Eating Out in
Delhi
From age-old eateries in the bylanes
of the Walled City to glitzy, specialty restaurants
in five-star hotels, Delhi is a feast. It offers a choice
of Indian and international cuisine's in different ambiences
to suit everybody.
For gourmets, Delhi is synonymous with
Moughlai and Frontier cuisines. The best of Mughali
cuisine can be enjoyed at Karim, (both in Jama
Masjid and Nizamuddin) where recipes, dating from the
times of the Moughals have been the closely guarded
secret of generations of chefs. Delhi ka Aangan
(Hyatt Regency), Darbar (Ashoka Hotel) and Corbetts
(Claridges) are among the many options available
in the expensive range, while Gulati Restaurant
(Pandara Market), Angeethi (Asiad Village) and
Degchi (Regal Building) are among those catering
to more modest budgets. The finest Frontier cuisine
is available at the Bukhara (Maurya Sheraton),
Frontier (Ashoka Hotel) and Baluchi (The
Hilton). At the other end of the scale are the many
popular roadside eateries around Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin
where kababs, rotis and biryani are the order of the
day.
Every five-star hotel in the city has
a Chinese restaurant, while most markets in South Delhi
have a medium-budget Chinese restaurant. The innumerable
Chinese food outlets of the "meals-on-wheels" and kiosk
variety can gauge the popularity of this cuisine.
The growing sophistication of the Delhite's
palate is discernable in the increasing number of specialty
restaurants-El Arab(Regal Building), Dum Pukht
or the process of slow cooking developed in Awadh (Maurya
Sheraton), Kashmiri food at Chor Bizarre (Hotel
Broadway), Thai food at Baan Thai (The Oberoi)
and Sukothai (Hauz Khas Village), Japanese food
at Tokyo (Ashoka Hotel) and Osaka (Hauz
Khas Village), Tibetan food at eateries near Chanakya
Theatre, and Mexican food at Rodeo (Connaught
Place). Another indication is the frequency and popularity
of food festivals organized by hotels. South Indian
food is another favorite, the vegetarian variety of
which is best enjoyed at Sagar(Defence Colony),
Sagar Ratna(Lodhi Hotel) and Dasaprakash (Hotel
Ambassador), Coconut Grove (Ashok Yatri Niewas)
offers excellent non-vegetarian cuisine from South India.
The best of continental cuisine can
be eaten at five-star hotels, for instance La Rochelle
(The Oberoi), The Orient Express (Taj Palace)
and Captains Cabin (Taj Mansingh), though numerous
multi-cuisine restaurants also offer continental food.
Keeping pace with the changing face of the city is the
growing number of fast-food outlets, which serve all
manners of cuisines.
A delightful outlet offering a range
of Indian cuisines are the food stalls at Dilli Haat.
Here, the cuisine of different states is made available
very moderate rates. Set in the midst of a spacious
craft bazaar these cafes are a very pleasant place to
enjoy food.
For the more intrepid, eateries such
as those at Paranthe wali gali, or chaat at Bengali
Market and Sunder Nagar, bhelpuri at Greater Kailash
and sweetmeats from Annapoorna and Ghantewala can be
part of the gastronomical tour of Delhi.
Delhi is also synonymous with the omnipresent
tandoori chicken and tandoori roti, which, when freshly
had from the tandoor, makes a delicious meal. This is
often available at roadside dhabas at a moderate cost.
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