Tigers Experience At Artusi Ristorante and Bar - GK 2 , New Delhi

Paradiso sulla Terra

The Lady , The Man , The Chef and the Gospel of Artusi - The Art of Eating Well .

Yes Gurpinder and Oscar Balcon bring to delhi a Super Fine Dinning option straight from Norhtern italy the region of Emilia Romagna - the richest part of Italy where all your car manufacturers , artist were originated from - in a nutshell a region of Italy where most of your designer goods are made; this fine dining star called Artusi hails from the same region. A lovely Ristorante  in Delhi's own greater kailash - 2 ,which soon will be converted to the Foodies Zone of south Delhi - every alternate building is an restaurant , a pub or a coffee shop and the ones in between sell designer hardware , not bad at all . On the lighter side of life Emilia Romagna reminds me of Our Punjab from the North - richness loaded.

 To be a true foodie or a great chef you need to travel and thats exactly what the trio did before they entered India. Guprinder and Oscar have been across the globe thanks to Oscars Private banking job and their love for travel n discovery. Oscar comes across like a man with class and finesse , Gurpinder is also all of that but with a touch of motherhood , she is a delhi girl from birth - traveled across the globe fell in love with oscar and kept travelling ever since LoL . They are blessed with a 16 yr old son. They both explore discover food where ever they land.  She herself is a fab cook . Both Gurprinder and Romina give the restaurant a feeling of a dining room in a well established cultured Italian family home where there is class and the warmth of the mothers kitchen. 

 Romina is the young energetic mother of  Artusi's Kitchen - wearing her Psychedelic colorful work pajamas - fresh glowing Italian lady with a beautiful smile - can charm any one ... she mothers kitchen and the customers equally . Its the time of Chef interaction and between Gurpinder , Oscar and Romina they do a fab job . She too belongs to Emilia Romagna and is extremely possessive about the heritage .. well this was my first interaction with an expat lady chef , i was a bit apprehensive on my questions , but she made feel so comfortable that i didn once question her choice of the meal for us . All i said was i want eight dishes thats it , from the entree to appetizer to the main course and desert . Btw Chef Romina has been doing research on ingredients for the last 4 months and managed to get a headway just a couple of weeks ago to launch Artusi . To a large extent the ingredients are from the region of Emilia specially the cheese and the balsamic vinegar.

exteriors and interiors

Oscar explained the interiors in beautiful touching words - this is my Grand ma's living room ,hence no questions asked .  It was indeed nice to visit a ground floor restaurant in Gk - II , well a lot has been spoken and debated about the interiors- its bright , its closed , its wall to wall carpeted, its seated in a zig zag fashion , entry from a small corridor  but thats the way oscar wanted it to replicate Italy's richness in India .... it is a replica of a perfect fine dine restaurant straight from the northern most part of italy ... You step in you are welcomed by a beautifully lit bar with high stools . The bar counter like every Italian bar has a espresso machine , a small show window of the delicious pastries on display . A lot of woodwork ,yellow is the theme of the walls , the smell of fresh coffee greets you . So on th ground level they have the bar , The Dining area and the kitchen - in the basement they have a cigar Lounge . 

Trust me when i entered the dinning area i felt as though i was on board the orient express dining saloon.

Besides the beautiful elements making the interiors of Artusi , the cutlery caught my attention ... beautiful crockery and cutlery  they have picked up from Italy. Very simple and elegant but yet so classy . La Tavola designer cutlery for the luxury segment headquartered in vercelli , Italy  - owned by the sambonet brothers - this brand is one of the most sought after brand in italy and specially in high end commercial  restaurant business - they have years of experience in designing stuff like this, they have a special extremely trained family member heading this division  . Was very impressed to see the latest collection at Artusi, must be really expensive .

The Food:

My Research on the Region of Emilia Romagna says that they are known for their Hard cheese - The egg Pasta and the balsamic Vinegar . In details : Prosciutto di Parma, Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, Parmesan cheese and artisanal pasta creations like Ravioli, Tortellini, Passatelli, Cappelletti, Lasagna, Tagliatelle as well as the famous Ragu' Bolognese sauce.

Sangiovese, Lambrusco, Trebbiano and Albana wines are all produced in the Emilia-Romagna - and wanst i delighted to be tasting the same at Artusi. 

