Food Review: PIND BALLUCHI @ KAROL BAGH, DELHI

Vini warming her hands

Vinitha had been telling me a lot about this restaurant and we were keen to go there to have drinks and dinner. I don’t much care for hard drinks but I would not have minded having a rum and coke as it was tooooo cold at Delhi.

The Doorman

We went there around 8 pm and stood outside with the Sardarji who was serving as doorman as he was warming himself in front of an iron pot full of red-hot coal. It felt so wonderful as the cold outside must have been about 7 degrees at that point.

At the entrance

We got a table within 5 minutes and went in to a lovely ambience. It had the look of a village outdoor with an artificial tree right in the middle of the restaurant. The lighting was perfect and we sat down to have a look at the menu.

Not too keen on ordering hard drinks, we finally settled down to have cocktails.

Inside Pind Balluchi

Caprioska

THUMBS UP 1: Vini asked for a Caprioska and simply loved it. This had vodka, lemon chunks, sugar, crushed ice and soda. 

THUMBS UP 2: We asked for two Masala Papad. They were fresh and yummy.

THUMBS UP 3: We asked for Makkai de Kabab for starter. It was delicious. The green chutney served along with this was simply superb.

THUMBS UP 4: The Dal Makhani that we ordered was excellent.

THUMBS UP 5: We asked for one Tandoor Roti and a serving of Jeera Rice. These were good and that’s how we managed to finally finish our dinner at Pind Balluchi.

THUMBS DOWN 1: I asked for a Green Apple Martini. This was made of vodka, green apple juice, soda and ice. While the taste was good, it was too sweet. I had asked the waiter whether it will be sweet and he had said that it would be mildly so. Even after adding more soda, I found it too sweet for my taste.

Makkai de Kabab

THUMBS DOWN 2: We asked for a mixed vegetable for the main course. The first shock came when we saw it was a dry sabzi. We had not thought of asking beforehand. The taste was also very mediocre with very less salt.

THUMBS DOWN 3: We made a mistake of asking for one Khasta Roti and one Missi Roti. Both were horrible and neither of us could finish them.

Green Apple Martini. Cheers!

Despite the minus points, it was definitely worth a visit. We only need to be more careful about what we order after clearly finding out whether the vegetable had gravy, etc. We also made the mistake of trying to add salt to the vegetable ourselves. That did not make it better as it could not be mixed properly to the dry vegetable. We should have insisted that they take it back and add the salt.

For those interested:

Pind Balluchi Restaurant & Bar
2105, D B Gupta Road,
Karol Bagh,
New Delhi - 110005
Opposite Maruti Suzuki Showroom

Khasta & Missi Rotis; Dal Makhani and Mixed Vegetable

Phone: 011-45077777 / 9958292941
Email: kb@pindballuchi.com

Food Review: MCDONALD’S @ CONNAUGHT PLACE, DELHI

McDonald's @ Connaught Place, Delhi

Well, if you have seen one McDonald’s, you have seen them all. I have been to the outlet at Bandra, Phoenix Mills, CST and a few other places in Mumbai; one of their branches at Singapore (they served only non-vegetarian there and so we had only ice-cream) and now this branch at Connaught Place, Delhi.

I thought I will write about McDonald’s in general and my visit to this branch in particular. I was alone during this outing. I had just been to Baha’i Temple and had taken a metro to Rajiv Chowk. It was almost 4 pm and I was very hungry. I walked around Central Park looking for a nice place to eat that will serve local fare.

French Fries all gobbled up; McVeggie Burger and Iced Tea

This area has a number of shops selling high-end brands and there were not too many eateries there except for fine-dine restaurants. I almost completed taking a full circle before I saw Big Mac and decided to eat there. I was too tired and hungry to search for longer.

The place was fairly big – could seat about 80 people and it was packed. I managed to get myself a McVeggie Burger with cheese, French Fries and Iced Tea (yeah, despite the cold) and managed to get a seat. The ambience was good with two TVs at a higher level. Some cartoons were on and I really loved them.

