Curb the Culinary Cravings at Delhi’s Hauz Khas

Hauz Khas doesn’t sound like a place that will have one go all Ga-Ga over it. But then, what’s in a name?

Hauz Khas is a place that will make stand up, and take notice. No, it isn’t one giant cauldron of beauty that will have you drool over it; in fact it is dingy. And dark, much like the usually crowded and littered streets in Delhi. It may be a little scruffy at the edges, but there is no funkier spot in Delhi to shop, eat and generally unwind.
 

Hauz Khas is a thriving hub for some absolutely punk restaurants. Punk, because they are not the usual north Indian restaurants where all you find yourself doing is forcing your taste buds into accepting the taste of the otherwise painfully mundane Dal-Makhani and Naan. Because restaurants in Hauz Khas, and the ones in nearby markets, are notches above that.
 

With a gamut of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, Hauz Khas’ palate dances to the tunes of the unconventional. I, personally, have both tested and tasted its waters, and my, was I impressed! Be it any genre of food, from Italian to Portuguese, you just can’t stop reveling in its cuisine. And it’s not just one restaurant that gets away with the food-junkies’ attention, all the restaurants in Khan Market and Hauz Khas offer an equally sumptuous mouthful.
 

Thick with an air of majesty, Hauz Khas’ restaurants offer nothing but a king-like experience. When I walked into Smoke House Deli, I was almost flattered by the over-the-top kind of treatment that I was being subjected to. I am not much of a spoilt brat; quite clearly it was only but overwhelming to have all that royalty gulped down the throat.
 

But if you are one of those spoilt little brats, the ‘Mumma’s’ all-time favourite who just can’t do without some good food, you know where to hunt, right?

And that’s How we Got the Burger

There is a warm reverence in the way we talk about food history. The jewels of local fare that have run in the family for ages have become a part of the culture. We can trace the traditional back to the Mughal era and many even older. But ever fathomed the burger store next door is serving a legacy from the past or just a creation spotted a couple of decades ago?

Yes it’s an American dish, but burgers in Delhi are equally adored by the locals. Actually the origin of this favourite fast food is drowned in controversies and contrasting folklores. I will not touch the debate on who made it first. But the common facts floating around are quite intriguing.
 

It can be traced back to the medieval times when in Central Asia, people used to put beef under their saddles to make it tender and then it was eaten raw. However the modern burger did not come into existence before 1895. A theory says, it was served at a restaurant in response to an impatient customer’s quick lunch order. But whoever was the inventor would be proud to see burgers in Delhi have come this far.
 

And it was transformed into a commercial success after 1921 with White Castle launching the hamburger we fondly refer to. However, with quick popularity and insane demand, sloppiness in the cooking methods crept in. then in 1934, a store, Wimpy Burgers, inspired from famous cartoon series Popeye the sailor man took its popularity to a new level. Later of course, came the McDonalds’ which is how we recognize burger.
 

However, today this snack is not dependent on a single brand for its recognition. It is far more localized and has become a public property across the world. Some restaurants in Vasasnt Kunj nearly beat the set brands in taste.
 

Burgers share the spirit of America: all embracing and free. So chefs have taken to invent there variations. And honestly, nobody really wants to tie it down to a stereotype. So go ahead, choose your own variant or rather invent your own, and who knows you could be the maker of the next burger buzz.   
          

Cost Effective Homemade Cocktails

The usual night outs usually consist of expensive dinner with friends and a spree to the club which are generally tight on your budget. However when you chose to stay at home instead of hopping beyond the finances you have planned you can still enjoy a great time drinking with your friends. However when you watch professional bartenders with countless ingredients you haven’t even heard about you get a feeling that you need a knowledge of some sort of chemistry to come up with those when you are staying back at home. But my experience says the best night outs and parties are those well managed at home with the best cocktails.

What you need to know these mouth and spirits savoring cocktails require nothing more than the basic skills of being able to measure the ounces and squeeze lemon. It may sound too unbelievable to start with but the honesty in this statement is as much as the sun rising from the east and the setting best remains unsaid. So it is just with the few essentials, a little planning and with lots of variations and your taste you can come with the best cocktails in Delhi anytime and anywhere.

Here are some of the cocktails you can enjoy relaxing or partying at home:
 

-Cape Coder
Preparing it as simple as spelling it right. Vodka and cranberry juice is a great drink for all occasions. You can easily get hold of a cranberry bottle from any shop nearby add to it the vodka of your choice. You can pick the vodka bottle as per your budget and don’t wait more, turn the music on.

-Margarita and Daiquiri
Both of these are the most cost effective drinks you can pick from the range of all the best cocktails you have known so far. What you need is seasonal fresh fruits and a liqueur of your choice and there you go. Shake them or blend these into all the possible flavors you can imagine.