Ferro

Baby spinach, grapes, pears and goat cheese salad - finished with toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar - The salad was good great dressing but they are faced with a challenge like every one else in the business, hmmmmm  a universal problem for north India where greens are concerned  they go off season and then the trouble starts because the flavor starts going bitter . well spinach was not bitter as yet but was a bit limp - but the dressing was good , the combination of Pine Nuts , Kishmish and cheese was wonderful. Dont how they are going to keep sourcing fresh Spinach in the damn heat , im sure they are prepared for it .

Rape e Noci

Roasted beets, water cress, green apple, walnuts, goat cheese -finished with croutons and balsamic vinegar - the best plating, looked like a bird with open feathers - a very comfortable salad with all the fresh crunchy vegetables  - slowly mix the goat cheese dressing with the veggies and enjoy it .. no hurry salad . Lovely crunch of the walnuts  the beet and yes the green apples go wel with the cheese to enhance the acidity . Good Salad loved the vinegar and veggy combo.

Pollo Tiepido

Warm chicken breast set in a fennel salad with oranges and olives and oregano - Favorite, surprised me totally - warm well cooked chicken - fennel , oranges for the zing,  the olives for the salt component rocket leaves for the crunch- i was confused with the fusion of the flavors , i found the olives a bit too salty and were over powering the citrus flavors .. but thats something that can be managed . Over all a great salad can serve as a standalone dish for the dieters like me hahahahahaha.. The lemon dressing was well done and perfect.

Tortelli & Cappelletto

PASTA : An amazing find - the shape of the pasta in Italy changes with the region it belongs to - triangular , cap shaped , round square all from different regions within italy - quite like India.

Tortelli :Artfully hand-made pasta pockets filled with a mix of pumpkins and potatoes -         set in creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce. Yes of course was amazing to eat - the cheesy sauce was to die for could be licked off the plate - but remember tiger was in a fine dining restaurant so better behave . The filling of pumpkin gave it a nice twist of sweetness and also combined well with the  flavor of cheese .

Cappelletto :Artfully hat-shaped pasta pockets, made one by one by our chef - filled with ricotta and Parmiggiano Reggiano cheeses - set in a light tomatoes and basil sauce . A very Christmas Dish, its this art of making stuffed pasta known as cappetello.. this is a a very traditional dish belonging to the region of  emilia as per Mr Artusi this particular form of pasta is filled with cheese ,meat and boiled in a meat broth and be topped with any dressing or sauce here the use Ragu..The original art of making this comes from the historic book of eating well the gospel of Artusi  . I did try one without the sauce and trust me it was sheer divine - the hard cheese has super acidity and the smell so nice and pungent .


Well time to confess - i had given up eating pasta in restaurants becos its avilabve in al wedding parties etc etc being easy to make - i go to shaadis and ask the pasta counter guy Bhai pasta banao - white sauce daalo , loads of garlic and endless amount of cheese thats it - so had had an overdose of it . But what happened at Arstusi was amazing and I love Pasta once again .

Chef Romina Lugaresi and The smiley team 

Chef Romina has been at the helm of kitchens in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and now in India for more than twenty years. Throughout all these years she has been focusing on one cuisine only: the cuisine of her native land Emilia-Romagna.. “I simply want to deliver the very best only, every day of the week, thus I trust my team but I also keep a close watch on every dish that leaves my kitchen” says Romina while smiling broadly. She has set up a beautiful clean kitchen on the straight line method , she is training a bunch of junior chefs to match he levels of standards. of course she overlooks and signs every dish that gets plated . So basicaly she believes in freshness, plating ,authenticity and customer interaction of any kind. She is my mommy . :) 

Risotto Ortolano

Risotto Ortolano

Highest quality Carnaroli rice and seasonal vegetables and authentic Grana Padana cheese are used to make this traditional Italian risotto... My First love of Italian food - the Mushroom Rissotto....  well the risotto ortolano helped me get rid of the fixation or rather add another dish to my Love list ... A plain vanilla simple vegetable risotto with carrots,leek , celery parsley, zucchini and peas -   tasting so perfect , incredible indeed  ... hmmm im finding words to explain the freshness , the flavors of this magical dish specially made by Chef Romina for me , touched.  Yes i agree the ingredient play a vital role in the dish but its the chefs hand which adds the magic potion to the simple dish. Chef Romina you nailed it.

