2 Nights 3 Days....... You are in The Army Now

Headed for the Silver Reunion of my regiment at Babina, the dice is loaded. Boarded a shagged out coach of the Shatabdi Express to Jhansi, the destination is Babina (an acronym, Briish Army Base in Native Asia). Babina is also one of the poorest districts in Uttar Pradesh, though it feels like Madhya Pradesh. It’s the district where Rahul Gandhi has his humble meals in a humble village home of Bundelkand ( of the once famous Chandravanshi kings who gave us Khajuraho and Orcha, why is it that, illustrious kingdoms in the past are impoverished areas today, e.g. Pataliputra is modern Bihar). Was expecting the blood red German Coaches. Instead stuck with an early 70s was it the 80s coach. Lots of officers from my Armored Regiment and their families are travelling today. My neighbors on the train are (children of General Sanjeev Loomba, my first squadron Commander) Sahil and Shayla Loomba (and her husband Rohit).



We are off to a good start, all food oriented persons and our conversation skews towards unheard of food places in Delhi, Sahil a doctor with St Stephens Hospital surprises me with his repertoire of fantastic places in North Delhi, Ganesh In Karol Bagh (he clucks sympathetically, I haven’t heard of It), you have to have the fish and keema naans. Then Mezbaan , Zaika and Chacha Kebabs in Kamlanagar and A-1 Bakery behind Bungalow Road. I make copious mental notes. Rohit gets up from his slumber and adds a few places in South Delhi, fortunately I know all. I was beginning to lose the faith you know. Breakfast arrives.

I have to declare, I enjoy Train food especially breakfast more than the plane food. I am regular on aircrafts and I nod distastefully when they serve breakfast in air. Here I was enthusiastically looking forward to the cutlets with peas and limp fries, cold omellette and bread with a dubious sauce. It’s probably because I do it once in a while. I love it , somehow the childhood memory and the novelty of the semi warm breakfast on the train has not worn off yet. We are served, there are three variants, and we have all three . That’s, cutlets and bread, omellete and bread and upma vada. The waiter understands, this is the high rollers table and knows a handsome tip will be given. So he passed on the extra breakfasts of the regular train travelers to distastefully nod no to breakfast, to us.

We arrive and I have a crew for the next 2 nights and 3 days, Driver Lance Dafedar Devendar from Meerut and 10 Armored Regiment and Sowar Pradeep Chauhan my Buddy from Pataudi and my Regiment The 15 Armored Regiment. We have a smart Gypsy Jeep, while some get Toyota Innova’s and hired Tata Indica’s I am happy with mine. Immerse into a warm afternoon at the big tent at the Officers Mess, The relief is the Cold beer and the warm snacks, I switch to a gin and lime with the typical army mess style pickled onions (actually the right way, which many Michelin starred bars and restaurants miss out). The conversation meanders. Everytime a white haired, or bald, or apple shaped old timer walks in there is some cheers and laughter. Really almost like a convocation of old Turkey Buzzards. I remark we will appreciate some people in the course of the next few days and also depreciate a few. Laughter all around.
Lunc is lserved, Biryani and Bone Curry, the tradition continues, we (me and my good friend Raghu) taught this to cooks in the late 80’s nearly 22 years ago and here at the reunion we have the same lunch after an intense liquid diet.





The next big gig is the The Big Feast or Barakahana, quite honestly a relic of the past, designed for the British officers to interact with local Risaldars and the Risalas (todays JCO and the local subunits)The Cavalary which is todays armored regiments were raised by local fiefs providing a standing cavalary unit in return they got the right to collect taxes..

The food in the army is of a certain type with a certain taste. You eat it more out of hunger than desire. Especially with traditional recipes changing. I personally like the halal meat curry as compared to jhatka meat, with rice. The Jhatka always has bone fragments. The atmosphere is festive mostly rum is drunk. As a special case, the Commanding Officer, a youngster of mine when I was in the Unit (that’s how they call it), snapped his fingers and summoned whisky for me. Which a lot of people benefitted from including, Sahil, Rohit, and Vivek Law( amongst others). All children of Officers I had served with.