-Gin Rickey
As pretty as it sounds it will be a sure hit in your party. All you need to do is buy soda siphon and few CO2 cartridges. Don’t let the party and mood end experiment with the myriad of cocktails you can then come up with. SmokeHouseDeli.

A Village To Die For

Walking into the village lanes sounds a tad too retarded, right?
 

Or maybe not, especially when you are loitering into the lanes of Hauz Khas Village. People who don’t know much about Hauz Khas often mistake it for some flat-footed place- the kind of place that fails to arouse any consumer activity. But, ask a person who has experienced the marvels of shopping or binging in a restaurant in Hauz Khas and you would know how terribly mistaken you probably are.
Hauz Khas is a place where once you set your foot into, you will not be able to help but admire it for the chirpiness of its restaurants. Right from the quirky decor to glitzy menus, everything is admiringly bang on. There are restaurants where you will find walls decorated with pastel sheets and paintings- paintings that have stories to tell, like in Smoke House Deli. Punctuated with weird artefacts and a jazzy ambience, restaurants in Khan Market and Hauz Khas have an illusionary touch pivoted to them. 

Smoke House Deli, Flipside Cafe, Warehouse Cafe- these are just a few of the wonders that Hauz Khas is palmed with. Breathtaking ambience littered with every element of happy peculiarity is what makes it the most visited places in New Delhi. The cosy corner of SHD revs up the appetite and demands an instantly brewed espresso; the shakes and ice creams of Warehouse Cafe lit up the excited audience.

Hauz Khas Village and Khan Market in vicinity are studded with some incredibly Jazzy restaurants, breezy enough to put you in a culinary reverie. Be it Hauz Khas or Khan Market, there is a signature twist to every restaurant that you will ever set your foot into, and that twist is everything to die for!

Into The Lanes Of Saket- Smoke House Deli

It was a regular monsoon evening in Delhi, clad with glistening trees and mushroomed with the ethereal monsoon-y fragrance. Naturally, for any typical Delhi-wallah, monsoons are synonymous with food- fried and smoked food. As a Delhite myself, I am not any different.  Spurred by a strong urge to break bread, I set off into the lanes of Saket hunting for something that could satiate my spewing hunger for food- probably a smoked burgers in Delhi or something of that like.

It was then that I sniffed something of my delight.  Huddled together in a peculiar place and bearing the look that was different to what I get to see normally, I strolled inside Smoke House Deli. Crammed in the lanes of Saket, this all quirky restaurant soothes. It was the delectable decor of the place that I almost forgot what I was there for in the first place. It took my about 10 minutes to breathe in the ambience, and honestly, even that was not enough.

A few moments later I glanced at the menu. Just a glimpse was enough to get a taste of what SHD serves- anything and everything that your taste buds might not have tripped onto before. While I was randomly looking at the menu items, one of them managed to hold my gaze- Eggs Benedict. While I had heard about them a lot of times, I couldn’t ever get the chance to gorge on them. Going by the popular opinion, I ordered a plate and started waiting in excitement for it.

The ensemble of it a few minutes later hinted that I had actually ordered something divine. The fat slices of ham, nicely toasted English Muffins clothed in Hollandaise sauce did cast a spell. The eggs melted in mouth, quite literally. The heaven- licious taste was hard to get enough of. So was the monsoon-ish touch that fuelled the craving!

Home Bars And Designs

Turning unused space in a bar??? If so, seems to be a great idea and if not, then it is advised to plan something innovative instead of having usual space. Be it an imitation of Mumbai bars or replication of having food like smoked food in Bangalore, the bottom line is that you should feel good about it! Well, having least said, follow up makes a mention of different set up that can be finalized from while having a home bar:

It’s no hard and fast rule that you must have a specific set up in your home bar; you can be as creative and imaginative as you want. There are umpteen options to choose from and you will come across while searching:

Outdoor Wet Bar: you can always use your imagination and cross the boundaries. No matter how small is your house, you can always use it effectively. Yes, likewise to those innovatively constructed bungalows, you can also set up you own small bar in the backyard or patio area. Teaming it up with an inbuilt barbecue would serve the purpose well. Apart from this, just ascertain to the fact that arrangements are taken care of.

Lighting Options: instead of making it too gorgy to handle, try and have a low-lit ambience so as to create perfect setting. Do not forget the better your bar is lit, the more it will add-on to the fun and style element. Bright and vibrant spotlights may kill the lively essence.
Countertop-concept: if you do not have a spacious area for bar, no worries! Still you can add-in perfection to your bar, for which granite countertop has to be accredited. Apart from this, you have every reason to replicate the acclaimed designs of bars in Mumbai.

