Looking Out for the Restaurant Faux Pas!

I can’t tell how it feels to be robbed at a place where nobody comes to your rescue, mainly because you make the plunge at your own peril. No, I am not talking about some deadly terrorist encounter. I am talking about setting a foot into a restaurant and setting the same foot out, robbed of all money and sadly, satisfaction, too.

One such encounter that I had at a restro, supposedly one of the best restaurants in Delhi, left me thinking about the authenticity of the word -‘best’. While some restaurants, like Dhaba By Claridges, Pind Baluchi, or Dawat live upto their names, others just come across as a terrible disappointment. While zeroing on a North Indian Restaurant in Delhi, here are the most common things NOT to look out for!

The old, boring food

Every North Indian Restaurant in Delhi will have the usual Dal Makhani and Shahi Paneer on its platter. How the restaurant reinvents it decides how things click with the customers. Nobody would splurge their hard earned money on a dish that can be as easily cooked at home too. New is the fad these days. Adopt it, and stick to it!

Candle lit Ambience and Non engaging Staff

Ask today’s youngsters or even elders for that matter, Candle lit ambience is a thing that has ceased to be a charmer. People these days hunt down places that could cater to their frolicky taste and enjoy their meals and drinks in a wacky manner. Quirky ambience punctuated with bizarre elements like cool feedback chits pasted on the walls strike a chord with the audience. Well that’s closely enough to leave a long lasting impression on the foodies.

A non engaging staff is a big turn off, too. Imagine an attendant who makes an unbothered expression at your orders and doesn’t nod or say yes as a token of affirmation? An engaging and a warm staff, hence, is imperative to a pleasant dining experience. 

How Planning Comes in Handy While you are Cooking

I remember waking up to my mother instructing me to have things in control at home while she was leaving for a holy trip for a few days. For days I was baffled to wake up and sleep back with a concern about what to cook buzzing all around and about the day. What to prepare is the only thing I was perturbed with. It wasn’t the case that I haven’t cooked before but planning a meal is going to haunt me for ages now. It is not solely about the taste which may decide a meal but there are a lot many considerations and thoughts which get into while preparing a meal. 

When I was preparing a meal I made it a point to make it with a right balance of taste and health. Though it was a lot of trouble I confess, to prepare an appetizing palate considering the health part of it but few tips which I learnt from a chef from the best restaurants in Delhi came to the rescue. Sticking on to the nutritious value I prepared a plan to make the supper delectable. After chalking out a strategy I decided to prepare the breakfast nutritious, lunch savouring and heavy and dinner mostly light with a dessert with some home-made snacks in between.

Here are a few tips I adhered to while I planned and prepared the meals-

-Avoid including processed and readymade food, since we don’t have any control over its make-up. When having salads do not include pickles and dips into it. Apart from adding unnecessary calories they are unhealthy.

- I learnt this from a chef of a North Indian restaurants in Gurgaon that you must revisit the list of your groceries before you actually go shopping. Generally we don’t have a fixed idea what we will be buying and therefore the unrequired fuss about what to prepare. This kind of planning becomes much important in a big set up like a restaurant where managing an inventory itself is a task complex enough. 

-Pick a leaner piece of meat for palates which cannot be cooked with a lot of oil. Choose for extra virgin olive oil to make it healthier. Pick the organic, non-polished variants of rice and  pulses. While stocking on essential herbs and exotic vegetable for extra flavours do remember to opt for whole grain bread and pasta. 

Conclusively a bit of planning and sticking to something healthy and tasty at the same time helps you sail through even through the toughest time you are having while cooking.

Splurge on the Street Food at Saket this Monsoon!

How often do you find yourself binging on that one extra plate of Pani Puri or those two extra glasses of the street vendor’s lemon water? Very often, right? No one understands the ethereal feeling of gorging on the street food like a typical Delhi-ite does. But then, a Delhi-ite must also understand that if there is anything that holds the potential to give you turbulent pangs of sickness in Monsoons, then it is the street food only. 