Pappardelle Faraona & Gnocchi Pesto e Patate

Pappardelle Faraona :Home-made pasta in the shape of very broad noodles - set in a ragu' of slow-cooked grandmother style guinea hen and vegetables - the hand made  eggpasta a speciality again of the region is actually slow cooked in the guinea broth and then served with Veggies topped with  ragu sauce . Initally i thot it would be the same pasta in red sauce but i was wrong the flavor is so different . The combination of handmade Egg Pasta with Ragu was delicious and in harmony.

Gnocchi Pesto e Patate :Home-made gnocchi pasta - set in a traditional pesto and potatoes sauce .. ah my sons favorite ever since he traveled to italy , the guy beleives in perfection and visited six pl;aces to get a feel of the real gnochhi. i have to bring him here to try Artusi ..... and im sure he wil pass this off with flying colors . Nothing like gnochhi in fresh pesto sauce topped with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Sorbetto al Limone & all’a Mela verde

Sorbetto al Limone :Lemon Sorbet

Sorbetto all’a Mela verde :Green apple Sorbet   

Yes yes a palate cleanser when you order a five course meal - the twist to the sorbet was the topping of chilled sparkling wine - it worked wonderfully well . 

Branzino Cartoccio

 Bel sapore  Branzino Cartoccio :Oven baked imported sea bass filet served with artichokes,cherry tomatoes, potatoes and olives - this was my favorite white  meat dish - simple authentic , healthy and  filled with flavors . I actually saw a video of how this is made - they take a full basa fish - cut it open at the belly stuff it with chilly powder salt and a crushed garlic thats it - then wrapped  in an aluminum foil soaked in wine and other veggies - and oven baked thats it . So simple yet so good - Please tell me Chef Romina whats the magic potion in this so addictive dish .

MEATS

Angnello Premium quality lamb chops imported from New Zealand – grilled to perfection on the grill with a touch of pistachio lemon oil – served with baked potato, grilled eggplant and tomatoes,and crunchy leeks. And they cut so easily - well cured meat and good marination.

Costine di Maiale & Angnello Premium quality baby back ribs imported from Europe Slowly cooked ribs grilled to tenderness on a rich and thick house sauce -served with French fries and grilled vegetables - hmmm was a bit upset with this one - hard ribs with very lil meat . Dunno why . Wil go back for the full rack to change my mind.

Crema Pistacchio e Caffe'

Crema Pistacchio e Caffe'  :A smooth pistachio custard cream with coffee gelatine, butter cookiesand pistachio crackers. Another Artusi Ristorante must try ! A very innovative desert .. sweet to bitter as you go down the bite . I love these kind of experiences they make my palate mind start thinking and absorbing each flavor.

Panna cotta

Splendida Panna cotta

Pudding served with caramelized figs and roasted almonds. This is the real Panna Cotta ! An Artusi Ristorante signature dessert. A must-try ! Yes a must must try - join me for just a coffee and panna cotta - thats it . DIVINE every bite is divine - you cant stop going ummmmm oooomph and so on . Instead of me explaining the experience why dont you jst invite me over or lets do the panna cotta together and cherish the amazing creation of Artusi . 

Meri Italian Maa

Sconvolgente Esperienza

Tigers Overall Experience : Yet again amazing - I love any place where there is warmth, interaction,personalisation , good service and freshness.

Ambiance - Perfectly Italian 

Service - Super - GM Aman is a well trained and educated man - experienced in Italy hence knows his stuff and maintains high standards.

Food - Salads need a bit of tweaking , Pasta to die for , meats - fish outstanding , The Pork Ribs need to be better cured , the lamb well done - and yes the Desert to Die For - over all a good fine dine experience after a long time .

Ps : the italian phrases words used are from the trabsaltion website on the net - soif they are wrong please blame the website not me , i just made an effort.

Tigers Experience at Bagdogra Airport,Siliguri North Bengal

One of the most talked about Airport restaurant run by the Airport Staff . People travelling to and fro from the east have great attachment to this Bagdogra Airport Restaurant . People are such loyalist , they swear by the food and service  and believe me they are senti about it , try arguing wit them  , you will be shot at instance. I swear by the tea which you get there , never had anything better anywhere.

Bagdogra is an Air force base - which shares the runway with all the private airlines . Slowly slowly things are improving at the airport and losing its simplistic charm also . Check in ground floor , security check first floor , boarding back to ground floor hahahahahahahah.  Silliguri is the biggest town connected to the Airport - the main hub of the North Bengal . The airport is in the middle of some beautiful well manicured tea gardens.

