manishadhingra-blog

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I have only one motivation to travel to Delhi in Winters, I mean.. of course besides meeting my family.. and that’s food. It’s a known fact that Delhiites love their food, but in winters, it goes up a notch.

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Well… I traveled to Delhi.. and took a trip down to Old Delhi. The narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk not only has its old-school charm but also has some of the best flavors from some legendary outlets here.

Natraj Dahi Bhalle

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Very delicious aloo tikki from an iconic Natraj dahi bhalla corner. Best of street food in chandni chowk, Delhi.! _________________________________ #food #foodie #foodporn #foodies #instagram #instafood #instagood #foodstagram #streetfood #chaat #delhi #olddelhi #ifoundawesome #photography #tasty #healthy #musttry #potato #musttry #delicious #yummy

A post shared by Manisha Dhingra (@cookieforthought) on Feb 14, 2018 at 8:34pm PST

We took the metro to purani Dilli, and as soon as we came out of the metro station through a very very narrow lane, on the corner was a small shabby shop selling the best Dahi Bhallas and aloo tikki. Its called Natraj Dahi Bhalla Corner ESTD 1940. The shop is just big enough for 3 people to be sitting there. Very moderately priced, these are the best dahi bhalle ever! And Delhi’s most famous winter food.. is aloo tikki. We order a plate of each, stood on the corner on a road and enjoyed the piping hot aloo tikki and the deliciously soft bhalle. The popularity of tiny joint is so much, that when I was taking a picture of the shop for my Instagram handle, one of the shop uncles said that, “I don’t know how to accommodate more customers. I don’t need more publicity”.

Basically, if you haven’t had dahi bhalle here, you’ll never know wat the dish is supposed to taste like.

Parathe Wali Gali

Have a great start to the day, we headed on to a far more narrower lane to find another treasure. Some tiny lane on the opposite side of Natraj leads to Kinari Bazaar. As you enter the lane, you first hit Parathe Wali Gali. But parathe is not what I’m excited about yet. Over the years parathe wali Gali has said to have lost its charm. But you can relish some delectable buttery parathas here. Me… I passed on the paratha and kept heading to Kinari bazaar to find a true hidden gem…Daulat Ki Chaat.

Daulat ki Chaat

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I have been waiting to try daulat ki chaat since a long long time. This brilliant dish is only available in Delhi in winters in chandni chowk. There are a lot of copycats now, so tracking the original one was a task. This brilliant dish is prepared over night and is worth every hype. I absolutely loved it!!!😍😍😍 You should definitely give it a shot. Having such dishes are a treat to the pallet! __________________________________ #food #foodie #foodporn #foodies #instagram #instafood #instagood #foodstagram #dessert #desserts #delhi #olddelhi #streetfood #chaat #legendary #musttry #mindblowing #delicious #foodblogger #followme #foodiesofbengaluru #foodiesofinstagram #foodiesofindia #foodiesofDelhi #delhiblogger #foodwalk #foodphotography #photography

A post shared by Manisha Dhingra (@cookieforthought) on Feb 9, 2018 at 7:25am PST

I will get to the brilliance of Daulat ki chaat in a bit. But be warned that there are a lot of copycats of the same now, so make sure you go before 2 pm to the Google location of Daulat ki chaat, which is the original one. It is difficult to spot in the extremely narrow lanes of Kinaari bazaar. Ask the shopkeepers of you face difficulty.

But as you get to the original Daulat ki chaat, savor that first bite. Because it is going to blow your mind. The texture, the lightness, the creaminess, the perfect amount of sweetness is sheer bliss. This is one dish I fail to describe with words. It is that good.!

With the divine feeling of this delicacy which is cooked overnight and some more parcels of this sweet, we took a rickshaw to head to Karim’s. Make sure you bargain with the rickshaw walas. They quote a higher amount once they spot tourists. If you feel like you can even walk to the place, it’s just 1km away.

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Al-jawar and Karim’s

Opposite one of the gates of Jama Masjid, are two very famous outlets, Karim’s and Sons and Aljawahar. Both are extremely popular and serve amazing food. Needless to mention, you should skip this one if you’re a vegetarian. I only went to Karim’s but my brother and trusted friends have been to both, and some like Al-jawar better. You can try mutton and chicken delicacies here. We had a tummy full of lunch and came out to enjoy some touristy vibe of Jama Masjid.

