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 .