Started much before the 1970's - was under a contractor for 5 years then the Workers of the Airport formed a society and took it over - and ever since they manage the whole show - incredible .

A total No Fuss Airport lounge Very Basic and the best you can get that side of the country. Sit by the windows and get a beautiful view of aircraft coming n going not too many but still , high ceiling fans , check table cloths 

Wonder what will happen to this menu ever since the drowning of the good times 

A beautiful menu with almost everything under the sky , but you must understand who all they are catering too- Nepalese, Bengalis, Bhutanese, Marwaris, Punjabis , Foreign nationals , Students - Siliguri is the corridor for the north bengal and is filled with tourist irrespective of their nationalities. Also being the business hub of the north east is loaded with the riches . 

Some of the most popular dishes the regulars eat are : Chicken cutlets, Noodles, Fish , Chicken Sandwiches, Fish curry .. and of course their Darjeeling tea.

Easy No Fuss Seating with standing Air con. Acha dont know if u can notice the Smoking room is the same as the loo .. so you enter go past the loo and you come to a store room which has an toota hua exhaust and a open window .. now called a smoking room .. the waiter follows you and ask Sahab Beer le aun ... i think people hide and drink out here ... plastic chair , broken wooden table and he tries to make u comfortable in that ...  total theka style

The Owners now the managers.. they know almost al the regular travelers . It felt as if u r sitting in a corner tea shop where everyone walking in would first hello to the men behind the counter and then sit ... a number of marawaris loaded with gold , pan drooling with a army of spoilt kids running  to them uncle uncle chocolate de do - hey bhagwan . Then the hippies ,smelly dirty  smoked out and hungry ... The waiters are old have been there for generations - they too know each customer and some by name also - like my pop in law was addressed oh bombay store wale aa gaye . not bad at ll - good Pr . And like all good clubs the waiters know what dish the regular wants - fantastic.

Do u notice the paper weights all those are table being served and bills in progress .hehehehe

The Cuppa Tea

Served in a nice clean porcelain Tea Pot -Kettle to keep the water warm for long , milk strainer white sugar ek dum English style ...  this reminds me my mom til the time she lived always insisted on having her evening tea in a proper English tea tray - with we Tea pot covered by a tea cosy - a milk strainer and a beautiful elegant cup ..  and trust me now i understand why .. 

Brewed for exactly 3 mins and its ready to serve . The prime custom of Drinking and brewing Darjeeling tea is Steeping - normally they ask you to put the leaves in a separate kettle then pour hot water in it - once it reaches the desired colour transfer the tea  to another pot without the leaves .. Gawd hoe fussy can tea drinking be . 

See the lovely colour of fresh Darjeeling tea

Beautiful color fantastic smell - and presenting to you a perfect cup of Darjeeling tea . Actually as per tea experts brewing and reaching the right preferred color is a personal choice - which comes with a lot of trial and error . 

Darjeeling Tea Ra.35/-

with just a dash of Milk thats it  and yes half a tea spoon of sugar .. man you wil die - it is so intoxicating Rs. 35 Pure Darjeeling tea served in the most appropriate way - IS too die for - what else do u want . The rest  of my family prefers having their tea with out any milk or sugar to enjoy the flavors . 

The Food - Simple Basic Greasy Original but Fresh and DELICIOUS.

Chicken Cutlet Rs.150/-

Deep fried Chicken Mince Cutlet  with masala of garlic onions coriander and fries and fresh onions on the side hahahahahahaha  - amazing meal loved it with the unlabeled ketchup

Veg Hakka Noodles Rs.130/-

Vegetarian Hakka Noddles - perfect fat noodles mice and oily all fresh veggies including peas , but thank god no soya init like our dilli wala vans  hahahahahaha.. fried egg  to top it wah wah . Ek dum mast 

Grilled / Fried Fish 

Grilled Fish Rs.160/-

Grilled Fish there way - please dont laugh . Deep fried fish in some heavy thick batter - nice river fish fresh non smelly without thorns - just perfectly cooked served with boiled vegetable thats it . Big portion good enuf for a single person , and im sure once you bite in you wont share . Yes yes its topped with a ketchup based sauce to give it the bbq sauce affect not taste Lol .

