places, I had some ideas, but as an idealist I always wanted the perfect plot, which never took shape. I dont know what the tipping point was, but when somebody who was not so familiar to me, but following my pics on my facebook album titled "For the Gut and Soul @ Delhi" asked me yesterday where he could get "boti kabab", I readily decided to put up the details on a blog. I had no idea people would remember what I had uploaded years ago. I have decided to put it on an "as-it-is" basis. Thanks to blogger, a fantastic tool I discovered years ago, I can now blog from my mobile, and even share photographs in realtime. I hope to put up maps, locations and possibly every detail which could help you locate the place. I hope to add a few more features on this blog which would enable people to feed me back (or at least give a feedback !!).

The name of the blog was obvious: it shares the taste of Delhi.

Hope you would enjoy reading, and probably enjoy even more by eating out !!