What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this cult figure of a café? Sometimes a figure becomes so popular that even if there was another original or first-of-its-kind, this becomes it and then the question becomes which was the original big chill of these very popular set of three restaurants. Though I would never want one too close to home, lest I spend every waking moment in it, and as anyone would know there is no walking distance from the big chill because should you be so lucky that after eating here you could walk any more steps than that will take you out of the market, more power to you. The original big chill café was opened very near its current location at the Kailash Colony market where its oriental cousin now resides. Made popular by the coffee and deserts that became an instant rage with the college crowd due to the proximity to LSR college for women, this restaurant serves up a great array of Italian salads, pastas, grills, desserts and perhaps the best pizzas and home made ice-creams in the country. Following the great success of the first appearance of the franchise, another but smaller version was opened at Khan Market that took off so well that a much larger one almost instantly followed.
The food is often inventive, innovative and yet the classic dishes like Lasagne, Bolognese and Carbonara are done to perfection. The café walls are lined with framed posters of old and new cinema however I don’t think dining in the company of so many movie stars is what makes this experience really special. I think there probably is never a secret sauce to good food but just plain good and fresh ingredients and I think this restaurant will give you all of those on a tasty plate without burning a hole in your pocket. The staff and service is very courteous yet a bit reserved but never too judging when they see you drool. Choose from one of the main course dishes and I promise you won’t be disappointed though my favourites are the grilled chicken or fish with Piri Piri sauce. If you need to fill a big craving have the chicken in white or red wine sauce. All the portions are very filling but will always leave you enough room to have one of the many great shakes, ice creams, yoghurts or cakes available in the selection. Everyone does or will have a favourite dessert here however I couldn’t pick one so I picked two – the blueberry cheesecake and the chocolate oreo ice-cream! Besides double filling in them this is the best thing that those oreo cookies could be used for.
Also, don’t bother making a reservation because they have a strict first come first served policy but I assure you the average 40 minute wait is well worth it. Just bear in mind the smaller outlet in Khan Market does not have a pizza oven. Standing outside looking in waiting for your turn to order you realize why the last thing the place needs is a liquor license and have people waste countless precious seconds while you are left outside longing. The popularity of the franchise that is well demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands of followers on Orkut communities and Facebook groups. I would probably not make a career in marketing or advertising with my slogans but if I were to sum it up for The Big Chill, it would be “if it’s on the menu, it’s good”.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Bukhara @ ITC Maurya Sheraton; Peshawari @ ITC Grand Maratha
I am not trying to kill two birds with one stone here, certainly not the bird popularly believed to be a North-West Frontier invention, the Tandoori chicken. In fact I believe most people in the region, present day Afghanistan most likely haven’t ever heard of or tasted the crown jewel in the world famous Indian cuisine which in fact was a local old Delhi invention and a hot selling item at the Moti Mahal in those busy streets. Having busted the myth the idea behind writing about both these restaurants together was the fact that both share the same menu, ambience and even the chef. That is the obvious next step after you create perfection – clone it! Peshawari tends to those in Mumbai missing or deprived of the heavenly ‘Dal Bukhara’ or the cooked to perfection ‘Sikandari Raan’ that us Delhi-ites often take for granted.
If it is a nice home cooked meal or if you’ve been craving the ‘ghar ki dal’ this is not the place for you. This is perhaps the most decadent meal, so rich that some might call it a heart attack on a plate. The menu offers a limited selection of non-vegetarian and vegetarian kababs, curries and breads but each item is clearly a dish perfected over many generations. And the most important ingredient is the one that is added last, at the table after serving, your hopefully clean hands with which the members of the staff insist you enjoy the great delicacies. My favourites are the previously mentioned a. ‘Dal Bukhara’ which comes from a pot that has been simmering away for days endlessly replenished constantly with boiled lentils and a healthy doze of butter and b. ‘Sikandari Raan’ or a whole leg of baby lamb, apart from the visual appeal the dish offers an aroma and distinct taste of the marinate with meat so tender that it easily falls of the bone. I would also recommend the ‘Barra Kabab’ which is basically lamb chops that take you back in time when it would seem that these kababs were slowly cooked on a hot slab of stone.
The service and ambience is excellent despite the fact I am sometimes reminded of the disturbing past of the people from this region who have faced life as refugees for several years including my own family members. The food once served quickly distracts you from the short uncomfortable looking furniture and no matter who orders the ‘Peshawari Naan’ whether it arrives at your table or another, the table-size bread never fails to hog the spotlight. Finally, if you have any room left after the meal don’t hesitate to try the kulfi or the gulab jamun for dessert, they are both worth the guilt. I don’t recommend frequent visits to the restaurant for heart patients but you can be sure that for a special moment in life the restaurant will certainly leave you with special memories. Most of the times I see locals hosting their friends or business partners from abroad at the restaurant and if they ever come back to the country they will ask their hosts to take them back there! Why not? If the restaurant is good enough for Bill and Hillary Clinton’s list of favourites, it’s good enough for me.