MY Father In Law

Being a business man from Siliguri - with a number of retail stores and hotels passed under his wings , he is a  well know personality in the city , the family owned one of siliguris most sought out places to eat called 'Bombay Store ' on hil cart road , most famous for its Pao Bhaji .. i have seen people throng the palce in the evening to eat the Pao Bhaji , which actually was amazing ... every time he is flying out of siliguri he ensure we reach the airport two hours before time to spend time at the Airport lounge and trust me its so worth it . Not only that he wil insist on trying all his favorites and nothing beyond that ... It was a great sight to be a part of his happiness at the restaurant .. ful in command .

And while i was eating away - i had calls from wife to get sandwiches packed, son to get chicken cutlet packed  and friend to get Darjeeling tea packed - Oh these hard core Bagdogra Airport Loyalist  .

Overall Tigers Experience : Great fun and really look forward to my cuppa Darjeeling Tea at bagdogra Airport and thank god my In Laws belong to Siliguri. So that gives me all the chances of going back . Simple basic experience but memorable. Its fun sitting there and watching travelers come n go , aircraft fly by and the food being relished.

Food - Wonderful for a change , while i was enjoying my food i saw a number of people lovingly eating fish curry rice , chicken curry n rice - this is a must try for the next time . No Fuss food.

Ambiance : Buzz of tourist - nice n cool , airy comfortable enuf for a traveller .

Service : Full on by the tip hungry staff - sarkari waiters . But yes pleasant people and always ready to serve you the bill . hahahahah

Going back real Soon . 

Tigers Experience - Dhaba by Claridges - DLF Mall ,Saket New Delhi

Oh Claridges at Aurangzeb road makes me so nostalgic , makes me go back like decades when No1 the discotheque at The Taj Used to  be pipping hot on this side of town , Ghungroo at the Mauryas on the other side of town - we all invariably used to end the night at Pickwicks. The best sizzlers in town for years and the dark chocolate was to die for . Besides us most of the other hotel staff finishing their night shift used to land up der for the food - was economical ,and heavenly .. the atmosphere had a buzz till 6 in the morning . Then they opened DHABA the sensation becos they had the rustic look of the north Indian Dhabas - with charpoys , a truck body , the radio etc etc installed - and the food was a rave .... they were amongst the first to capture the daal makhni market . Dhaba was a hit with all goras for the indian experience , even the world famous bukhara cud not give the same ambiance . 

And arent we glad they had the vision to make the Dhaba by Claridges a brand and move it out of the boundary walls at Aurangzeb road .... Today Dhaba By Claridges is at Saket Dlf Mall and Also at the most hip and happening place in town Cyber Hub Gurgaon and coming up more in some mysterious place of delhi Ncr. And  i personally am glad claridges is taking route and creating an experience , becos the gen X of today has not witnessed such dhabas on the highways and they never will going ahead . Dhabas today are more commercial and more yuppy in the look and feel - aircons , wifi etc etc 

Claridges Dhaba is on the second floor of south Delhis Plush DLF Mall in Saket . Easy to access ample parking .

Tigers Experience of Dhaba by Claridges was an awakening of all kinds ahahahahahaha ,All i kept telling Executive Corporate Chef Ravi Saxena through the afternoon was " Ravi too many Experiences to absorb in one afternoon "  Trust me when i say this i actually mean it - ok read this then - food ,music, dance , booze , decor ,service , the kitchen all are such  lovely individual experiences - must be the first time that an experience auditor like me didn know where to start or stop. from the minute you walk in you are totally involved with ambiance of the place - first the decor gets you , then the table setting , then the menu card an the dish names, then the amazing food ,the pan , the music , the lil jig the team does ... all of it is just WOW!!!.

So the Dhaba's by Claridges at Saket and Cyber hub are more playful,lighter versions of the main Dhaba at claridges Aurangzeb road the flagship. I renamed it as the Dhaba POP - modern yet keeping the traditional concept of roadside dhabas alive.

Lifted directly from Wikipedia"Dhaba is the name given to roadside restaurants in India. They are situated on highways and generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops.[1]

They are most commonly found next to petrol stations, and most are open 24 hours a day. Since many Indian truck drivers are of Punjabi descent, and Punjabi food and music is quite popular throughout India, the word dhaba has come to represent any restaurant that serves Punjabi food, especially the heavily spiced and fried Punjabi fare preferred by many truck drivers.

The word has come to represent sub-continental cuisine so much that many Indian restaurants in Europe and America have adopted it as a part of the name.