It’s already Monsoon in Delhi, are people are becoming increasingly wary of what they splurge on. Parental sermons reek of ‘don’t-eat –out-anywhere’ stuff. Street delicacies have become brutalities, and are a big No-No. But can we really wait for the monsoon to terminate to dwell on these dainties? I guess no. 

Street food doesn’t necessarily have to be eaten at the streets. There are a number of north Indian restaurants Saket where you can easily gobble down your favourite spice without even remotely worrying about the health consequences. Many good quality restaurants that offer north Indian cuisine in Delhi have arrangements for healthy street snacking. You will often find the sellers wearing protective gloves while making dishes, in addition to taking extra care about the cleanliness of utensils. The water that the high profile restaurants in south Delhi use is uncontaminated, and hence safe to be used for cooking purposes.  These restaurants hire professionals who make sure that contamination never meddles with taste and health. And that’s precisely what makes them stand apart from the various other restaurants in Delhi.

In a nutshell, spend your weekend at some restaurant in Saket, south Delhi that will offer delectable street spice with absolutely no compromise on your health. You can always let your appetite loose for the taste buds that demand to be fed only by the spice of street!

What goes behind a successful restaurant?

Good food is so much more than just having something well-cooked to satiate your taste buds; rather it is a complete experience. Pleasing all the senses together, it is an inseparable aspect of luxuries of life. This is why, the food industry is undergoing an exponential growth. 

Picking up the cue on this, several north Indian restaurants in Gurgaon have revamped their services to offer nothing but the best. Taste obviously comes foremost, so, the best chefs are hired. Experienced and the best in the industry, they tactfully play with each and every ingredient to bring out the best flavours. Ideally, the rich and zesty tastes are preserved with perfection yet tweaked around to give it a distinctive tinge. And since every mother in Indian household knows how to cook excellent north Indian food, the expectation levels are high. The patrons want their favourite dishes served uniquely and then it is even more difficult to give it a signature hint and maintaining the consistency forever. The flexibility to play around is limited and yet you are expected to give outstanding results, says a chef at one of the best restaurants in Delhi. 

Then, as we know, mastering the taste buds isn’t the only challenge. The dish will be dressed well to give the patrons value for money. ‘Balti Meat’ would have lost half of its charm if it were not for the dressing of the curry in antique utensils with the cream and nut. Everything is touched-up to perfection before it is put on a table. 

Ambience is the next necessary factor. The look and feel of the place should be of comfort. Depending on the kind of theme you want to adopt, it can either be kept simple on the cue of country kitchen format or for the five-star luxury, it can be furnished like a fine-dine. A soothing interior with a laid back interior works the best, though you are pen to experiment your own fancy ideas.

Friends with-‘out’ Benefits

As you must have guessed, but I did not, at that time, I was greeted with a familiar face-- the same golgappe wala. Our reactions were nothing like old friends, wild and fancy. Both of us recognized each other, acknowledged it silently and respected the fact. The first words we exchanged were not of complains or queries, instead I handed over the drink. Bewildered by the gesture, he didn’t know what to say. After some insistence and resistance he finally gulped it down in a single go.

Now relieved, I asked him about this particularly not so lucrative business when he could make the world’s best North Indian food Delhi. An expression passed over his face. If it was despair, it did not last more than a millisecond. He said, “It is the only respectable job I could do without start-up money Sir”. Finding me confused, he went ahead with his story.

He used to own a small dhaba serving North Indian cuisine in Delhi. They had a happy and decent life. But then, his wife was diagnosed with cancer and he used up everything he had, still failing to save her. After that, he started again from scratch with two daughters left to be taken care of. The shed near my house was his second attempt at life, out of nothing.

I was shocked! He went through so much and I never found a freckle of despair on the man’s face. In fact delicious North Indian food Delhi wasn’t his only speciality. The simple grin was typical of him, and everybody felt attracted due to its utter sincerity. Honestly, I never met a man whose smile could be more convincing. His was so real that you would doubt your own happiness’s authenticity. And yet, he was struggling with his own inner turmoil. I mean look at us, if it’s a bad day at work, be it the pesky co-passenger in metro or the grocery store keeper; everyone has to face the brunt. Yet he was here, his story of misery only half told.

