Category: Delhi

Zomato Restaurant Summit 2013

Last week has been full of good food and sweetness. Amid the hustle bustle, Skeeter sneaked out to attend a fun and enlightening half-day event by Zomato– Zomato Restaurant Summit 2013 at The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon. 
Zomato’s been anyone’s first stop at putting to rest the ‘where and what to  eat’ question in many states of India. So it is always good to know that they are expanding to London, Sri Lanka and UAE. Would not be fair to comment on UAE, but London and Sri Lanka definitely are great food destinations for Skeeter as all others. If someone can tell Skeety where to find the best bakeries in London or where to get good hoppers, sambol, devilled vegetarian food (okay SL food is that and much more!) in Lanka land, she would be a happy person!

(L to R Mayur, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Rashmi Uday Singh, Deepinder Goyal, Pankaj Chaddah, unknown, Sameer Kuckreja, Manish Mehrotra, Rocky Singh)
While, the Lanka portal makes searches available only for Colombo, the UK one is better in terms of the number of restaurants covered. Two restaurants covered on Delhi Foodies’ Zone turned up at a click – Spaghetti House and Govinda’s. Skeeter’s other favourites in London – Prezzo, Chennai Dosa,  Tamarind, Pizza Express, Veeraswamy (on the hit list) and many more are on the rolls. Thumbs up to that! Next time Skeety is in London, Skeety definitely knows where to direct the search button.
Moving on to the most interesting part of the event, Rocky & Mayur (Zomato’s brand ambassadors and hosts of Skeeter’s favourite show Highway On My Plate) were there to unveil The Connoisseur’s Guide To Eating Out 2013 (Delhi,NCR). The guide, unlike others, has reviews by commoners who love to eat out and give unbiased opinions. 
Post the launch, Skeeter spoke to Mayur (as he is a vegetarian too), to know his favourite places to eat out in Delhi and the whole of India. Here is the list for Delhi:
Naivedyam, Andhra Bhavan, Indian Accent, Amici (in no particular order of preference).
And Mayur’s favourites in the rest of India are Ummiya Kathiawadi on NH 8 in Gujarat, Kesar ka Dhaba in Amritsar, Mother’s Kitchen in Kerala and Paradise in Guwahati.

Tres -> Delhi’s sparkling star

The mood

A much needed dinner outing had Skeety thinking and after closing in on a Chinese favourite Skeety dumped it for the Modern European food serving restaurant in town: Tres. And no cheesecakes for guessing Skeety came home happy after the dinner. It was an absolute impulsive, ‘I must get out today’ evening. Skeeter was not hungry. Okay not much. She called up for the directions, and was told the exact directions (it pays to have well-informed staff). Reached there without event on the broomstick.

The drinks

Our table set in for the evening with an Apple Rosemary julip (Rs 225) that had fresh apple chunks, a twig of fresh rosemary, zesty lemon topped up with lemonade. A rather refreshing take on a drink. As perfect as it could be. The second drink we ordered was the Tres Mary (Rs 225), which the menu says is a Classic Virgin Mary with house made tomato jalapeno relish. A lovely drink again, though I’d have liked the rim of my glass much better salted (It could just be a Skeeter thing). We also had a generous and very fresh bread basket accompanying the drinks.

The food

The menu lists these broad categories: Small plates, Sharing plates, Salads & Appetizers, Soups, Mains, Meats and desserts.
We chose to order Roasted goat cheese and beetroot, apple walnut dressing and olive bread (Rs 419) from Salads & Appetizers. What we got was a giant slab of goat cheese on the slightly toasted olive bread with a taste bud teaser, finger licking good, beetroot, apple walnut dressing on a bed of lettuce. A medley of flavours, each distinct and each binding all ingredients together for a unique flavour. This was a dish Skeeter will definitely go back and order again. We requested our attendant to leave the plate so that we could polish off the dressing to the last drop. Skeeter does believe in helping nice restaurants clean the plates you see.