Visit Khan Market And Hauz Khas For Some Real Taste!

If you are one those people who seeks solace in the refreshingly dingy lanes of Hauz Khas and Khan Market- congratulations, you have a brilliantly classy taste.

Yes, the streets are dingy and dark, and the roads muddied with pebbles and dirt. Yet, Hauz Khas and Khan Market are considered to be the most elite markets of Delhi. Wonder why? Plan out a weekend getaway at any of its restaurant, and you would surely get your answer. 

Restaurants in Hauz Khas are brimming with name and fame. It’s a throbbing hub where people are setting up their restaurants. And believe me, they are no normal restaurants. The moment you set your foot into them, you would experience the magic of its creativity- restaurants in Hauz Khas are artistic and prolific in their own way. 

The Flipside Cafe, for instance, casts a spell on its consumers through its enchanting ambience. It is most popular for its cakes that you would set your taste buds into turbulence. Another bakery famous for its cakes at Hauz Khas is Elma’s Bakery. It’s a pretty little doll house that would shower on you some of its sumptuous delights. From tea to cakes, the aroma and the taste will leave you craving for more.

Another market that happens to share the same spot as Hauz Khas is the Khan Market. Restaurants in Khan Market are a delight of another magnitude. You would normally find a Khan market restaurant slightly more expensive than its some other market counterpart, but the ambience will be worth those few extra bucks, for sure! Khan Market will pump up your tastes, from good to the best- because that’s what Khan Market is famous for! Khan Chacha is a never-miss delicacy; once you tread your foot into the Khan Territory, make sure you don’t come back without having Khan Chacha serve you!

Dieting From A Foodie’s Journal

‘Eat healthy and eat well’- somehow this is a phrase I have difficulty to stomach in. ‘A foodie’s soul can never be chained by diet restrictions’- now this is something more refreshing and practical. It sounds good, isn’t it? 

However, before you dig into your favourite mound of cheese, inspired by the above notion, how about considering a mid-way out? Well, after I started getting worried about the rounding belly and the cringing foodie in me under the weight of a diet, a friend of mine came to my rescue. He helped me work out a reasonable diet that kept my doctor and senses happy. And now I am happily enjoying my burgerin Delhi without a hint of guilt.  

Well, if you are not planning up for some massive six pack crunchers, a moderation in your present insane consumption might be all you need. I do not say that you will have to live without your smoked lamb burger, but all I say is how about subtracting the mayonnaise and adding an extra lettuce leaf. Simple maths you see. And instead of indulging every second day, let’s just keep such treats for Saturday lunch. 

Another favorite part of mine in this lovely diet design is that I have the leverage to satiate my sweet tooth every second day. Desserts are the loveliest portion of a meal and the reason I used to wait for dinner to get over. But lately, after I feasted on my favorite extra cheese pizza I had to eventually sacrifice my dessert under the guilt. But not anymore, with carefully calculated calorie intake I can take a small healthy dessert every second day and a wholesome one once a week.

So, actually when worked out wisely, a diet doesn’t have to be all bad. Treat yourself with your favorite delicacies often enough but not regularly, so that your health allows you to enjoy them over a longer period of time.     

You can find any kind of food in Delhi

Unlike the Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata people, Delhiites are well known to be foodies. Since all the four are metro politans but when it comes to food, the first place that comes to our minds is Delhi. Yes, the restaurant in Khan market and restaurant in Hauz Khas are two of the top class markets in Delhi that attracts people from allover India. Delhi is the place with the maximum number of politicians and bureaucrats but still it is well known as the foodie people's place allover India. On one hand, where there is low caloric hotel food, we also have that spicy road side food on the same hand. It has a wide variety of cuisines that will not only satisfy our taste but even our appetite.

Places near Nizamuddin and Jama Masjid have every kind of roadside food such as Kathi rolls, kebabs, biryani and many more. Paranthe wali Gali in Chandni Chowk is a historical place that is famous for around more than 50 different variety of parantha and rolls. Coming to the popular and luxurious 5 star hotels, Hyatte and Ashoka Hotels has the best place in the top lists of best hotels that will provide you with every kind of continental and Indian food. If you want to have a change in taste, you can go for the South Indian dishes that are prepared in Delhi but with the same South Indian style.

At last, we come to the non vegetarian dishes that Delhi has for it's non vegetarian people. Lodhi Hotel, market at Defence Colony and Dasaprakash are some of the phenomenon places in Delhi that will provide you with the excellent non vegetarian foods. Other Chinese and Japanese cuisines is famous in almost all the big restaurant in Khan market and Hauz Khas.