When someone remarked, you often see Samil with all the younger guys , I responded they are often smarter and I tend to learn more. Incidentally, Vivek Law, runs one or some of the channels for TV 18. So the food at the Barakhana was nothing much to write about. Also, the puritanical methods have changed for out sourcing some stuff to local caterers, who treat it as a wedding party and botch it up. So the traditional stuff you expect at the Barakhana or the JCO Mess party, go missing. Like hot pakoras, boiled eggs and sometimes egg pakoras stylishly called scotch eggs, liver fry, keema kaleji , spicy potato chips freshly fried with lots of red pepper, have just vanished. Even the food at The Officers Mess has changed for semi- western -continental -jankapuri style -caterer with a stylish names of unknown dishes. My advice stick to your grain and the basics, that’s pure and that’s puritanical, which still can be maintained and revived.

Walking in the evening on a lonely road with small loud speakers lining the road is almost an eerie experience listening to golden oldies like Jim Reeves and sometimes ( the organization my dearest wife Praveen works, Big 92.7 Fm ) broadcasted from Jhansi and transmitted on a lonely road in Babina seems like a communist country in Eastern Europe or Mao Zedong's era in China.

On the wonderfully done up Regimental Dinner Night with the works in the offing, I fell ill (too much of a good thing). My good old squady Katy sir(squadron Commander), ferried an Army Doctor to my room and got me medicines. The next morning Col HS Bedi and his ever so gracious wife offered to take me back on the chartered aircraft parked at Jhansi (from Alchemist Airways). We took the hours flight and were out of the Delhi airport in jiffy. A private plane experience absolutely unique for me.

Apart from the food, where would you find such affection anywhere and in any organisation. Your Old boss, bringing a doctor, another senior colleague taking you back in a private plane. Your youngster the CO, looking after what you are drinking. Dearest Friends Raghu, Rajiv Chaddha, Parry and Manish being by your side and making you feel 24 again. Almost magical even if it was for 2 nights and three days.

Tea Centre : Mumbai, Paradise Lost

Prahlad Kakkar who ran this place for a few years once said “Tea makes you go in the morning and come at night”. The tea Centre has subsequently been run by Rathikant Basu (yes the bureaucrat turned, Star honcho, turned and humbled by his own channels Tara fame).Honestly I went to the place after reading Kalyan Karmakar’s blog (in this case blogs on the place). I have been in and around Chuchgate for nearly three decades, did a recce once, never sat down to eat there. This time we did.



It is not much of a salesman eating out kind of place, there are hundred others around Nariman Point. However, it may have been one, since a salesperson was a pretty high once in the value chain. It was started in 1956, by the Tea board. One of the objectives of the Tea board was , to popularize the consumption of tea in popular or populist settings. Delhi had the Tea board restaurant on Jan path, which was run by a grand Uncle of mine. It certainly, feels grand, yes Kalyan, a little like Calcutta club or at least a private club. New York has The Russian Tea Room. Mumbai, at Church gate, beside the Stadium restaurant in Resham Bhawan has the Tea centre.


This is large restaurant with crisp white covers and beige sofas (the ones with arms), maroon serviettes and air conditioning that’s below 20. Adjoining is a party room and a small tea store where I bought a bergamot flavored earl grey tea and a very cute round strainer.

Now the food, well I never do the blunder, but we did this time, we ordered the executive continental lunches, which promised. Grilled fish, Pimento Rice, Jacket Potatoes, Coriander Sauce Vegetables and Desert. Similar stuff for the vegetarians minus the fish. We thought it will be fast and the process of ordering quick. It turned out exactly the opposite, people around us got their food and we drank iced tea and twiddled our thumbs for 40 minutes. Enter the Executive Continental lunched, the vegetarians looked disappointed, The Non vegetarians equally disappointed, the grilled fish was in a mustard kind of sauce, the potatoes were boiled and smeared with brown gravy, the rice a vegetarian pulao,. The Desert an apology of a strawberry soufflé.


Overall a mediocre experience at an illustrious place. Maybe it was what we ordered, the perils of a food taster. The maths, about Rs 1500/ for the six of us for lunch a feeble dessert and teas for all-The quirky stuff on the menu and the walls like a “ a teapot is neck deep in hot water but still manages to sing” are really funny.