I started sipping the tea to find that it was mildly flavoured water. I was not too keen on getting up and going back to the counter as I was sure that I would lose my seat. That’s when I called one of the employees over and told him what my problem was.

The place was packed

I was absolutely impressed with the service. He took my tea back to the counter and got me fresh iced tea that was simply yummy.

The burger was good. But over the years, what I notice is the size has shrunk and shrunk while the mayonnaise content has reduced terrifically. Don’t they understand the meaning of VALUE FOR MONEY? The prices are increasing tremendously, anyway. Why not give enough?

I got French Fries only because there were no Potato Wedges. I like the wedges way more than the fries. During an earlier visit to the Phoenix Mills outlet, I found out that they did not serve Potato Wedges any more. Now, I found out that McDonald’s has stopped serving wedges altogether. But why? I simply love them.

Travel: DILLI HAAT IS A MUST VISIT

Shishir Saras Mela at Dilli Haat

I have heard a lot of people talk about Dilli Haat and was keen to visit it. I was not aware that there were two outlets, or I would have tried to find out more about it. We went to the one close to the INA Metro Station. It was around 7 in the evening. 

Folk Performance

There was a rural handicrafts exhibition happening there just then and it was called the Shishir Saras Mela. Dilli Haat is basically a place for handicrafts and food stalls from the different states of India. It gives you a good idea about our country’s culture. 

Handicrafts from Andhra Pradesh

I felt that it looked like something akin to our Kala Ghoda Fair in Mumbai, but much toned down. 

From Gujarat

We walked around to see a number of stalls with handicrafts, saris, suit materials, shawls, handbags, pottery, wooden toys, paintings, glassware and a lot more. There was a live folk performance going on when we entered. 

Handbags and more from Madhya Pradesh

The place was alive with a lot of people around despite the cold. We walked all around and bought some bangles and earrings for Vinitha. 

Wooden kitchenware from Tripura

Finally, we settled down at a Rajasthani food outlet and ordered one thali and shared it between us. We also asked for one plate of bhajias – this had one mirchi bhajia and one khanda bhajia. The food was good, not great.

Tanjore Paintings from Tamil Nadu

Somehow, I was rather disappointed with the place. Maybe, I had had very high expectations after hearing so much about it. Or maybe I was at the wrong address.

Rajasthani Thali

Click here for more Dilli Haat pictures

Food Review: BIKANERVALA @ GHAZIABAD, DELHI

After our visit to Country Inn & Suites where Vinitha’s friend was getting married, we both stepped out again into the cold at about 8.30 pm. This was at Ghaziabad and we were planning to walk to Vaishali Metro Station that was about 15 minutes walk away. We had not actually attended the wedding. Vini just went and met her friend for a while as the area is too far away from Karol Bagh where we were staying and the wedding was scheduled from 9 pm to 4 am.

The view from outside

We saw the Bikanervala outlet on the way and decided to stop there for dinner. What I understood from looking at the place and reading their website was that it is something in the lines of Krishna Sweets in Chennai. They started out selling sweets and farsan and have expanded to serve fast food.

We had to first buy coupons and then purchase the food from the self-service counter. Vini did the honours while I sat at a table. The place was not too crowded.

Chole Bhatura. By the way, that chilly tasted delicious

I had asked for Chole Bhatura and Vini got herself an Aloo Chaat. The taste was very different from the similar items that we get at Mumbai. The Bhaturas were huge and were cold by the time Vini brought them to our table. The guy had just made it in front of her. Well, that’s how the weather was.

It was quite tasty and so was the aloo chaat. The bill came to about Rs. 130 which seemed quite reasonable. It was a nice experience.

Aloo Chaat

The walk to Vaishali Metro Station was incredible. It was about 9.30 pm and the road was a very busy highway. But there were no streetlights. I have to mention here that the platforms in Delhi are something altogether. They are about a foot high. It is not funny climbing on them and getting off. We both decided to walk on the road. There weren’t many pedestrians and we could see the water vapour when we breathed out from our mouths. It was that cold. It was fun walking on the dark highway, in the cold, so late at night. We felt absolutely safe.

