A trip to New Delhi

New Delhi is a foodie paradise (so they say) so i figured i hit the jackpot once i got there. Unfortunately caught up in meetings i had to skip a prospected lunch at Dakshin which came highly recommended. However they have a branch in Bombay so i guess i can go here.

So my wife recommended one of her fav joints, Punjabi By Nature, in Noida. PBN is quite popular and has a few branches. We got in after a reservation and were seated promptly. The Restaurant itself is just so so, not much in terms of ambiance or decor. The service was quick and food was great. We got the paneer makhani which was succulent, sweet yet had a tang to it, the dal makhani was quite robust and almost dal bukharaesque (which has more dimension to it) the breads were average and the biryani was just weak. Overall worth going to, they could def try and take things up a notch. Food 8/10 Service 8/10. Damage 1500 for 3 without drinks.



The next day we tried another of her favcs, Bercos in Connaught Place, this one was actually dissaponting. I expected something fairly competetive but it was wanting on every level. The dim sum (called momos) was just terrible. No taste all texture. The Veggies in schezuan were allright but nothing to really crow about.

The only saving grace was the green curry which i think they mucked by making it well. It wasn't exactly authentic but it tasted good, so cant complain. Food 3/10, Service 4/10 Damage 1200 without drinks.
Also had some interesting chaat, interesting only that it was pretty bad, dont know how they have a chaat culture when almost everything we do in Mumbai is clearly better except maybe the Punjabi/Moghlai fare, which i reckon is only better on averages. The tikki and stuff was just plain bad, the pani puri was somewhat tolerable.
An interesting sidetrack while driving around we came across this guy called Jain Shikhanji, he is all over the place Noida, Meerut, Aligad, etc etc.


All he does is make fresh lime soda with his own special Masala. At 17 a glass he apparently sells 4000-5000 glasses a day. Go figure. I had some it, it was pretty good, although there are plenty of imitators all over the place.

So all in all i couldn't make it everywhere i wanted to but i got a sense that New Delhi and surroundings can really cook up some North Indian fare but they are at a complete loss when it comes to creating an ambiance, setting a palate and then doing anything Western or Eastern well.

Tea !

Drinking tea is a huge deal here in India, especially in the North, Coffee is more popular in the South. My grandmother told me that no one really drank tea until the 1930's (around where she was) someone from Lipton used to offer free samples to all and sundry and thats how it caught on.

I was just in Ootacamund or Ooty which has quite a few tea estates in and around (Conoor)
so i thought i would sample some tea, i bought a bunch of different varieties but a hugely disappointed. One of the ones i got was cardamom but it just tastes watered down no matter how much you let it brew.

I have a bunch of others, strong ctc dust, orange pekoe and niligiri but i am not sure if ill try em all out as of yet.

Personally prefer what my folks call the truck driver special, half a cup, minimal milk and sugar, strong brew.

The tea we use is blended in 2-3 brands and its a short brew and really tastes pretty good. Ill add some pics later.

More of the same

Nothing new to report for now, been out and about a lot past week but its mostly been the tried n tested eateries, places like Moshe, Oriental Blossom for some great food. Both the places continue to do extremely well, the Menu at Moshe is about to change which is great news. Oriental Blossom is def a good ol warhorse, quick service good food, a friend down from New York, really liked the food as well.

Cheers.