It’s a great a place for a middle aged manager to bring out the secretaries in his office for tea and pakoras. Its rather harsh, but actually some stuff like this was happening. The current lease holder is Cyrrus Chenoy, The new manager was Vispy a crisp middle aged man on his second day at work (his last job was at RTI, that’s another food story, I mean RTI). Around us everyone seemed appreciative and cool, For me it was a promised paradise lost.

Though out of line in most places, here there are tiny bells to draw attention to your table.

So Long !

That Calcutta......Those Bongs: Food festival for a Salesman

Food, Yes Food is what propels Calcutta (I like the older names of illustrious cities). It’s not money, it’s not greed it’s not power. Landing in Calcutta is like shaking hands with an old friend. With my many voyages in the past and stays ranging from Hotel Lindsay, Lytton , Fairlawn (where part of City of Joy was shot and the cast stayed there) to The Park, The Oberoi Grand and this time at HHI. The predominant encouragement is the food and more often than not street food and affordable local exotica. So before boarding the flight I bought a book of short stories by Dipanwita Mukerjee called That Calcutta… Those Bongs. Allowing me to immerse in dreams of Illish, Gandharaaj lime, pithe, luchis and Patturi and of course Buro. Get eady.Calcutta looks like a city from the smoke stack era without the smokestacks, except of course if you are in Rajarhaat… you could feel you are in Gurgaon. My story is more about the smokestack Calcutta.

Arsalan : Mughlai Food

The choices were Shiraaz, Rahmania, Arsalan and a late entrant Royal came highly recommended by Sandip Ghose the high priest of food in Calcutta. The driver Alam knew where Royal at Chitpur road was located, however decided to go to Arsalan as it was already late for dinner. Arsalan (named after the animal the Lion) has Bihari ownership , launched in Calcutta in 2002 (makes it 8 years old), has made more than made a mark for itself in the gourmet’s heart. Imagine going past heavyweights like Shiraaz and Rahmaniya and the yet to be explored Royal.
Alam the driver parked at the swanky Arsalan air conditioned et al. I said basic and the first one ever set up and we are at Arsalan at Park Circus. There is a festivity around the place, or is it madness or perhaps mass hysteria, people at the cash counter behaving as if someone is distributing free food tickets in pre Prestroika Russia. We seat ourselves an old midget in a shirt and tie , Aziim takes our order. We are in Non Ac Hall. I believe that’s where the action is. On the right is a muslim Family having a conservative dinner .Further, three drunk Bengalis, one of them threatening Azim, food should be hot, muttion should be nice. Alam the driver joins us, Shantanu (my partner in crime)is a vegetarian today. We order a mutton biryani, a chicken biryani, a mutton champ, a vegetable biryani, a paneer dish, a dal and one roti. The Biryanis were flavorful but oily, with an enormous half potato, which was quite honestly bland. The expectation was greater than the delivery. The experience was nice. The food was anything but delicately flavored, I guess it’s the scale and volumes Arsalan deals with. We chase it with small squat Thums Up , the cold cinnamon flavor hits the spot after a heavy mughlai meal. We paid Rs 440/- for this nearly enormous meal.

Chitta Da: Differentaiated Snack at Dacres Lane : My friend and old colleague Sanjay Das promised to take me to Chitta da at Dacres lane while corresponding with me on this blog. Apoorva a current colleague made a similar promise. I also saw a segment on The Travel and Living Channel with the anchor a funny one, at Chitta da. I had to go there, I began to think of the stew and toast in a pedestrian district more known for the magazine market and the surrounding Government offices, (usually called Bhabans, for Bhawans).

We reached at mid morning at 11 am, and there was a row of patrons already imbibing the goodies. I asked the cook and server, what can you offer, fish finger, chicken stew and ghoogni (chick peas) all served with chunky toasts lightly buttered. We have the fish fingers nice chunky pieces of fresh fish in fingers like that of a goblin knotted and brown, umm but tasty inside with a light salad and mustard paste. I joked with Shantanu, Bengalis will just about anything with mustard. Next Ghoogni same format, delicious, it’s a channa curry with the same accompaniments. Now for the fried fish, a chunky piece of extremely fresh fish bite the crust into the odourless white flesh with the steam emanating. Oh yeah ! Followed, by tea as a beverage. Interesting format. We gave the chicken stew a pass, though it is the signature dish. Have to leave something for the next time.