There is a family restaurant on the first floor

For those interested:

Bikanervala,
40, Ambedkar Road,
Near Choudhary Morh,
Ghaziabad (U.P.) - 201001
Phone: 95-120-2751677
Website: www.bikanervala.com

Travel: BAHA'I HOUSE OF WORSHIP

Baha'i House of Worship

This was an adventure I enjoyed all by myself. It was quite exciting being in a strange place, enquiring your way around and exploring. I walked to Karol Bagh Metro Station from Hotel Jewel Palace. It took me about 25 minutes as I stopped now and again to click pictures on my way.

I went up to take a token to Kalkaji Mandir. When asked, the ticket counter clerk explained to me that I needed to take the Blue metro line to Rajiv Chowk; get off there and take the Yellow line to Central Secretariat and then take the Violet line to Kalkaji Mandir Metro Station. 

After walking 3/4 of a km, I reached the compound gate

I must have walked up and down ten flights of stairs before I reached Kalkaji Mandir Metro Station. But even then it had taken me just about an hour while I must have crossed some 20 stations on my way.

The Bahai Temple is about half a kilometre away from the metro or so said a board. I decided to walk asking directions. Yeah, when you complete the ½ km mark, you reach the beginning of the compound railing. You need to walk another 250 metres before you reach the gate.

Its a long but lovely walk to the temple amidst greenery

This temple is again set in a huge ground with lots of grass, trees and flowering plants. It was absolutely cold at about 1 pm. I walked and walked before I reached the temple itself. 

The entry was free of cost. The temple is a beautiful structure designed like a lotus with nine petals, with nine ponds of water tiled in blue in between petals. You can imagine the cold with the wind blowing over the water bodies. The place was fairly crowded with locals and foreigners.

The waterbodies around the temple - there are nine of them

We had to wait in a queue for a few minutes before we were given a small lecture on what the temple is about.

The Bahai House of Worship has temples in seven places around the world and the one in Delhi is the latest. It is an amazing structure and I am sure it is also a ‘portal’ that could move people into another dimension. No one mentioned anything about this. This is just my conjecture that I am sure will be proved over time.

The entrance to the prayer hall

They believe in the path of oneness and do not promote any particular religion or God. The hall within can seat about 3000 people on long wooden chairs with marble seats. They requested us to keep our cameras and mobiles off and also to maintain complete silence while praying to the God of our own faith.

They let us in, in batches. I went in to sit on a bench by myself and the chilled marble felt extremely cold. I looked at the high ceiling and the lovely structure for a while. I realized that there was no time limit to remaining within the temple itself.

I got someone to take a picture of me at Baha'i Temple

I sat there breathing deeply in and out and found peace steal over me completely. I had tears pouring from my eyes as I could completely connect to the divine within these precincts. I must have remained there for more than half an hour, not having the heart to get up and leave.

I walked out after that and the cold air hit me hard. It made me feel hungry. I still walked around a bit, taking pictures and then managed to finally tear myself away from the peaceful temple of oneness.

Look at the antenna at top centre. That's what makes me believe this is a portal.
And what's that shadow? There is no bird out there

It was a wonderful experience and with an overflowing heart, I took a rickshaw back to the metro station.

Click here to know more about Baha’i faith and the temple

Click here to see more pictures of Baha'i House of Worship

Food Review: NIRULA’S POTPOURRI @ CONNAUGHT PLACE, DELHI

We went for lunch to this restaurant chain that is unique to Delhi. They seem to have around five outlets in the capital. The ambience was good and the place was not very crowded as it was 4 pm when we landed there for lunch.

Vinitha checking out the Continental Buffet

There was a Continental buffet, but there were too many items and so we decided to go for a la carte. There was a range of soups and salads on the menu – the weather was too cold for salads. And there was a variety of sandwiches – the reason was the same why we did not go for this. Both of us decided to have a hot lunch and that’s what we did.

Sweet Corn Soup

THUMBS UP 1: We shared a Sweet Corn Soup between us. They don’t serve one-by-two. We just asked for an extra soup spoon and drank from the same bowl. It was hot and delicious.