Jama Masjid

I was slightly intimidated by the crowd at the Masjid on Friday, but the courtyard is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy some pictures and get ready to head to our next destination. We took a rickshaw back to a destination 1 km away, Old famous Jalebi Wala.

Old famous Jalebi wala

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Jalebi rabdi from a very old and famous jalebi wala. He is so old and famous that name of his shop is "old famous jalebi wala". Its next to the gurdwara in chandni chowk. Delicious stuff! ______________________________ #food #foodie #foodporn #foodies #instagram #instafood #instagood #foodstagram #dessert #desserts #bangalore #foodphotography #blogger #followme #foodiesofbengaluru #foodiesofinstagram #foodiesofindia #indianfood #india #foodiesofDelhi #delhiblogger #foodwalk #photography #tasty #delicious #ifoundawesome #foodwalk #legendary #musttry

A post shared by Manisha Dhingra (@cookieforthought) on Feb 9, 2018 at 9:59pm PST

Old famous Jalebi wala is actually on the same road as Natraj, and I was now ready for something sweet. Another small outlet on the corner of a street. Makes piping hot and fat jalebis and serves with Rabri. Yumm…! The outlet serves Samosa as well, which I skipped, if you have been reading so far… you know why.

Sisganj gurudwara

With a sugar rush, I walked a few hundred meters down the road to Sisganj gurudwara. Prayed for the ability to eat as much without getting fat, amongst other things, tasted Kadha prasad and felt the need to stop eating finally.

Mughal Gardens

Delhi is the national capital, which means it is the place with Rashtrapati Bhavan. As a tourist, when you visit Rashtrapati Bhavan, you see the huge residence and office of the president of India. Situated on Raisina Hill, it has 320 rooms, beautiful presidential gardens. A little known fact is that for a month around February-March, Mughal gardens are open to Public for a tour and it’s something I’d recommend seeing. The sheer variety of flowers and colors and being in the President’s backyard is very exciting. Except for the fact that you have to walk a lot.

I ended my day with a tour of Presidential Gardens, more commonly known as Mughal Gardens.

That was my day in Delhi in winters. As such I am a native of Delhi, but since I have not stayed there much in my life, I become a tourist when I visit the city. Despite what you hear about Delhi, the crime, the pollution, the traffic.. it is a place with a lot of treasures, both in terms of food and otherwise. And I’m delighted to explore the city every time. So here are my bits and pieces on one small unit of treasure from our capital city.

Winter food walk in Chandni Chowk I have only one motivation to travel to Delhi in Winters, I mean.. of course besides meeting my family..

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Bowl Me Over- The Bowl Company

Bowl Me Over- The Bowl Company

About The Bowl Company

The Bowl Company is the private brand of Swiggy. They have cloud kitchens at various locations in Bangalore serving delicious food in comfortable and convenient fashion.

I love The Bowl Company for the super convenient meals. They serve Indian, Chinese and Continental food as a one-bowl meal. You can order at home or work, and eat the delicious food without any discomfort.

O…

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Sizzling 20 feet high

Sizzling 20 feet high

A bright and breezy Bangalore afternoon, a glass of chilled mimosa, nice breezy open setting, overlooking the beautiful footpath and people walking down the church street and sizzling hot sizzlers.

    I happened to be at 20 feet high’s church street outlet at the sizzler festival. The place is beautifully located on the church street, which looks even more so fancy after being modelled. The…

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Barbecoa

Live grills are an exciting dining option. The trend of live grills is not a new concept around here, but any new addition to the family is always welcomed with open arms or mouths.. whatever suits. I recently went to Barbecoa for lunch and I was pleasantly delighted by the food and service over here.    

The place is quite open, the interiors are pleasant and seating capacity is quite a lot to…

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Potful of biryani

I was utterly delighted by Potful when I ordered biryani from them while hosting some guests over. To set context why I absolutely loved it, you need to understand something.