Now for the maths, this truly a salesman’s outing in the Tiffin Gali (Dacres Lane now called as Jimmy Hitch Sarani)and eaters paradise. Rs 27/- for the fish fingers, Rs 25/- for the fried fish, Rs 6/- for the Channa/ Ghugni and Rs 18/- for four coarse bread toast slightly buttered and three chais in kullar (earthen cup) for Rs 12/-. In all a wonderful snack for Rs 82/- That’s the owner now, probably Chitta Da’s son Nararayan Chandra Roy.

Suruchi : Bangla Homefood

Sudarshan Saha a colleague of, dearest Praveen, asked me, about the color of the walls, when I described my first visit to Suruchi in the 90s. Only an intense Bengali can ask about the hue and color of the walls when the subject under discussion is FOOD. Intense he is , and intense I am, he photographs and I eat and write.

This was my second visit to Suruchi, I remember the last visit, where I perceived it as a widows and needy women NGO who could cook up some mean Bangla food. Now I know it’s the All Bengal Women Union, apart from all the activities they run this wonderful Bangla home food restaurant. There were four of us, two dyed in wool Bengalis ( Sudipto and Swarup), one semi dyed in wool Bengali (Shantanu) and one honorary Bengali (for the cuisine, Me) And yes, Sudarshan the walls were yellow. The place looked sleepy at ten past one with lights all off. Got seriously activated by half past one, with five groups of diners.

We ordered four thalis with addons of Bhappa Ilish (steamed mustard Illish), bhekti paturi (steamed in a banana leaves and mustard), fried bhekti and a dish of a fish kofta and mocher jingha (shrimps cooked with banana flowers. Very nice, interesting and delicious. With waiter ladies called Didi and food brimming on our table. Even the dyed in wool Bengalis smiled, reminiscing of their days at Burdwaan and Nadiad. We, half dyed and honorary bongs relished the meal and gave it a Thumbs Up. I asked for the Gandharaaj Lime with newly acquired knowledge og Bangla food. The dyed wool colleagues were aghast and their jaws dropped.
Lastly the misthti doi and pithes, more than pefect, Ate fish like fish (sorry its drink like fish) and the total bill with mineral water was Rs 735/- for all four of us and the Thalis were great as well with Dal, sukto, aloo bhaja. Nice, You have to be there.

Dinner at Kimling

Erstwhile Chinatown, then leather town and now eating town, Tangra. I do not remember ever having gone there during the day. It’s always been at night. With shadows lurking, strong smell of a tannery, a Chinese sauce factory (Sing Cheung Chinese sauces, oh, how much I want to buy the sauce brand as a business), smell of green chilli sauce and soy in the air mixed with overhanging gutter smell. It has the eerie feeling of the 70’s Bruce lee films with a mega restaurant named after his film Big Boss. The restaurants I have been to are Kimling, Chinahaus, Goden Joy and yet again Kimling many times.

It does have the old world charm, it an old fashioned fare and approach to the whole experience. They actually put in bright fresh tomatoes in their Hot and Sour Soup. I love their unpretentious fried snacks. We ordered, chili garlic chicken a chili onion fish, prawn crackers, chicken wantons and some medium to large golden fried prawns (all fried you see) with their exotic green unbranded sauce. Chased with Director’ special Black for the honorary bong and Vodka a Gorbachow (yes spelt with W), for the half dyed in wool and full dyed in wool bong. The experience exhilarating, the food crisp and atmosphere ,a lot of fun with conversation and jokes with a bunch of guys on the neighboring table. They were serious foodies and drinkers (Jaideep Raha, Tilak and Amit Bhatacharjee). The whole evening a wholesome one with all sodas and mixers thrown in was Rs 1500/- Great Fun.