Next, we opted for the vegetarian sharing plate, which is a trio of chef’s selection served with dry salad, relish and crust bread (Rs 659). The chef can never be wrong. We trusted them blindly and got our share of a)Baked artichoke hearts b)Roasted summer peppers, aubergines and mushrooms and c)Deep fried corn tortellini with salsa verde for the sharing plate. The baked artichoke hearts stole Skeety’s heart. Naughty them. The roasted peppers, aubergines, mushrooms had bulbs of garlic thrown in and a chunk of cheese for company which altogether made for a very, very warm and hearty plate. The tortellini were perfect but the salsa verde did not shine much. As much as Skeeter would have liked to order the Mains, she thought an almost full stomach would not be able to do justice to those plates of art. And then, Skeeter wanted to secretly make some room for dessert.
The list of desserts made us slightly dizzy (so many good options to choose from), so we went ahead with the chef Julia’s recommendation of a “little different” Cajita (Cajeta) cake with seasonal fruit, a Tres speciality and trademark. An extraordinary end to a magnificent dinner.
The people and some titbits
Chef Jatin Mallick, Chef Julia and Fatima Lobo are the people behind the place. Tres means three in Spanish.
If you make a reservation and go you are likely to be better off as the place got almost full by 8:15ish.
They are open for dinner only and start early at 6pm.
The plating of each dish was outstanding and made each dish very, very visually appealing.

The not so good
Our tiny table could barely accommodate the beautiful big plates. 
The waiters were in a rush to take away our glass of unfinished beverage which we did not like. We had to stop them but our lovely bread basket was taken away. *Insert very sad smiley*
None of the above will deter us from going there again and again, and more. Will try to update this post as and when.
How to reach
Shop No. 17, Main Market, Lodhi Colony, Delhi, 110003
Opposite Vir Savarkar Park 
Ph:  011 24625520
Damages: Approx Rs 3,500 for two without alcohol.

Dilli meets London @ Prezzo (from the London Diary)

A shopping spree at Harrow led the girlies to St. Georges Shopping Centre for a much needed lunch at Prezzo (serving Italian cuisine). For vegetarians it is rocket science to read through that menu and stay sane to order.
The girlies managed. (These girlies o’course are Skeety and the Nuttiest Nut)15 minutes of consultation and contemplation later they ordered some fries and Mozzarella in Carrozza with Podomoro sauce. Mozzarella in Carozza is essentially Mozzarella cheese deep-fried in breadcrumbs served with a tomato-based pomodoro sauce. And ofcourse coke.
The Mozzarella in Carrozza was a bite of heaven! It was made to perfection and served at just the right tempature.
They then ordered a Margherita Pizza for the main course from the Calzone menu which Prezzo offers. The Pizza was nice and that’s about all Skeety would like to say about it.The array of sinful desserts they serve could not tempt the two tummies to overeat after stuffing in the above.
As for the service, the staff were a little indifferent even when the restaurant had only three tables occupied at that hour.
When the food is excellent, ambience a classic and staff resembles a mouth blister, it seems as if the cake has been robbed of that fabulous piece of decor. Sigh!
P.S.: This is one of the few posts from Skeety’s London Diary which may be written about here when Skeety so desires.

Location: St Georges Shopping Centre, St Ann’s Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 1HS0208 4279588

On Google Maps for St.Georges Shopping Centre

Daulat ki Chaat

Ever heard people visiting Kinari Bazaar on a Sunday when all shops are closed for trade?
Well, Skeeter did just that on a not-so-happening Sunday a few moons ago.
And why is Skeeter telling that to you on Delhi Foodies’ Zone?
Well, she unearthed a culinary treasure on the same Sunday and the pleasure will double by sharing the experience here 🙂
Walking through Kinari Bazaar, eating golgappe from the street vendor, clicking unusually coloured doors, Skeety stumbled upon the Daulat ki Chaat vendor.
She went right past him, and a few moments of brainwork later it struck that this could be the elusive DC vendor!
Since Skeety had walked only a few steps ahead, she hurriedly made a U-turn and was relieved to see the DC vendor right there!
Lucky!
By asking the vendor it was confirmed that the stuff he was carrying was indeed the famed Daulat ki Chaat!
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Skeeter’s excitement knew no bounds.
She promptly asked the vendor for a serving of DC and the fun began…
Our man Khemchand Adesh Kuamr was quite zapped at the number of questions that were put to him by Skeety.
Nonethless, he was sweet enough to answer all of them with a pleasant smile.
And before Skeety tells you about the conversation, here is something one should know. The ‘chaat’ that is being written about here is not the spicy aloo/papdi chat but it is a sweet, froth-like substance. Yes. Brows down please! Skeeter shall explain.
DC’s is essentially made from air, dew drops, sugar and milk froth.
Due to the legendary notes attached to the recipe of this ‘oh-to-die-for’ delicacy, the preparation begins at night. Milk is kept outisde the homes during winter nights to let the dew drops set in. Early morning the dew-kissed milk is taken inside and whipped till it has a lot of froth over it (The more the dew, the more is the froth. So dew holds the key to this preparation). The froth is now transferred to a big vessel and sprinkled with bhoora or unrefined sugar, khoya and pista slivers. The final touch to the presentation is given by kesar and vark which is a thin edible silver sheet. And just before pouring it out to the customer in a leaf-bowl, some khurchan is added to it.
Our man puts the DC laden vessel atop a criss-crossed three-legged stool which is refers to as his ‘khomcha’ and sets off early morning to sell it at Kinari Bazaar which is exactly where Skeeter was graced by his otherwise-elusive presence.
You could look for him in Kinari Bazaar at Chandni Chowk or you may bump into him elsewhere if you are so destined. You might not always be graced by his presence as he makes and serves DC for weddings as well.