On the second chance, he had to sell up everything, to marry off the elder daughter. And with the younger one still left, he was trying to make whatever sense he could, out of life by selling magazines and dailies. Even amid all this, the unfailing smile never left his face.

I was dumbstruck by his simplicity and philosophy. Resolved to help him, I approached one of my friends, who holds a good position at a five star brand restaurant and referred him for a job. Honestly, this was not kindness and it did not mean anything to me. But, it was a life changer, for that man. And I learnt an incredible lesson out of nothing…

So, the next time when you face a difficulty, think of others who are bearing greater burdens. 

North Indian Restaurants serving Authentic cuisines

It is no surprise to find the gourmet scene of Delhi intriguing and inviting. Chefs of Delhi have learned the art of dishing up some of the best cuisines and if you happen to be in Delhi, on a leisure trip or on business, you will agree that Delhi is one of the ultimate North India food destinations for gastronomes.

From theby lanes of eateries in HauzKhas and Restaurants in Saket, to food joints at the heart of the city and to those placed at every nook and corner – the list goes on and there is no dearth of what welcomes you in terms of food choice. You are sure to appreciate the variety of creative gourmet delightsof North India - if you are a food aficionado, then Delhi is the right place for you. You would be fortunate to be at a place that does not appreciate food but celebrate it each day.In addition, what adds to the pleasing palates is the cooking style of North India, renowned worldwide and regarded as one of the refined.

The North Indian Food Delhi restaurants are highly regarded for their culinary art and out of the numerous cuisines to relish, a thriving native dish ofNorth India, which is an all-time-favorite of most population of the world, is the chicken tikka masala that has earned a special place in the kitchens of fine dine restaurants worldwide.

If you want to relish the best of North Indian food Delhi cuisines, then visit the old by lanes of Chandnichowk and you will be surprised with what the food outlets there can serve you. Straight from the imperial kitchens into that of restaurants in Saket, CP, Chandnichowk and so on, here are where you can relish cuisines that remain the signature dishes of Delhi. Biryanis, kebabs and the legendary chicken cooked in tandoor are specialties.

Keeping aside fine dine restaurants in Delhi, the casual food outlets are highly favored by locals and tourists as well. These outlets are simple, casual, and hygienic offering an authentic feasting experience.

The dhabbas hit the heart of Delhi in style

Even though originally dhabas were easy simple food joints, dotted along motorways, the values and meals society of these well-liked haunts have actually been updated to bring the same wholesomeness, robustness and flavours of cuisine to modern city restaurants to the likes of Dhaba by Claridges and Baujee Da Dhaba to name a few.

At the recently launched Dhaba by Claridges, the freeway dhaba complies with fine-dining. This standalone outlet in Delhi supplies unpretentious North Indian delights, similar to the motorway street food joints. The basic kitchen philosophy is to dispense hygienic, hearty food that pleases the belly and the senses alike with its easy goodness and sumptuousness. The concept is not to shroud the food with excessive butter or oil, making the dishes as well hefty on the palate, but to keep the meals advanced and delicious.

Split into three areas, the menu consists of the tawa, tandoor and handi style offerings. Recipes like Kanastari Baingan, famously known as baingan ka bharta offered in a copper container, Dhaba Tiffin Chicken, offered in a common two-compartment tiffin, seasoned Kulfis, sugar-free ice creams and a great deal of additional delicacies are on offer. There are some characteristic recipes that one can sample to their heart’s content. The rolls are differentiated by their fillings and taste that lays terrific focus on keeping it refined without an overdose of spices. The dish can be rounded off with Panditji’s famous desi betel paan, whose shop outside Dhaba Claridges is as well-known as this place itself.

India has actually always supplied effectively when it comes to their authentic and typical foods that have made a precise mark across the globe be it the renowned Murg Tikka Masala, Kormas or Shahi Kababs. Food has never been so unique in its taste and makes any person want to taste more of such recipes every so often. Owing to the Capital City's historic past, numerous cuisines comply with a blend of styles of cooking from the royal kitchens that have actually been kindly pushed onwards through to the current generation and are effectively executed in preference and taste therefore making Delhi NCR a ‘meal wonderland’ for vegetarians and non-vegetarians.