The morning after : Maharani Snacks

A highly recommended place by Sudipto in tow with Shantanu c for breakfast, the Up bhaiyya influence for Kachoris, Samosas, Jalebis and Gulab Jamuns with Chai. The Kachoris, are more like slightly thick Puris. This the pucca khana (in other words fried food of Uttar Pradesh). It is a nice place, especially, the taste and the prices. Fits into precisely a salesman budget, four plates of Kachori, one samosa one jalebi, two chais all for Rs 45/- its on A C Bose Road close 85 Lansdowne (the designer boutique), near Gariahat.

In all we spent Rs 3000/- for all the above. Stupendous for USD 63, Calcutta is truly remarkable. Oh Calcutta…… Those Bongs

Finally, we did got to Terretty Bazaar on Sun yat Sen Road near the Old Lal Bazzar Police Station for the morning Chinese breakfast market at Old Chinatown. There were six odd stalls, selling, momos (dimsum), noodle soup and Chinese sausage. All made of mystery meat . I realized, I was not a complete convert to eat anything at anytime and for the first time I backed off with a timid hot cross chinese sweet bun to come back another day. I believe there is better action here on a Sunday.
So Long

The Happiest Pie:at The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen

There is a defining moment in everyone’s life. Here is mine the Pie, I just cannot stop thinking about it. We saunter into The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen ( a difficult word for the pastry shop), that’s me, dearest wife Praveen and Detective An. We look at the menus, order a brochette a portion of small stuffed croissants, some red cheddar (probably Leicester) a coca cola, a coffee and a magnificent Philadelphia cheese cake, we walk around and the pastry chef at the oven offers a pie (her name is Vidhu).

She says, would you like a pie (in retrospect it sounds like would you like Nirvana). I said what kind; she says ham and cheese and mushroom and cheese. I am glad I said ham and cheese. She is also meddling with a sausage roll in the oven, I am distracted. No I stick to Ham and cheese.

It arrives on the table in a rather small plate; the rest of the food is yet to arrive. I am entranced, the crust is nice and brown and crisp. The cheese is gruyere is gooey and sometimes stringy, the ham ooh, ooh the ham it’s the best I have ever eaten, soft and whispers to you like silk. Amazing, crust, gooey cheese and strong ham, the flavors and textures are just too overpowering. Oh yeah! I could live like this. Accompanied by Wilkins Ketchup and Wilkins English mustard, which is grainy and nice. Me and Detective An immerse into the folds of the pies, while Dearest Praveen has a bite of just the crust.

Pork has an effect of overpowering madness; the king of most meats, when made well can lead to momentary lapse of reason and delirium. That’s what I felt, so overwhelmed, I was dropping the oversized Cutlery all over the place. The Manager, Payal took the complements on behalf of Vidhu and informed us that they have different specials on most days.

This magnificent dish (the humble pie) is Rs 511/- (inclusive of tax, The Oberoi very smartly prices nearly everything inclusive of a tax, albeit expensive, but you know what to finally expect. The Meal for all was 1850/- But the pie was worth it and more.

If you have a moving food story that made the earth move for you, happy to hear it and host it.
So long!

Triveni Kala Sangam : Cafeteria/ Tea Terrace

Mumbai has Café Samovar, Bangalore has Koshy’s, Kolkata…… well Flury’s in its older Avatar. All these characterize the city or render character to it. Working in a newspaper in the early 90’s and especially in an, nearly all women team had its advantages. They introduced me to eating places where the radicals, writers, artists and thinkers hung out then. Now the corporate suits, lawyers, lovers and an odd artist hang out. But, the food is nice.

In the early and mid 90s, you saw Sudhir Dhar, the Cartoonist with HT, seated tall and alone at lunch nearly every day. I last saw him singing Carols with the kids in Richmond Park in Guragaon a few years ago. We went their then to be a part of the Fabindia fraternity, as a talisman of reverse snobbery rather than for the home cooked food that it Triveni Canteen/ Café and now Tea terrace offered.