Skeety believes there are atleast 5 such vendors in Chandni Chowk area. Another DC vendor called Nandu has been spotted selling the stuff near Kuccha Pati Ram in Bazaar Sitaram.

If you have been unlucky enough to not have bumped into any of the DC vendors at Chandni Chowk and are adventurous enough, there are shops in Aminabad area of Lucknow where the Daulat ki Chaat is sold unde the name Malai Makhan.
And just before Skeeter was publishing this post, a chat with Deepak, fellow Delhi Foodie and friend who just returned from Lucknow tells that Malai Makhan is also called Nimish there…
Keep EATING 🙂
Location: On the large, in Kinar Bazaar and Bazaar Sitaram.
On Google Map for Kinari Bazaar
Price: Rs.10-15 for a plate of the heavenly stuff.

Lastly, Skeeter got featured in one of her favourite magazines: Time Out. Here’s a dekko –

Hairy tales@ The Big Chill

When restros, bars or cafes goof up, they often apologise with words and a complimetary something to make the patrons happy. Worldwide practise this. But rare is the case when you get abused (well sort of) by way of being told SO, WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Skeety was up in fumes when the Bannofee pie @ The Big Chill, Khan Market had a 2-centimetres long hair hanging from it!

Skeety showed it to the staff and it was replaced. As Skeety didn’t want to upset herself on a holiday, and also thought it to be a one-off incident, she ate the replacment.

And lo! When the plate was about to be sent back Skeety realised the presence of ANOTHER hair in her plate, this time. TWICE in the same hour on the same bloody table.

The manager was called for.

He said SORRY, which didn’t sound one bit genuine (from the heart types). Rather it didn’t sound like a sorry at all. He refused to share the owner’s number as well. But he did insist on ANOTHER replacement. GUTS I tell you!

When Skeety refused the offer, the Manager said, SO WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Skeety does NOT and WILL NOT eat from a dirty kitchen EVER AGAIN. Also, by means of this post, SMS-es and other means Skeety is ensuring that her friends stay off the DIRTY PLACE as well…

When your hard-earned money leaves a bad taste in the mouth all you can shout out is:

ROT IN HELL!

P.S.: A few friends asked that WHY did Skeety pay the bill. Answer: In the hope that they might give their chefs and other staff money for shaves and haircuts…

Never going there again!

Something, anything…

This blog is, from this day, dedicated to the memory of Sabina Sehgal Saikia. Skeets had always wanted to make her read this blog. Alas Skeety was unable to do that in time. In 10 months to be precise. This someone is one of the few people who sowed the seeds of ‘love for food’ in Skeety.
And then, Skeety wants to thank R. Thank You R for asking ‘that’ question. Thanks for setting a few very important things right. Thanks for everything. Be with Skeets.
********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* *********
For change this ain’t no food post per se. But then it does revolve around food. It has to! Innit?
A very random post this. Perhaps best describes the *floating* state of mind.’
WE BEGIN
Skeets was sitting at a certain ‘Subway’ in a certain locality in NCR. Enjoying a fresh BIG plate of crispy iceberg lettuce topped with yum yum gherkins, yum yum jalapenos, yum yum balck olives, yum yum tomatoes, cool cool cucumbers and YUMMIEST of them all the Sweet Onion dressing 🙂 So? That’s normal. Eh? NO!!!
Skeety got stares. From EVERY single person who was present there. The only good thing today was that Skeety chewing away the salad more merrily than a cow or sheep chew on their pasture 😛
Skeets acknowledged yet ignored stares. Spoke to the self in the mind. Had a nice time basically. And one day Skeets shall share with you a list of restaurants in Delhi where you do NOT get stares for being an unaccompanied girl, eating merrily in a restaurant.
Girls can have all the fun! 😀