Dhabas were characterized by mud structures and cots to sit upon (called 'chaarpai' in Hindi/Urdu - See Charpoy) while eating. A wooden plank would be placed across the width of the cot on which to place the dishes. With time, the cots were replaced by tables. The food is typically inexpensive and has a 'homemade' feel to it.  (This was the most important line ). 

The Preamble of Dhabas: They always serve fresh food , fresh from the farms , they make non veg in small quantities to avoid spill overs .

Essentials to be found in any road side dhaba are : 

Open Kitchen / Shinning Bhande (Bartan/ Utensils)/ radio/ Tube well / Manjee's / steel jugs , steel glass/ lifebouy soap/ a maalish wala / a tyre repair wala / colorful bright lights / owners pics allover with dignitaries/ loads of trucks parked for the night and most importantly a  CHOTU.

This is capturing the interiors - two levels - dining and the kitchen on level one , one step up is the theka and the further up on the kind of open indoors terrace is the Truck - yes a truck actually parked right der - u can dine in it - you can press the bhopoo but not run away with it .

The open kitchen with beautiful brass patilas , the peepas normally used for storing achaar, the eggs hanging in the basket a so very dhaba thingy , the doodh wale ka dhol , an old transistor (radio) - beautiful.

Please check out the vertical second pic with the chef , he had a lil tiffin box infront of him - in which they serve chicken curry and phoolkas with some salaad... this is for the people in a hurry , a typical lunch time for the truck drivers .  The tradition on highways is that all truckys drive at night and sleep during the day hence they have charpouys under trees for them , they get up lazily and shout for chotu ,who brings them there tiffin box.

The A Team

The A Team led by Corporate Chef Ravi Saxena - A IHM Goa Graduate , 21 years of  Domestic and international experience behind , instrumental in launching a few legendary restaurants like the Italian Restaurant ‘San Gimignano’ at the imperial   .  Chef Ravi Saxena is an integral part of this venture too with his duties as head chef for the two outlets and the base kitchen.  He has interestingly separated the Dhaba menu into three parts; tawa, tandoor and patila, and delivers nothing less than a spectrum of delightful and authentic Indian cuisine. Chef Ravi Saxena handles all the kitchens , training etc in the Claridges kitchen- his ocean of knowledge is amazing , full respect to the chef . They invent dishes monthly and i love the concept on how he tries the dishes out - every new dish is put up on the Dish of the day black board centre of the  restaurant - then they see the orders they receive on that dish - if popular it jumps in to the print Dhaba menu . Similarly Chef Ravi insist on shaking up the menu regularly to give customer more delightful ,inventive and dangerous dhaba dishes . 

Ok not to miss - the second pic and the third one of the team doing the Jig - suddenly you hear the music going real loud and kind of get irritated - then suddenly in the middle of this crazy filmy song these good looking team of the dhaba breaks into a Jig - real impromptu ... yes rehearsed , otherwise trust these kids breaking into a Jig - but very nicely done and with real good thumkas etc etc as per the song - they do it depending on the  crowd and their mood .

Bottom left - the Chef on the Left is the Head chef of this Dhaba - Chef Qureshi yes from the family of Qureshis. 

Second vertical pic is of Vineet the Operations head and the man behind putting thots to paper - he is an experienced man from the qsr region and is very with it , was delightful meeting him and understanding how they source their funky decorations etc .

The Tharras

The Theka

The Theka - The bar - beautiful colorful with number plates pasted on the wall - colorful tharra bottles for decoration ...  everything about the Dhaba by Claridges is so Me (Lively)

The Tharras.. The Local drinks - served in empties of alcohol - the bottles are actual halves of liquor bought from a kabari in abundance hahahahahaha . What a range of tharras the names are absolutely original the contents thankfully are not ... trust me on this , if u have ever had any of these tharras actually you wil be scared hearing the names only - god i have tried santari - in haryana it killed me with such a bad high and a worse hangover similarly kesar kastoori from rajathan never again getting close to them . So when i read the menu i had goosebumps on me and wanted to run away . The varieties they have are - Somras - is aam panna  coriander and vodka / toofan - vodka and guava juice (I had this ) Gulabo= Dhaba version of LIT; Marangi - Whisky and orange juice with a tinge of masla ; Santari - fresh orange juice and vodka ;Basanti - Gin and fresh lime ; Laal Paari - dhaba version of a bloody mary . And the one signature Tharra was Pandit Ji ka Paan in a Sprite with coriander and other condiments - this was actually a winner for me - i thot i want have it but trust me it was really refreshing and different.

