Enter and exit

                               Clicked at the tunnel leading to Chamera Dam, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh.

The hatti lunch

Weekends should be fun and vibrant that leave you with good memories and rejuvenated. Eating out is an activity that brings a smile to many faces. However choose right and eat right. Hogging can be risky and land you in bad state of health, needless to mention gastric problems, food poisoning, stomach infection and so on. Okay, I don't intend to scare you. This post is about a famous eating joint in Old Delhi.

Popular for well prepared royal cuisines, Old Delhi holds a record of many titles, unmatched and unbeatable till date. Be it the oldest shop in India since British rule, the most visited place, busiest market or yummiest food. Kaake di Hatti, an eating joint of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi holds the record of being more than 60 years old shop which serves the most authentic North Indian food. As they say, curiosity kills the cat, I got killed too and ventured out on one weekend to grab a bite at the Kaake Di Hatti.

Located in the interiors of Chandni Chowk, this shop is indeed old and almost easily missed. The restaurant serves pure vegetarian North Indian food, with a huge variety in breads (roti/naan). The first floor is air conditioned with basic seating arrangements of tables and stools. DO NOT expect a neat, calm or hygienic ambiance, though the food is neat and served on clean plates/utensils. The first thing one might notice are the dark decaying walls which they have tried hard to maintain. The newly fitted AC in the walls come as a big relief. The waiters are courteous and services are quick. With the limited walking spaces in the narrow floor area restricts your movements. Yet, all you would care about is the yummy food, which is worth the pains you take to reach here.

Aloo pyaaz naan

Daal makhni

 Another thing that immediately gets your attention is a newspaper clipping framed on the wall which

challenges you to eat a naan (bread) all by yourself. I thought it was a publicity stunt. However my

inhibitions proved to be wrong when I ordered one naan stuffed with potato and onion. One buttered naan has four big pieces which is a full course meal for two! The daal makhni was fairly good and malaai kofta was out of the world! Obviously I failed the naan challenge. Pickle and chutney are complimentary. The menu has a wide variety of naan, vegetable curries, dry vegetable mixes, raita and lassi. Against all expectations, in the menu you

Malaai Kofta

would find half plate vegetables too, which is a rare practice in many restaurants.

Try the food once and you'd love it forever. It is a must visit place in Old Delhi. You would never  forget the pocket friendly delicious meal, which would barely cost Rs 200-300 for 2 people. Post lunch I had rabri faluda from Gianis (which is the original shop) next to Kake di hatti, and it was beyond words. I had never tasted such amazing rabri faluda ever in my life. 70 rupees a glass is worth!!

Morning hues

                        The morning sky in McLeodganj- A view from our hotel balcony 

The taste of Gujarat

My search for authentic food continued and landed me to Gujarat Bhawan restaurant which is in the official resident complex of Gujarat commissioner. I savour Gujarati cuisine for the tinge of sweetness and less of spices. I loved the food here. Unlike Andhra Bhawan, this is comparatively a small restaurant with limited seating capacity. The ambiance is neat and quiet.  Located at 11 Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri, the pure vegetarian restaurant serves unlimited food worth 90 rupees on weekdays and 120 rupees on weekends.

TASTE ALERT- If you love spicy food, this place is not for you.

The superb thaali in Gujarat Bhawan

Gujarat Bhawan Restaurant's timings are 12 noon to 2 pm for lunch. The food is not authentic Gujarati but its the preparation which is different. Be it the daal makhni or choley, which are not typical Gujju dishes, they still have an aroma and taste of Gujarati food. The menu on weekdays consists dhokla, salad, papad as starters, along with one dry vegetable, yellow daal (which is sweet), 2 curry preparations, tawa roti and steamed rice accompanied with chhaach. Weekend menu is the same with additional items like paalak pakora, poori, dessert and paan.

I loved the thaali because of its simplicity and sweet tinge. Excess of spices in any cuisine not only spoils the taste but attacks your digestion too! I stay away from too spicy or chilly food. Choley served here has been the best that I have ever tasted at any restaurant. The neat and clean place with great food keeps seeing me come back each week :-) (I have been here several times now)

An ice cream lover can also buy ice creams from the Amul counter. Packed khakhra, thepla and Gujarati namkeens are also available for sale over the counter.

Ambience- 5 on 5

Food- 5 on 5

Overall quality- 4.5 on 5

Recommended for all age groups, this place is MUST VISIT for all.