Idli Do-sa

Heylo my dearies!
Skeets is back with one of her favourite meals of all time: Idli Do-sa…In Rajasthani/Marwadi dialect the title of this post means idli do (give) sa (a mark of respect while adressing someome). So you see Skeets was just playing up her phonetically challenged side here 🙂
And now back to business err..gluttony 😀

While the Nuttiest Nut was on her Dill visiti, Skeets and the Nut had intense discussions about ‘Where to Eat’ South Indian food. Sagar Ratna was an easy option but Skeets and Nut were looking for something different. And Skeets beats her head a thousand times against the wall (somewhat like Dobby), everytime she thinks how carelessly she forgot the Oh-so Yummyilicious Naivedyam, and went to Duh-so Crappy Madras Coffee House in Connaught Place (Andhra Bhavan was full) Grrrrrr….
Anyway we learn from mistakes. Skeets learnt that due to her forgetful nature she should maintain a ‘Where to Go’ diary for emergencies of the gastronomical nature.
Months later, a visit to Naivedyam was another of Skeeter’s lone food expeditions. On a rather warm summer afternoon, the need for some time with the self, the need to be in a rather quiet corner of the city, enjoying what Skeeter loves the most (food)…it all turned out just PERFECT!

Skeets entered the place at aroudn 1 pm to find the eatery almost empty. Skeets was kinda glad as now all the attention at Naivedyam was focussed on Skeeter’s food. With such happy thoughts in mind she went ahead and ordered Dahi Idli (Rs.55) to start with. Skeeter got two poppadums (papad) and a glass of Hot n Tangy Rasam (all complimentary). And before the waiters could blink an eye, all this was resting in Skeeter’s tummy.
Now the eyes were fixed at the kitchen door for the Dahi Idlis to appear. And they came sooner than expected. The service was prompt. As Skeeter nibbled on the soft soft idlis, the mouth experienced a burst of flavours: the mustard seeds (rai), the dahi and the cheeni (yoghurt and sugar), and o’course the best of them all, the slight burnt dry chilli flavour, adding an undertone to all the others.
Next in line was the Udupi Masala Dosai (yeah the spellings are correct) pegged @ Rs.60. And it was made to perfection.And a glass of lime water complemented the Dosai very well.

Brief note:
Food and service 5/5.
Ambience: Comfortable and easy.

Address: 1 Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi
Ph: 011-26960426

LOW key, HIGH notes, MYSTICAL charm…

….revelations are certainly made of these.
It has been a couple of days since Skeety last went there. Gives her a high of sorts, and rejuvenates her. She is talking yet again about her beloved OLD area of Delhi. Bazaar Sitaram. Kuch Pati Ram. The name spells nostalgia and the place casts magic. Perfect ambience to get lost, to let the thoughts flow uninterruptedly, and if an experience can balsam Skeety then the visit here would be it.
Skeety takes you down the lane of her favourite Kulfiwala. LOW key because not everyone goes there. HIGH notes because the taste is as exotic as it could get. MYSTICAL charm arises when the ambience soaks you in (or vice versa) and transfers you to another era.
Skeety is talking about Kuremal Mohanlal Kulfiwale.
Skeety goes beyond Gelato only to demolish Kulfis at Kuremal. They come in traditional cone-shaped moulds (steel or plastic these days) and have flavours to die for. Kuremal’s have an endless list of flavours like aam, panna, faalsa, fruit cream, cream, rabdi, anaar, strawberry, litchi, gulukand, kesar, et al. Creamy, frozen, flavourful delights these. Slurrrp…I recommend, aam, fruit cream and panna kulfis. Each very strongly.

Dhuli Chand’s (another kulfiwala in Bazaar Sitaraam) is the mail competitor of Kuremal. Dhuli Chand’s, it seems, serves better aam kulfis. But overall Kuremal’s is terrific. They serve sugar-free kulfis as well. Dig in!

Address: Kuremal Mohanlal Kulfiwale#1165-66Kucha Pati Ram, Sitaram BazarDelhi – 110006
Directions: Get down at Chawri Bazaar Metro Station and ask anyone there to guide you. They’d happily do it. TRUST ME!