Post this the blog is going to be in total Dhaba Language ... so pardon the MC BC etc etc lol .So run away if you want to....... 

The chutneys

A punjabi's delite - mast pyaz te chutniyaan....  Hari was the ordinary chutney made deliciously  with pudina and hari mirchi , halki was the just green chillies achaar maza aag aya and the theeky was red mirchi in oil vinegar and garlic - o teri yaar dhuaan nikla gaya. Mind blowing chutneys and the best way to keep a punjabi busy at a dhaba otherwise keeps scratching hi vitals chee how gros hahahahahahaha

Tawa Muton

Wah wah  Khade masala wala mutton tawe par bhuna hua - too good jee wah wah - beautifull roasted mutton in khada masala which is onion tomatoes and dhaniya  thats it - a very common dish in the Punjab Dhabas - abs fresh - perfect dish for a starter and a tharaa .The mutton was cooked beautifully not hard but perfectly chewable an merged well with the masala topped with a squeeze of nimboo

Vada Pao

Total surprise item all the way from Pune - Vada Pao the pune way - basically pune vada paos have a different magic masala than the mumbai one's - the masala is actually red chilies grounded with salt and garlic .  The green chutney is pure hari mirchee . The bonda well stuffed and the pao nice and fluffy - yes a bit of commercialization element was there but a great starter.

Keema Pao

and then yet again a superbly done keema pao - the keema not hand pounded tho  but was brilliantly cooked with just the right spices - no extras of kali mirchee nor red chiiles ... good dish to enjoy the tharra's  with . please dont make this the main course 

Dhaba Murh Roast

Hun ayee jee vaari kukkad dee - baby chicken marinated in yogurt , a bit of red chilies cooked in the tandoor soaked in desi ghee ... uffffff mind blowing , lil burnt , soft and well cooked from the inside . very unlike a tandoori chicken u get at the regulars - no artificial colors no forced on masalas - was just plain simple marination and cooked with the best desi ghee . You can have this as starter or with black daal makhni .

Tandoori Bhune Aloo

Sounds simple nah - hahahaha was not that simple to cook - Aloo is first cooked in the tandoori then bhuoed on the  tawa mixed with standard timatar pyaaz and topped with imli kee saunth  - wah kya lajawab dish hai - if u have even a slightest fetish for chaat papri you will love it .

Veg Galouti Kebab

These Veg Galouti kebabs can sure pass off a test amongst meat eaters - i cudn figure out that they were vegetarian - yes they were made with kala channas .. and i was worng - Chef Ravi clarified that they were made of four vegetables which are available thru the year (gobhi , gajjar, mattar and beans ) mixed with channa daal topped with masslas and a v bit of cheese too  amazing and served on special ulte tawe kee  roti . A lovely dish to irritate a veggie friend lol .

Balti Meat

Je te tussi balti nah khaya te kuch v na khaya .... amazing prepared dish . Chef Ravi and his team have certainly mastered the art of making meat curry .... meat perfectly cooked , the curry evenly textured , just the right amount of masala to give it the home feel inspite of  the master gravy which rules such huge kitchens. All dishes have a standard nalli wala piece and one chunky meat piece - best had with the dhaba wali roti . See the colours , the presentation so classy and rich .Served in a peetal kee batli yes of course smaller than the ones the truckys use for a bath or milk their cows .

Kanastri Baigan Bharta

Old age cravings - lol , used to hate baigan ka bharta but now where i go to a restaurant to a dhaba i must order a baigan ka bharta , my latest yardstick to cooking .. this is an amazing dish which needs real cooking talent to get it right .. perfect bhuna hua baigan , perfect khada masal and even put garam masala. Served in a Kanastar - my my this took me back to my family village experiences where a kanastar was actually used to store rice sugar grain and daal - made out of tankee wala steel ka dibba . They have made this beautiful kanstar in brass and in a much smaller size but the concept rocks . Overall a great bharta .

