The Food Blah #1

If someone is wondering what I have been up to lately, the answer is - Eating. Yeah, I have been just eating and putting on weight these days. Checked out quite a few food joints in Gurgaon and Delhi. And finally decided to write down a few things about them, for food has always been a fascinating thing for us :-)

Ammu's (R.I.P)

Alright, let's start with this 'kutty' place. A place that - sadly - no longer exists. Remember thermal and a quarter day? Yeah, that night, before I met the Mallu gang of friends, went to this place. That’s where the beef fry came from. The delicious beef fry - made by that fine gentleman at Ammu's - Ravi. I had been hearing about this Mallu mess for quite some time. Situated near Delhi-Gurgaon boarder on MG road, this was a small filthy congested restaurant. Authentic Mallyalam cuisine. Beef fry, Beef chilly, Kerala Parothas, ten odd different kinds of Appams, Fish fry, Fish curry, Dosai. I had it all, and enjoyed every bit of it. Super cheap. A wholesome meal of Beef fry, Kerala parothas and curry would cost just forty bucks. It was a heavenly experience to have a breakfast there on a cold Sunday winter morning. That fine gentleman Ravi was supposed to make a kg of beef pickle for me. I didn't go to that place for a while, and one fine day it just vanished from there :( I hadn't taken his phone number. If some kind soul has it, please pass it on. I will miss you, Ammu's. But knowing these Mallus, I can confidently say that our man will be back one day. R.I.P.

Village Shoppe (R.I.P)

Q. Why is Italy shaped like a big boot?
A. Because you couldn't get that much shit into a small shoe.

Never mind this. This is aftermath of that hilarious Russell Peters show that I happened to watch (live! Yay!) yesterday. Village Shoppe, another small Italian restaurant which was located in the same building as that of Ammu's has also vanished lately. Village Shoppe was my first introduction to proper Italian food, so I have special sentiments associated to it. First impression of this restaurant was ‘just brilliant!’ I loved the soups (the 'today's special' thing that changed everyday), lasagnas, pastas and salads. A meal would cost around 200 bucks. Pizzas weren’t that great here. Ambience was nice. Small cozy place with appropriate lighting. Not so professional waiters gave this place a different touch altogether. A pretty romantic place this was, all I lacked was a right partner. *sigh*. This place will be back too, I reckon.

Italiano, Gurgaon

The next Italian one was Italiano - and a superb restaurant at that. It took me more than a year before I visited this place.. because I had been a great fan of Village Shoppe till it closed down. Italiano is little bigger, better, has slightly better food, serves great pizzas, is more romantic (let's not get into that again!) and most importantly, serves alcohol! What a delight. Superb ambience and food - one of the few better places in Gurgaon. Beer + Excess of food has been around 400-450 for a single person. I would specially recommend the pizzas (pork ones) and Chicken Ravioli. Brilliant!

About Italiano | Menu | The MD about the restaurant

Ghalib, Nizamuddin

One of the performances of those talented oldies, Skinny Alley at Lodhi Garden Restaurant. You are on a trip, but some bizarre experiences and the overpriced food does not let you eat anything there. [Mind you, getting thrown out from a snobbish restaurant, that too after almost having a fight with the bouncers, and that tooo when it isn't your fault, isn't a very good experience to remember]

Or a Saturday afternoon when you are working your ass off in the office. No lunch. Frustration. Hunger. More hunger.

Q: What's the best thing that you can do?
A: Hit Nizamuddin, which is a couple of kms away. Go to Ghalib. Sit. Eat. Enjoy the Ecstasy!

Mutton Tikka, Mutton Seekh Kebabs, Beef tikka, Beef Seekh Kebabs, Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Tikka, Mutton Quorma, and Rumali Rotis - In that order.

I am not describing the food at any of these places... I wish I was a better writer to do that.

So anyway, Ghalib is a paradise for a true non-veg lover. Situated in the core Muslim localities of Nizamuddin. Thats what adds a real flavour to the food. Everything here can be called as The Real Thing. From Rumali rotis to all the delicious flesh to that amazing dessert - Firni. I don't think it's a great idea to take 'women' there, for this is not a nice place and all to sit. But do you think a real food lover gives a damn to such factors? A must visit kebabs paradise. A person cannot possibly spend more than 150 bucks here :-)

Beef kebabs/tikka @ 16 bucks, Mutton/Chicken Kebabs/Tikka @ 36 bucks. Be there to believe me!

Contact: M. Hanif Qureshi @ 9810786479, 9810786479 - The hospitable ‘786’ Chacha :-)

I have already written about that excellent Goan diner Bernardo's here. More eateries in the next post - The Food Blah #2

Have anything to contribute? Please write to us:

“Eat-drink-and-be-merry” Group
c/o Food lovers' Association
H-84, Residency Greens, Sector 46, Gurgaon 122002.
(We appreciate good tips about good places. You might get lucky if you are with us.)