If it is a nice home cooked meal or if you’ve been craving the ‘ghar ki dal’ this is not the place for you. This is perhaps the most decadent meal, so rich that some might call it a heart attack on a plate. The menu offers a limited selection of non-vegetarian and vegetarian kababs, curries and breads but each item is clearly a dish perfected over many generations. And the most important ingredient is the one that is added last, at the table after serving, your hopefully clean hands with which the members of the staff insist you enjoy the great delicacies. My favourites are the previously mentioned a. ‘Dal Bukhara’ which comes from a pot that has been simmering away for days endlessly replenished constantly with boiled lentils and a healthy doze of butter and b. ‘Sikandari Raan’ or a whole leg of baby lamb, apart from the visual appeal the dish offers an aroma and distinct taste of the marinate with meat so tender that it easily falls of the bone. I would also recommend the ‘Barra Kabab’ which is basically lamb chops that take you back in time when it would seem that these kababs were slowly cooked on a hot slab of stone.
The service and ambience is excellent despite the fact I am sometimes reminded of the disturbing past of the people from this region who have faced life as refugees for several years including my own family members. The food once served quickly distracts you from the short uncomfortable looking furniture and no matter who orders the ‘Peshawari Naan’ whether it arrives at your table or another, the table-size bread never fails to hog the spotlight. Finally, if you have any room left after the meal don’t hesitate to try the kulfi or the gulab jamun for dessert, they are both worth the guilt. I don’t recommend frequent visits to the restaurant for heart patients but you can be sure that for a special moment in life the restaurant will certainly leave you with special memories. Most of the times I see locals hosting their friends or business partners from abroad at the restaurant and if they ever come back to the country they will ask their hosts to take them back there! Why not? If the restaurant is good enough for Bill and Hillary Clinton’s list of favourites, it’s good enough for me.
Intro
The business of selling food is one that is perhaps one that will always profit - that we can be sure of, and given the flooding of our newspaper and magazine stands and media frenzy around us, we can also be sure of the fact that virtually anything will get coverage.
So why am I writing about restaurants and why now? Apart from the fact that I am a self-confessed foodie and a great cook if I may say so myself, in fact just a trip to the butcher’s or grocery store is a treat in itself for me, I have realized a few major developments in and around myself. I feel compelled to share my observations about the establishments that pride in serving a cooked meal to their customers, who apart from those who have no other choice, are spending a great deal of time and money for.
One of the major changes I have noticed in the past couple of years in Delhi or should I say NCR is that there is a much wider choice available for diners than Pandara road, as well as the fact that customers are willing to pay very well for a dinner. In fact, a 2000 rupee plate of sushi or a 10000 rupee bottle of wine is easily sold here, rather you would have people falling over themselves for a 5000 rupee plate buffet at the latest restaurant. So, what is the change one may ask? Haven’t there always been restaurants and great chefs and hasn’t it always been both about the art and the commerce of gastronomy? So, why is India stating to import barrels of the world’s average or less than average wines at over a 100% duty and busy consuming it? It is because, dining out is never so much about the food or the place, it is about entertainment and it is that you pay a price for. When you get good table service to go with that you feel you got box seats to the event. So freedom of expression aside, I decided to start sharing my observations that I feel needed to be heard.
I have travelled well, from the west coast of North America to the east coast of Australia, and eaten well. In my articles I will be commenting and sharing my observations about my personal experience of dining at such restaurants. Of course the three most important aspects of eating out, or even a take away - the food, the quality of service, the ambience and then the WOW factor which may be one of the fore-mentioned or something completely different. I have only two biases – I greatly favour consistency and hinder discrimination. No disrespect to the vegetarians or vegans, but I feel pure vegetarian restaurants are discriminating against us carnivores. So apologies in advance to Sagar Ratna and Rajdhani that, despite their busy and bustling outlets, just had their final mention in my articles.
I look forward to keep trying out more and more restaurants and writing about it to each of my readers and your valuable feedback about my articles in the coming weeks. Bon Appétit!
So why am I writing about restaurants and why now? Apart from the fact that I am a self-confessed foodie and a great cook if I may say so myself, in fact just a trip to the butcher’s or grocery store is a treat in itself for me, I have realized a few major developments in and around myself. I feel compelled to share my observations about the establishments that pride in serving a cooked meal to their customers, who apart from those who have no other choice, are spending a great deal of time and money for.
One of the major changes I have noticed in the past couple of years in Delhi or should I say NCR is that there is a much wider choice available for diners than Pandara road, as well as the fact that customers are willing to pay very well for a dinner. In fact, a 2000 rupee plate of sushi or a 10000 rupee bottle of wine is easily sold here, rather you would have people falling over themselves for a 5000 rupee plate buffet at the latest restaurant. So, what is the change one may ask? Haven’t there always been restaurants and great chefs and hasn’t it always been both about the art and the commerce of gastronomy? So, why is India stating to import barrels of the world’s average or less than average wines at over a 100% duty and busy consuming it? It is because, dining out is never so much about the food or the place, it is about entertainment and it is that you pay a price for. When you get good table service to go with that you feel you got box seats to the event. So freedom of expression aside, I decided to start sharing my observations that I feel needed to be heard.
I have travelled well, from the west coast of North America to the east coast of Australia, and eaten well. In my articles I will be commenting and sharing my observations about my personal experience of dining at such restaurants. Of course the three most important aspects of eating out, or even a take away - the food, the quality of service, the ambience and then the WOW factor which may be one of the fore-mentioned or something completely different. I have only two biases – I greatly favour consistency and hinder discrimination. No disrespect to the vegetarians or vegans, but I feel pure vegetarian restaurants are discriminating against us carnivores. So apologies in advance to Sagar Ratna and Rajdhani that, despite their busy and bustling outlets, just had their final mention in my articles.
I look forward to keep trying out more and more restaurants and writing about it to each of my readers and your valuable feedback about my articles in the coming weeks. Bon Appétit!
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