For someone who had parathas, gobhi, palak paneer, channa, rajma, kadhi as a regular menu at home. eating at Triveni was a Fabindia statement ( Fabindia was a very Delhi wallah brand then, Its nearly national now), smoking, fruit beer, or just beer, Hindi theatre at Copernicus marg, drinking copious quantities of Indian Whisky, knowing a few kebab joints, having a joint, knowing a friend with an apartment at KG Marg, going backstage to meet the caste of an English play, hanging out with Femina Miss India contenders, English movies at Archana and Chanakya, Kolhapuris, Kohl rimmed eyes for women, cotton saris, jeans, stencil shirts, gifting potted plants……. And holding hands (all seem passé now), but you get the drift of the Fabindia idiom.

A lot has changed, however little has changed at Triveni…. Except the name a few more dishes, higher prices and slightly better service…………

Now for our last experience On a Friday the Discovery Channel Alumni met at the bar Past Times at the India habitat Centre. The next day, Saturday, the Alumni of Mint (the newspaper) met at the Triveni, Tea Terrace. In fact it was a stripped down version. People kept dropping out like nine pins, mother -in-law not well, have migraine, in a presentation with boss, just silence and no excuse. The four of us said what the heck, let’s eat. And eat we did.

Throwing care to the winds we ordered, 4 plates of Shammi kebab, 2 keema and peas, 1 paneer bhurji, I Aloo Jeera, another Paneer bhurji and lots of rotis with a coffee each. It’s supposed to be an afternoon lunch in a budget, we in our ditched out state overcame with stuffing ourselves. The food was nice in fact too much; the keema had a rough and chunky texture. Rahul Verma of The Hindu (who I have mentioned earlier and is way ahead of the game on food writing, has reviewed Triveni before) said, its due to thefrozen keema which has not been thawed and cooked.We wiped the plates clean. Shot the breeze in the sun.

It’s great place that fits into the under hundred rupees per head budget for the Salesman guide to eating out. Its another issue that we ate with vengeance and spent Rs 800/- for four persons (Rs200/- per head). The place is more efficiently run by Meenu Singh. Kamla Rai the founder and the person who ran it for decades is her Aunt.

Trivia : Triveni Kala Sangam was designed by Joseph Allen Stein and was made in 1963 under the able guidance of Mrs Sundari K Shridharani. The nook the book shop of rare collectible books, has shut down. The Tea Terrace is popular and life goes on.
I am sure you have a favorite Triveni Story if you are a dilliwala or have visited the place. Love to hear it.
So Long !

The Holy Trinity: INS/,UNI and PTI Canteens at New Delhi

Like the holy trinity of Hindu mythology and theology, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. I draw an analogy of the three canteens in and around the Journalists precinct the canteens at INS (Indian Newspaper Society), UNI (United New s of india) and PTI (Press Trust of India). I know I have not been in the content side (in Television) and on the edit side of a newsroom (in print), but I have the gumption to not only write, but write about the journalist hangout joints, that is really the fall of the last bastion.

Like I have often said to some eminent friends on the other side of the Chinese wall (there is supposed to be an imaginary and metaphoric wall between the business side guys also termed as the suits and the content guys, the intelligentsia), that I can learn to write, the point is can you learn to sell. Well let us leave that for the moment and cut to the chase of the eating options at these legendary canteens. These are the canteens where many a time the agenda of the nation has been decided, these are the haloed portals when many a battle of words has been debated. Socialism, Communism, Capitalism, Extreme Right wing, Left, Centre, Further Right have been discussed over many tortured sessions of vadas and coffee. I have often wanted to do this story. Finally two winter mornings and an evening and I had my research sort of, complete.

INS (Indian Newspaper Society)

Got talking with the proprietor of Sri Krishna caterers at the INS, he has had the contract for over 4 years and is a break away or splinter group from the caterers at Andhra Bhawan. They cater for many a function and offices. We had a hot and a quick standing breakfast . My partner in crime Shantanu, yours truly and Robert, a colleague visiting from Bombay.

We order soft and succulent idlis (2 plates), hot and steaming Upma (2 plates) and a plate of Vada and perhaps a coffee each . The Idlis and Upma were nice the vada was forgettable and all we paid was Rs 80/- . Now that is new benchmark breakfast for three at Rs 80/-. Can you beat that. Well below the Rs 100 mark and that too for three. Lo behold ! No wonder, Content is King. They get to eat so cheap. INS building has been around since 1956, I guess , there has been a canteen here since, feeding many a million. Shantanu and I liked the experience, perhaps Robert did too as he went in for seconds or he was plain hungry.