Typically when preparing certain types of biryani (including and mainly kacchi biryani), the pot is filled with layers of meat and rice. It is then sealed with a wheat dough, to give it dum, or in simple language to allow it…

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Chefactory

A quick service restaurant with economical and delicious food.

Chefactory is a quick service restaurant of Indian cuisine. They provide home delivery service as well. The outlet is pretty small and very bright. They have an excellent packaging for home delivery service with colour coded boxes for vegetarian and non-vegetarian.    

Appetizers

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Amongst starters, I loved the spicy grilled laska…

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Banh Mi & Wok

Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian food have a party every day. The venue is Banh Mi & Wok in Indiranagar.

Banh Mi is the Vietnamese word for bread and wok is a vessel used primarily in Chinese cooking.

Ambience

It’s a very small outlet next to Toit. The logo on the green wall and cute little lights are such a highlight. I’d say a good place to hang out with friends.

As such the…

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Dhaba Estd 1986 Delhi

From Delhi to Bangalore!

Formerly known as Dhaba by Claridges, this famous Punjabi fine dine has opened another outlet in Marathalli. The place has both buffet and a la carte option. We went for a la carte and I have some amazing recommendations.

Ambience

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But let’s start with the ambience. The outlet is perky and colourful and a very interesting setting. Kind of reminds you of…

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Fresh Pressery Cafe

Healthy and taste can go hand in hand!

I have never been pro healthy food. Primarily because I never thought that healthy food can be tasty as well. In my opinion, the taste was always a compromise for healthy food. But I was so happy to be proved wrong on my visit to Fresh pressery cafe recently.

I loved the concept of this cafe. By retaining the same recipe and substituting the ingredients with…

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Let's Iceperiment

Let’s Iceperiment

I was a geeky kid in school and I loved the chemistry lab! As I outgrew it, food became my one true love. But my recent trip to iceperiment, took me back to the chemistry lab, with the little test tubes and beakers and ice cream being freshly made with the help of liquid Nitrogen. The concept is amazing. Because ice cream is made on demand here, we know it doesn’t have any added preservatives and…

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Chavadi

To spend quanlity time with your favourite people, you need a place to set the right vibe and some really luscious food. Chavadi is one of those places.

Vibe of Chavadi

Bangalore is known and loved for its weather. Hence an outdoor rooftop seating, on most days, sets a perfect stage for a special meal, for which you are the audience. I came across one such perfect place recently. I fell in love…

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Baba Da Dhaba

Well.. my radar caught a new Punjabi restaurant in Koramangala. Baba da Dhaba has expanded to my part of town, with some delicious food. And I was here, for a tasting of the already famous delicious food.

It’s a small cosy outlet, with lesser seating. I like the outside seating more considering the climate of our lovely city. But the place is more about food that it’s ambience.

For beverages you…

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Fattoush

Fattoush is a kind of Middle eastern salad as such. In Bangalore, Fattoush is a know Mediterranean restaurant. I recently visited the new outlet of Fattoush in BTM. A very easy to spot location and a nice family restaurant ambience, prompt service and presentation of food, especially the starters is really appealing to the eyes.

Although Fattoush has a more Indianized Mediterranean food, it’s…

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Pizza... Whooppeezz

Pizza… Whooppeezz

I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at Whooppeezz. When I heard of the new menu and revolution coming to the entire Whooppeezz menu especially the pizza and it’s crust, I was tempted to try this one. 

About the crusts

They are serving 3 types of crusts, multigrain, thin crust and the Indian crust, all of which I liked. The crust was nice and soft, felt perfect to me. Personally, I prefer…

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Diwali Thali @ Rajdhani

Diwali Thali @ Rajdhani

Rajdhani thali is a vegetarian’s delight. Food is delicious and it is served with so much love here. To make the festival even more special, Rajdhani has curated a special menu for Diwali, which will be available for the same price as regular thali, and will be available from Oct 18 till Oct 22.

Offers

You get a small box of Kaju Katali, Shakarpara and Murukku as a festive delight. There are also…

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Punjabi people in south Bangalore, happy news! Some good Punjabi food in your neighboorhood. Bathinda Junction has many outlets now, and I have loved going to the Koramangala outlet for some lip-smacking food. So I didn’t pass up the opportunity to go to bloggers table at this newly opened outlet. My first event after a long unwanted break, and rightly a Punjabi restaurant.