The Mulberry Tales…

Unlike the lazy bum Reeta Skeeter is now, she was found to be quite active as a child. *Sigh*
You know, the kinds who would go for a swim for four hours at a stretch… The kinds who’d absolutely loathe the afternoon siesta…
In the afternoons she would be out playing tennis against the wall or gathering Mulberries that fell from the tree if she was playing on the clay court…
*Playing Jaane Kahan gaye wo din… Ok Ok no more drama now*
Yes, that was what triggered this Childhood flashback: Mulberries.

For, I had them after long the other day.

The sweet, tangy, juicy fruit of the red Mulberry dissolves itself at the touch of the tongue, and unleashes a flavour that has a charm not worthy of words. It can only be tasted. It is known to the Hindi, Arabic speaking population as Shahtoot (Shah=King, Toot=Mulberry) or King’s Mulberry and is available in Delhi in two varieties, namely White Mulberry and Red Mulberry.

The Red one is deep red and has a tinge of purple. However, I fail to understand why the White Mulberry is called so, as it starts from being pale yellow in colour and ripens to acquire a soothing green coloured skin. Red, is my favourite as it has a naughty tangy flavour. And it leaves red stains, if you drop it somwhere. The green one (or white or whatever you may call it) oozes sweetness and is a pleasure for those with a sweet tooth.
Oh yeah, there is a Mulberry Tea available too! More about it when I lay my hands on it 😉

It ain’t Greek to the superstar plate smasher *Greeksta*: Skeetah

So much for Greek Pizzas.
Skeets now hops forward to her bewitching new find: It’s Greek to me.

Here is how it happened: A asked Skeets if she could have some wine. Skeety’s non-muggle instincts told her that this place MUST have wine. So, there they were headed. Minutes later, they entered a cosy little restaurant which was dressed (read decorated) in such a manner that it could easily pass as some tavern besides a farm at some highway in Greece.

Comes next what? The living end of CONFUSION. The ‘placing of the order’ time.

Skeets is known for her habit of reading the menu only for such a little while that the person accompanying her (if any) may be provoked enough to stab her with the butter knife kept in front of them. Gee.

Dodging the knife, Skeets ordered the Mezze Platter to be shared with A and a glass each of red wine.

The Mezze Platter tasted as promising as it looked. It bore: Tirokafteri fritters (a stuff of feta and spinach mix), Spanokopita (pita bread with some dressing), Falafel (fritters made of fava beans/chickpeas), Dolmathes (sort of steamed dumplings made of rice and pine nut filling, wrapped with grape leaves). These were accompanied with small helpings of Tratziki, Hummus, Eggplant dips and a few breads. The Dolmathes did not go well with Skeety or A’s tastebuds. Rest, all were classics.

Then came, the most intriguing bit. The Plate Smashing. It is a Greek tradition to smash the plates after meals. They smash plates at taverns where the females perform Hassapiko (Greek dance form) and the likes. So, Skeets asked at the restaurant if she will be given a plate to smash. They said YES. And so, Skeets unleashed her wikkid side and smashed the plate in the Smashing corner and walked away to glory after having had a smashing time. Another visit is pending. SOON.

Please note: Falafel is not Greek but a street food snack popular in many countries, especially the Middle East, and Hummus dip is again popular in the Middle East countries…
Skeets hasn’t had Greek food before. So, Skeets was more than glad to incorporate some suggestions in this post, with a vision to familiarise us Delhiites with Greece and its cuisine.Fellow blogger thalassa_mikra threw some light upon Greek cuisine and traditions:Tirokafteri – is a traditional Greek Dip made from Spiced Feta Cheese…Spanakopita is spinach pie – spinach and cheese filling inside layers of filo dough…
So what was served to Skeets was more of a namesake of Greek food.
Another blogger Hellenic says: The plates are not smashed after a meal. Usually the plate smashing (and it’s a tradition on it’s way out in most of Greece), takes place during a solo dance performance when plates are smashed in joy at the performance. Also, plates are not smashed in the restaurants in Greece. It is no more permitted and it takes place in Bouzoukia (night clubs). Today in Greece, people enjoy the same, but only throw Flowers.

(Location: B-6/4, Commercial Complex, Safdarjung Enclave, Opposite Deer Park, New Delhi, 110029)

P.S.: Deepak (Bigger, better Delhi Foodie) swears by their breads and I stand by him and NOD in acceptance.