UNI ( United News of India)

A truly heavy weight in terms of a canteen, has been around since 1961, earlier the south Indian Swamis ran it. Even my father, often brought home the South Indian Namkeen packets which were hugely popular in the early 80s they are still available today on a cold January morning in 2010. Unfortunately there have been many a changed management. Rahul Verma an eminent food writer of The Hindu, is the only one who has written about the legendary canteen which has nourished and nurtured again, many millions. And you, know I am one of the suits and get to write a tribute to the scribe kind of places and that feels like a double whammy.

Our experience was quick and hurried the idea was to see the place, is it still there and what is it like ? Yes it is there at the same place since then . We had a upma a plate of vada and two coffees at a handsome amount of Rs 37/-. The vadas were really nice and fresh out and piping hot. The upma was a little flat. Well what do we expect from a Himachali now running the place. In fact I got to chat with Sant Lal Sharma, the owner who also proudly posed for me. An outdoor dining with a shed for a kitchen. The quantities being cooked were enormous. Long live UNI, as we like the canteen.

PTI (Press Trust of India)

This again has been the raising ground for many an illustrious and talented journalist and television content creators I know of Pankaj Saxena, Anil Padmanabhan and I am sure lots more. I had to go to the Canteen. Bhushan, our trusted driver took me their one winter evening this January. The building is posh, atleast better than I thought it would be.

Though, the canteen or the cafeteria in this case was a gloomy tube lit affair. It is run by a Joshi Ji, who has been running it for more than half a decade. He was happy to rattle out the menu for breakfast, lunch and beyond. It was 5 pm, decided to check out nearly everything on offer then. Here goes, 3 samosas, bread and butter, 1 aloo bonda and a pakora, followed by a, made in Kashmir, Lichi drink all for Rs50. The experience was just about normal to average. Maybe there is a better time to be there, probably lunch. It was a little better organized in terms of seating and other stuff.


This kind of completes my tour of the Holy Trinity In and around Rafi Marg. Well all were priced at Rs 100/- and therefore qualify for my eating out under Hundred Rupees qualifying benchmark.
So Long !

Ahmadabad Revisted:Haveli and Galli

With a hiatus of 7 months, I am back in Ahmadabad as a visiting faculty at MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications). I get into the car with Akbar and politely ask him, if we can go for a gastronomic outing. He politely postpones it for the next evening which is a Saturday. Stupid me, I do not take Akbar’s number, I was stranded high and dry (literally as Gujarat is dry state, sub text prohibition/no alcohol, officially). So I exercise in the gym which is hot and steamy as compared to the January winter in New Delhi, I play soccer, after nearly a few decades, Enjoyed it! Meanwhile dear wife Praveen’s colleague and friend Asif Kadri, sends a car for dinner at Agashiye.

Beatific setting for a Thali Meal

Praveen has been to Agashiye and she constantly influences, to extract me from the slumming I find expertise in. After Vishala and Gopi on previous visits to Ahmadabad many years ago, I was ready for another Gujarati super deluxe experience. Agashiye is the roof top restaurant (literally means “on the terrace”) at the house of Mangaldas Girdhardas a 40,000 sqft mansion built in 1924. It has a heritage hotel (check out www.houseofmg.com), two restaurants, a banquet lounge, a handcrafted gifts shop, a spa and a swimming pool.

It’s located at Lal Darwaza opposite the Sidi Saiyad Jali Mosque. This unique Jali dating nearly 500 years ago has, the sculptured tree of life (in stone)the emblem of logo at IIM Ahmadabad and many years ago was the centre structure of the lobby at The Oberoi, New Delhi. More of that later.

I walk in, past the kurta-pyjama-gandhi cap clad receptionists, past the black and white photos of the Mangaldas dynasty. A lift takes me to the top,soft Indian music, an outer lobby, people waiting, I walk in lots of empty tables I ask to seated, I am asked, have I paid at the reception I say no. Have you been served soup and starters in the outer lobby, I say no. I am seated near a Henry Wilson a freelance photographer from UK, we get talking after a while…. He has been visiting India for over 30 years. I interact with the senior steward (a Nepalese), though the brochure claims staff from neighboring villages. I am served a soup (a Cornish soup), with dhoklas and a cutlet made out of a yam, It’s a super deluxe experience for the inexperienced, a bit clinical, with washing hands at the table with a person pouring scented water and collecting the soiled water in a receptacle.