Ambience

The setting is very similar to the other outlets of Bathinda Junction. Milestones on stairs, rooftop open setting with khats as well. and funky Punjabi quotes all over the place. peppy Punjabi songs playing in the background. A lovely dhabha kind of experience setting up the mood for the Punjabi food.

Starters

Chilly paneer

MAsala papad

Veg bullet

Honey chilli potato

Veg bullet

Fish tikka

Afghan Chicken

The started were delicious. We started with Honey chilli potatoes, Paneer chilly and veg bullet. Everything was delicious.  Masala papad became soggy by the time we took pictures though. Amongst non-vegetarian starters, I liked Honey chilli chicken, good texture and good flavour. I also liked Afghan Chicken. But, I felt fish tikka was a miss.

Amongst non-vegetarian starters, I loved the honey chilli chicken, good texture and good flavour. I also liked Afghan Chicken. It was slightly bland, but good job with the creamy texture. However, fish tikka was a miss.

Main Course

Dal Makhani

Aloo Shimla Mirch

Rara chicken

Home made chicken

Butter Chicken

Breads

Baingan Bharta

Malai Kofta

My plate

The main course got even better. Amongst vegetarian main course dishes, I loved the Malai Kofta in white gravy and daal makhani. Malai Kofta was very very well executed and very flavourful and I think it’s a must try in the vegetarian main course. Bhaigan ka bharta was a miss for me. It just wasn’t Punjabi enough. The non-vegetarian main course was an equally big hit. I am a fan of Rara chicken here. Must try!! I also liked Butter chicken and Homemade chicken in the order.

Dessert

Kheer

Gajar Halwa

Churi

Needless to say by this time I was already full!! But, you can’t pass up on desserts. So we had Kheer, which was good, but I thought it needed a bit more cooking time to reach there. Gajar ka halwa tasted good but again need a bit more carrots. I felt that the taste of Khoya was overpowering. But the star dessert of for me, and very unexpected was “Teri souhh Churi”. The jaggery and ghee flavour was so authentic. An instant reminder of home, I think you shouldn’t miss this amazing delicacy.

Highly recommended items

Honey chilli chicken, Malai Kofta, Rara Chicken and of course, Teri souhh Churi!

Happy Hogging!

My rating 4!

Bathinda Junction in BTM now Punjabi people in south Bangalore, happy news! Some good Punjabi food in your neighboorhood. Bathinda Junction has many outlets now, and I have loved going to the Koramangala outlet for some lip-smacking food.

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Is there anyone who doesn’t like berries? Berries are close cousins of chocolate, slightly less popular but equally charming. Well, if you agree so far, read on… I have another summer special ice cream post. Come on there is nothing called too much ice cream. And you know what I’m getting at here… berry ice creams!

Ice cream parlours have evolved so much over the past few years and I am delighted at this cool new addition to Kormangala’s most happening lane. The delicious ice creams made of natural berries are something not to be missed.

There is blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and mixed berries natural flavoured ice creams, which are made completely with natural berries imported from USA. There are premium berry ice creams as well, which are more creamy and have some flavours added along with the natural berries.

Sorbets are usually palette cleansers, and berry sorbets here are so fabulous. Very light and flavorful and the best part, they’re low in calories. I was pleasantly surprised with the presence and taste of macaroons here.

You will like the exotic flavours for sure over here which are nothing but an amazing blend of berry and chocolate ice creams. White chocolate and blueberry ice cream & dark chocolate raspberry ice cream are very delectable.

There are milkshakes, lassis, parfaits and smoothies in various berry flavours here as well. Berrylicious has a whole range of berry desserts which are very economical and in their most natural form. Berrylicious has 3 outlets, one in Koramangala, JP Nagar and Indiranagar.

My rating: 4

Recommended items:

Natural and premium berry ice creams, mixed berries sorbet, White chocolate and blueberry ice cream and dark chocolate raspberry ice creams

Berrylicious Ice creams Is there anyone who doesn't like berries? Berries are close cousins of chocolate, slightly less popular but equally charming.