Butter chicken

Haan Jee kukkad shukkad ho jaye eventually .. the globally famous butter chicken , no authenticity , no registered recipe just an andaaza which varies from kitchen to kitchen from home to home from chef to chef . I Loved the gravy , but the pieces were not as i had wanted them - i prefer chicken with bones for sure as it adds to the flavour even Chef Ravi was of the same thot but when it comes to commercialization then the boneless bar b qued chicken only works . The gravy - was cooked in desi ghee , which makes it so lovely .... great mix of tomatoes and other BC ingredients .The BC had the right amount of sour and sweet mix , they have raised the bar for sure. Good to go with a kadak roti or butter naaan.

Amrtisari chole

This was a surprise item - Chef Ravi was amazed when i told him that i wud come back for the channas he was like Eh , strange man hahahahahah Yes the channas were perfectly done , Delicious flavor . Ek dum ghar wala flavour... perfect yet again with tandoori roti .The masala not over powering the basic flavors.

Rajmah

Masala mar ke rajmah - well they were different - not the types we eat on every sunday - rajmah chawal , they were with a thick gravy to be eaten with lachha parantha .. something different introduced by the Dhaba - quite like what you get in Amritsar dhabas. And its good to be different. A real lababdar version of our all time favorite rajmah

Daal Dhaba

Dhaba Daal . maah Dee Daal - well well the most acclaimed daal after the ITC one - people rave about the Claridges Dhaba Daal including me and yes it is 100% worth raving about . this is actually not the daal that you get in traditional dhabas but for metros dhabas this si the standard killer daal makhni . The regular daal that u get at the dhabas is a mixture of three four varieties of daals served with a special pyaaz wala tadka . The Dhaaba daal is thick has a great bounce, cooked over a couple of days for sure to get the right flavor over slow fire . Amust have.

Assorted Rotis

The assorted rotis were business as usual except what caught my eye was the dhaba roti - an easier kadak version of a khameeri roti - specially made to be eaten with Balti meat . And yes not to miss the serving dish - its a grain pourer used commonly at kirana shops or ration shops ... nice use of a traditional weapon hahahahaha.

Tawa Chicken Pulao

Nice innovation bilkool ghar wali dish - left overs from day before mixed with rice to make a pulao - hahahahahahaha  this is tawa chicken made ditto like the tawa mutton mixed with a veg pulao and stirred on the tawa. Its the Dhabas version of a meal in a bowl . Litpita chicken pulao.

Gulab Jamun/  Rabri/ Ras Milai

A dhaba meal is never complete without meetha and paan . Three choices Ras Malai , Phirni and Garam Gulab Jamun - my winners were Phirni in the mitee wali katori - the taste of the phirni with a bit of mud is just delicious ... specially the scarping and eating part of it from the sides . Not being a real meetha lover i could have passes the Gulabos and the rasmalai's. 

Followed by Pandit ji's Saada Paan OMG totally divine . Claridges wale pandit j ka paan is to die for Paan.. people come from all over the city just to have his paan , he claims to have fed his paan to almost al the ministers living in and around lutyens  delhi and trust me you can spend an evening sitting with panditiji getting to know backgrounds of our honorable mantris .He has an army of boys making apaans non stop til 12 at night - its like a factory with the final touch left to pandit ji .

Overall Tigers Experience : Well it might look like a lot of food eaten but the flow kept me going .And you may have noticed the excitement in my writing , yes yes i was excited thoguh out , the ambiance is such . Definitely going back again with tabar to do justice to the Dhaba food. It was actually a reviving experience where the mood was elevated with the ambiance , the music , the team and the interesting quotes all over the place . 

Food : Par excellence.. they have maintained the original dhaba flavors merged them to the modern dhaba flavors hahahahahah what a googly . There is a definite amount of commercialisation so please dont compare the food to home food ...  and enjoi.

Ambiance : Perfect detailing , Modern yet contemporary and traditional values kept intact . Airy no extra rubbish , catchy slogans all over with dhaba language , took me on a journey to Punjab in a truck. A perfect ambiance for a lively evening  You every time you  look up you wil find something interesting .. ok let me tell u a funny ting whenever i see a weighing machine i run far away from it - they had one at the entrance ... oh no - but luckily it was converted to a fortune telling machine and not a weight wali machine otherwise i wud have never go back . So when i take family der next time i will proudly jump on to it and show off hahahahahahahaha

Service - Young peppy service staff , always ready to do the jig . They help you decide which tharra to drink and what food to relish . 

Ps : Sorry i the pics of Rajmah, Buter chicek, daal , Channas look the same - blame it on my ruddy point n s hoot camera - flash crewed it al up .