I am served 35 items including a bharta, paneer subzi (with missing paneer), gujarati dal and kadhi, bhakri (wheat thick roti), bajra rotis ( Henry Wilson remarked only if the rotis were a little softer), khichdi with ghee. Served in Alloy Thalis, served ,butter and pickles on a betel leaf ( a nice touch),. basoondi , mal puda ,a nice flavorful ice cream as desserts. Topped with a pan and lastly ber ( a coarse fruit) as a mouth cleanser. Yes in all 35 items at Rs 400/- a pop.

The experience is nice especially for the uninitiated to Gujrati food, good setting, pleasant ambience. The food lacks the scale and opulence of a thali joint, the affection of serving and feeding. I had to wait for some courses. Personally I like the Kathiawadi thali more as it is spicier. Nice super deluxe experience in a historic setting. Well the food, me the blue blooded Indian and Henry Wilson the blue blooded Englishman, both of us agreed have had better Gujarati meals.

Beastly setting of Bhatiyar Galli:

I missed going to Bhatiyar Galli the last time (that’s last summer, please check my previous blog on Ahmadabad in May 2009) and with a last night’s antiseptic Guju experience. I had to immerse back into the famous galli (lane)of cooks for weddings and contractual cooking… the bhatiyars. On the way to the airport I convince Ahmed the other driver from MICA and the betrayer of the previous night Akbar’s brother-in-law, to take me to Bhatiyar Galli. We go past Mangaldas Mansion and Sidi Saiyyad Jali mosque in the old bazaar we park behind Hotel paramount, . The parking wallah cha-cha (uncle), was exaggerative, when we asked if the Mahindra Xylo would fit in, he said, we can fit in a railway engine. I saw him eating a really enormous pan and remarked about its enormity, he said I will show you one as big as an elephant’s ear. He also said you will not get kebabs as there is some mourning being observed today in the bazaar.

I searched and made two or three quick halts. A kabab wallah on a cart, ZK Fry centre and a mutton samosa and fried kabab stall. The first stop a father and son duo on a push cart offered me a plate of kababs, a bun heated with oil and a plate of onions for Rs 13/-. Small succulent kebabs made of the bada (colloquially means bigger or buffalo), marinated with raw papaya. Nice treat for Rs 13/-

The next stop a tiny stall in a lane selling tiny meat (I guess again bada) for two rupees each. A tiny bite, but the big boys of the famous samosa shops were shut.

Next the slightly more activated ZK fry centre (it was around five in the evening). Frying fish on an enormous Tawa, I have a piece of surmai with a roti and onions (Rs 33). Tawa is generic and peculiar to Ahmadabad. Everything in meat is done on a Tawa, like the Tandoor or the open bar b cue in Northern India. The bazaar sorry Galli is slow and lazy, I am still hungry, I ask for some prawns, yes the owner starts taking me more seriously. They serve me a plate of tawa fry prawns, onions and a roti all for Rs 53/- I love a Thums Up (Rs20)with the greasy food there is something about the cinnamon zing that’s comforting. Now here’s is the math 13 +33+53+20 =120.That is Rs 120 for all the yummy stuff, I did overspend by Rs 20 (over the psychological mark of Rs 100 for the eating out under hundred rupee mark). Like, I said before, I never plan it, happy to make it around the benchmark.

I top it with an enormous pan for Rs 5 and ask Ahmed to speed me to the airport. I have a beatific smile on my face. I did it even if it was on the way to the airport. As a rejoined I met some students at MICA, Amit Monteiro and Arunesh and a few others already have a under Rs 100/- eating out club, with an open invitation for new and honorary members. I have got myself an invitation as a visiting faculty and a visiting honorary member to this elite club. On the radar is RK Egg Eatery, Sarkhej, Manek Chowk. Ahmadabad here I come.