THUMBS UP 2: Vinitha asked for a sizzler - Cottage Cheese Steak with Barbeque Sauce. This came with noodles and she declared that it was simply yummy. The portion was just right for one person and was not too much.

Thai Green Curry with Rice

THUMBS UP 3: I asked for Thai Green Curry with vegetables. This came along with steamed rice. It was more than what one person could eat. I could not finish it despite Vini eating a few spoonfuls. But it was hot and tasted heavenly. The vegetables were cooked just right without being overdone. My stomach was very happy and satisfied after having this.

THUMBS UP 4: Vini asked for a hot coffee at the end of the meal that she absolutely enjoyed.

THUMBS UP 5: The bill was very reasonable at Rs. 1300 plus for the above items and the dessert that we ordered.

Cottage Steak Sizzler

THUMBS DOWN 1: There was not much in the choice of desserts and these were served from the Continental buffet. I have a sweet tooth and craved for a pastry. I choose the pineapple pastry. They gave me three pieces. I did not expect that, even though they were small. The worst part was that they were not very fresh.

For those interested:

Nirula’s Potpourri,
N-64, 1st Floor Outer Circle,
Connaught Place,
New Delhi – 110001
Happy Hours: 12 to 8 pm

Pineapple Pastry

Phone: +91-11-23319420
Email: del.0557@nirulas.com
Website: www.nirulas.com

Click here for checking out more photos

I was quite excited to see Tamil film stars MGR & Shivaji as part of the wall decor

Food Review: HOTEL JEWEL PALACE

The restaurant at Hotel Jewel Palace

We stayed at Hotel Jewel Palace during our trip to Delhi. I must mention that it was a very pleasant stay. This place offers a bed-and-breakfast deal. Their restaurant also serves regular meals while food can been ordered as room service too.

They have a breakfast buffet that opens at 7.30 am and is on till 10 am. They call the guests on their mobiles every half-an-hour to remind them to get their breakfast. Good service, I would say.

Breakfast Buffet

The common items that are served every day are Cornflakes-Milk-Sugar; Bread toast-Butter-Jam; Minuscule sandwiches; Coffee/Tea/Milk/Fruit Juice. There was both brown and white bread.

Then there was this variety that changed every day. One day it was Paratha-Dahi-Achar; Egg Omelette;  Maggie Noodles and Medhuvada-Sambar-Chutney.

The next day it was Poha-Chutney; Egg Burji; pasta and Idli-Sambar-Chutney.

Yet another day it was Upma-Chutney; Egg Omelette; Chinese Noodles and Vada-pav with sauce.

Breakfast items

Most of the dishes were quite delicious. I only wondered how they managed to serve hot food in such cold weather - especially as their restaurant was on the first floor while the kitchen was on the fifth.

Vini and I asked for one bread toast at a time even when we wanted to have two. Otherwise, the second one used to get cold before we finished eating the first.

The food was wholesome and tasty. While the South Indian dishes were not the best, the coconut chutney was quite good. I will give first prize to the Upma and coffee. Vini relished the noodles. She made me taste the pasta and it was nice and non-masaledhar - thank God for that during the first meal of the day.

One of these days, we had the lunch served in our room. It included Mattar Paneer, Tandoori Roti, Vegetable Biryani and Raita. They were all excellent. The paneer in Delhi is too fresh and yummy.

Another day, we had dinner here. For that we asked for Tomato Soup to begin with. I think it had been very long since I had had soup made from fresh tomatoes. In fact, that seems to be a rare thing nowadays. The soup here was too good to be true. They were even ready to serve extra cream. Excellent!

Dinner - Tomato Soup, Paneer Tikkis, Dum Aloo Banarasi & Tandoor Rotis 

Then we had Paneer Tikkis. As I had mentioned earlier, paneer in Delhi is too good to be true. The Tikkis were super-delicious!

Our main course consisted of Dum Aloo Banarasi, Dal Tadka, Tandoori Roti and Jeera Rice. Yeah, that was a lot for the two of us. But we did have a 2-hour dinner. All the dishes were perfectly made.

I would say that the items on their menu were way better than the breakfast buffet items. The hotel definitely has its good points.